Aged Monterey Jack

Aged Monterey Jack is an ancient cheese.

It is a direct descendant of the cheeses of the Holy Roman empire, kept alive by European monasteries after the fall of Rome and brought over to California’s Central Coast by Spanish monks in the late 1700s.

The monks christened their New World cheese queso del país (country cheese) and produced it year-round at the missions that dotted what is now Monterey County (Big Sur, Carmel, Steamer Lane).

Aged Monterey Jack is quite distinct from the mass-produced Monterey Jack one finds in American delis and supermarkets. Mass-produced Jack has a mild, creamy flavor and is a tasty ingredient in quesadillas and on hamburgers.

Aged Jack, on the other, is artisanally crafted by hand and aged for months or years. It has a crumbly texture, akin to parmesan cheese, and a richer, nuttier flavor.

Because its rind is toughened with age, it holds up great on hiking, backpacking and camping trips in the California wilderness. And it pairs well with dried figs, chocolates and medium Pilsner.

Schoch Family Farmstead

Schoch is the only cheesemaker that still churns out Monterey Jack in Monterey County proper.

They use pure milk that is milked by hand on the family’s 70-year-old dairy farm. You can buy their aged Farmstead Jack at grocery stores along the Central Coast and at the following farmers markets:

Monterey Bay CFM
near Carmel

Fri, 10am-2pm
930 Fremont St, Monterey

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Aptos CFM
near Steamer Lane

Sat, 9am-1pm
2798 Cabrillo College Dr, Aptos