Food Product Review: Cady Creek Farms - Colby Cheese

Cady Creek Farms is a distributor of dairy products from Green Bay, Wisconsin, which was established in 1908. "Cady Creek Farms" Colby cheese carries a seal that says "Wisconsin Cheese", which I suppose has the intention of letting us know this is the "real deal". (Because when it comes to cheese, at least of the domestic persuasion, what says quality and know-how more than Wisconsin?)

"Cady Creek Farms' Colby Cheese" comes in a bright orange wrapper with a serene little farm scene complete with farmstead, babbling brook, and grazing cows. I somehow doubt that there is such a scene WITHIN the city limits of Green Bay, but it does set a nice tone. Perhaps Cady Creek Farms' suppliers live in such nostalgic surroundings. We have quite a few dairy farms in our part of Iowa, and many are still operated as family farms. We actually have a bubbling brook with grazing cows just outside of our little town, so perhaps it's the same in Wisconsin.

"Cady Creek Farms' Colby Cheese" has nice, simple ingredients: pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, and annato color (This makes it orange. Cheese is not naturally orange, especially THAT orange. It was originally added to keep the color of a cheese from changing from season to season. ) I appreciate the fact that there aren't a lot of extras, and that there are no preservatives.

"Cady Creek Farms' Colby Cheese" costs a bit more than some other cheeses. But it was pretty well priced, at $2.50 for a one pound block, when we purchased it at Hy-Vee. (We often have cheese and crackers or other little snacks when we play games, so my husband thought it would be a good one to try.)

"Cady Creek Farms' Colby Cheese" is slightly soft. It could probably even be used as a thick spread. But it is firm enough to slice and that's the way we ate it. The texture was buttery smooth. And the favor was outstanding. The nice surprise for me is that it was also moderately sharp. I had never found or tried a sharp Colby cheese before. My husband thought this made it taste a bit more like cheddar, but I think it tasted like Colby, just stronger than usual. "Cady Creek Farms' Colby Cheese" was a hit with my whole family.

As with many cheeses, "Cady Creek Farms' Colby Cheese" is high in saturated fat with 28 percent per one-ounce serving. Each serving also has a sizable 110 calories. "Cady Creek Farms' Colby Cheese" does have a nice bit of protein with 7 grams per serving. It also provides 20 percent of your daily-recommended intake of Calcium. So this, like most cheese, should be enjoyed in moderation.

As a cheese lover who is watching her weight, I'd still rather have a little of a good "fatty" cheese than a lot of a poorer "low-fat" one. So if you want a little treat that's a but different than your average store or name brand Colby, I recommend "Cady Creek Farms' Colby Cheese".

Enjoy!