Callisto

Semi-firm, washed rind COW’S milk cheese.  Alpine-style, (think Gruyere, Fontina) dense & chewy paste with a few eyes.  Melts well, easy to snack upon.  Hints of sour cream, preserved lemons, brown mustard, roasted sunflower seeds, peanut skin, shiitake mushrooms, brown buttered popcorn notes. Slightly sharp on the finish.  Aged three + months.  Pasteurized. Approx 4lb. - 4.5 pound squares.

A nymph from Greek and Roman mythology.  She was one of the closest hunting companions of the goddess Artemis/Diana. She’s associated with the moon.  Her name means “most beautiful.”  Depending on the storyteller, either Zeus, Hera, or Artemis transformed Callisto into a great bear when she became pregnant by Zeus. Her son was raised in a cave by Maia, the goddess of Spring.  Callisto was later transformed into the constellation of Ursa Major/The Great Bear in order to save her from death.  Callisto is also the mentally unstable, but kick-ass nemesis of Xena, Warrior Princess on the Sam Raimi TV show from the ‘90’s.