MONROE - A mouse would have loved the cheese tent at Cheese Days.
By the looks of the crowds that walked through, sampling cheese and talking to master cheesemakers, people loved it just as much.
Cheesemakers from across Green County displayed and offered samples of some of their award-winning cheeses at the cheese tent. All of the cheesemakers who had a place in the tent have won awards; most of them have won numerous awards.
At Cheese Days, the masters of their craft weren't in competition. It was quite the opposite, Myron Olson, master cheesemaker at Chalet Cheese Corp., said.
"We're just fellow cheesemakers today," he smiled.
No one cheesemaker had the monopoly on customers interested to sample some cheese.
"They sample everything and then they come back and buy the cheese they liked most," cheesemaker Bruce Workman of Edelweiss Creamery said.
The tent was packed with people who wanted to taste different cheeses. Everything from Swiss to chipotle to mushroom jack was available.
Robin Marass and her daughter Molly, 11, Juda, took home some garlic herb cheese curds. They also enjoyed the baked cheeses.
Molly said she sampled many cheeses but still was ready for more.
"I still have a lot to taste," she giggled.
Probably the biggest issue for the cheesemakers was to determine how much cheese they needed to bring to the Square. Workman said Friday's crowd was so large that he thought he would have to cut up more pieces before the day was finished.
Tony Meives, whose parents own Chula Vista Cheese in Browntown, said his parents go to the farmers' market in Madison so they had some idea how much cheese they would need to keep the samplers happy.
The cheese tent was more than just samples of cheese. It was a chance for people to meet the county's cheesemakers and see what's special about Green County.
"Sometimes we don't realize how fortunate we are to have so many master cheesemakers in Green County," Olson said. "When visitors hear that you're the only limburger cheese factory they are impressed. They like our cheese and they take it home with them."
By the looks of the crowds that walked through, sampling cheese and talking to master cheesemakers, people loved it just as much.
Cheesemakers from across Green County displayed and offered samples of some of their award-winning cheeses at the cheese tent. All of the cheesemakers who had a place in the tent have won awards; most of them have won numerous awards.
At Cheese Days, the masters of their craft weren't in competition. It was quite the opposite, Myron Olson, master cheesemaker at Chalet Cheese Corp., said.
"We're just fellow cheesemakers today," he smiled.
No one cheesemaker had the monopoly on customers interested to sample some cheese.
"They sample everything and then they come back and buy the cheese they liked most," cheesemaker Bruce Workman of Edelweiss Creamery said.
The tent was packed with people who wanted to taste different cheeses. Everything from Swiss to chipotle to mushroom jack was available.
Robin Marass and her daughter Molly, 11, Juda, took home some garlic herb cheese curds. They also enjoyed the baked cheeses.
Molly said she sampled many cheeses but still was ready for more.
"I still have a lot to taste," she giggled.
Probably the biggest issue for the cheesemakers was to determine how much cheese they needed to bring to the Square. Workman said Friday's crowd was so large that he thought he would have to cut up more pieces before the day was finished.
Tony Meives, whose parents own Chula Vista Cheese in Browntown, said his parents go to the farmers' market in Madison so they had some idea how much cheese they would need to keep the samplers happy.
The cheese tent was more than just samples of cheese. It was a chance for people to meet the county's cheesemakers and see what's special about Green County.
"Sometimes we don't realize how fortunate we are to have so many master cheesemakers in Green County," Olson said. "When visitors hear that you're the only limburger cheese factory they are impressed. They like our cheese and they take it home with them."