Spring Break Out the Fat Pants – Part 2

As promised, here’s a bit more about our Spring Break trip - a stop at the fabled Tillamook Cheese Factory.

Photo by Susan Wenzel

Tillamook cheese is sold throughout the United States, but their products are undeniably local favorites here in the Pacific Northwest – especially their award winning medium cheddar cheese.  My mother-in-law insists only it will do in her amazing chicken, broccoli, and cheese crêpes, and I agree.  So, it was only natural that I too fell under the spell of their cheese, butter, sour cream, ice cream (40 flavors – give or take), and yogurt (Baked Apple Pie and Banana Vanilla are my kids’ favorites) shortly after moving back to Washington State. 

And, after hearing what fun others had at the cheese factory, we knew a stop to see where these dairy delights were made would be included in our road trip through Oregon - and why not, travel = food in our family, right?  (When we went to Hawaii this last time, one of our first stops was the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut plantation!) 

Photo by Susan Wenzel

After our visit to VooDoo Doughnuts in Portland and a couple days staying with family near Salem, we headed west.  My kids counted off the miles that morning until they finally spied the huge yellow sign welcoming us to our next culinary destination. 

Photo by Susan Wenzel

Once inside the factory, our first stop was the self-guided tour where we saw the cheese go from raw milk (courtesy of the 100+ local farms comprising the Tillamook County Creamery Association) to blocks of curds and finally chopped into the familiar, red wrapped, two-pound loaves.  As an organic milk convert, I was pleased to learn that, while Tillamook does not offer organic products, all of the milk they use comes from cows that are NOT TREATED with rBST (a hormone injected into dairy cows to artificially increase milk production) – a fact that is good enough for me. 

Photo by Susan Wenzel

Speaking of facts, here’s an interesting one about cheddar cheese:  did you know it is naturally white and that it has to be colored orange?  Tillamook adds annatto (the seed of the tropical achiote tree used almost exclusively as a natural food dye) to give their cheddar its appealing orange tint. 

Photo by Susan Wenzel

The endless conveyer belts of cheese snaking around and around the production room floor made us understandably hungry, so we made our way to the samples…which where delicious (cracked black pepper was exquisite) but only served to whet our appetites.  Conveniently in our path was the café where we perused the menu but all opted to order the oh-so-obvious choice of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.  (I mean, really, what better place?)  

Photo by Susan Wenzel

Maybe it was the waterfall of ooey-gooey cheese pouring out from between the perfectly toasted slices of bread or maybe it was the atmosphere of eating in a cheese factory, but we all agreed they were The Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches EVER (my stomach is growling just thinking about it) – and the soup was certainly nothing to sneeze at either – it was amazing and only made the sandwich that much better when dipped into its rich red creaminess. 

After lunch, we hit the cheese store and bought an assortment of cheesy goodies – fresh curds, Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar, Garlic White Cheddar, a big block of our favorite medium cheddar, and my true love – Hot Habanera cheese.

Just before we bid adieu to this Disney Land of Cheese, we had to make a final stop – to get Tillamook ice cream, of course.  Between the four of us, we sampled eight flavors and finally left – stuffed but satisfied. 

I didn’t really have to don my fat pants when we got home.  Thankfully all of the hiking along the dazzling Oregon Coast offset the calories – I’m sure.

Photo by Susan Wenzel