The Glorious 4th, Cheese and Coolidge

Many people know that two of America's more distinguished presidents, Jefferson and John Adams, died on the Fourth of July. Fewer realize that a third somewhat less esteemed prez was born on the 4th. Calvin Coolidge was born on July 4, 1872 in the tiny rural hamlet of Plymouth Notch, Vermont. His father John was a dairy farmer and he and other farmers ( and their patient cows) provided the milk that was the basis of Plymouth Cheese. The Plymouth Cheese Factory began operating in 1891, producing a "granular curd" type cheese that originated in New England homes during colonial times. It was thriving when Coolidge succeeded Warren Harding as president in 1923. ( Harding died in California and Coolidge was sworn in as chief executive at the family homestead in Vermont.)

By 1934, a year after Coolidge's death, the cheese factory had closed due to a "milk shortage in Vermont." ( !) It was revived in 1960 by the president's son, John and was producing 200, 000 pounds of cheese a year at its peak. It went under again in 1998 when John Coolidge sold the factory to the state of Vermont.

The cheese was superlatively good, and many longtime fans of its qualities kept calling the Coolidge Site wanting to know when the cheese factory would be up and running again. Tom Gilbert, a cheesemaker with 20 years of experience, came to the rescue in 2004 and Plymouth Cheese is back. Gilbert and his crew, not finding any written down instructions for making the cheese, interviewed a few former cheesemakers and painstakingly reconstructed the "recipe." So head to Vermont, check out the appealing site where time has stopped at 1923, nibble some cheese and steel yourself for slurping down a Moxie, the President's favorite soda, one of the more repellent fizzy drinks we've ever tried. As Foodie has written elsewhere it goes some way to explain the pursed lip look often captured on Coolidge's face in official portraits. ( BTW, our beloved niece and nephew are Coolidges and we know that Cal was really OK, had a droll sense of humor, and was much beloved by his wife Grace, a woman of considerable charm, glamour and, dare we say, Moxie...) Happy 4th--we celebrate America's diversity ( Cal was part native American), inventiveness, creativity, verve, and the good intentions of most of its citizens.

( Photo: John Coolidge, ( left, ) offers Plymouth Cheese to an utterly blown away member of a Swiss delegation of cheesemakers.) 

Comments

[Cynthia]

Good stuff. I knew we'd had Presidents who were engineers, writers, cowboys, mathematicians, and architects, but I didn't know we'd had a part-Native American cheese maker among them. Thanks for letting us know.

[KathyF]

And my grandmother was born on the fourth of July. She'd have been 88 yesterday, but she died in February.