The short version
A 9 oz wheel of soft cow's milk cheese from Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont, wrapped in a strip of spruce bark. Bring it to room temperature, cut off the top, and the inside is soft enough to eat with a spoon. It is the most interactive cheese you can put on a board.
What it is
Harbison is a bloomy-rind cheese made from pasteurized milk from pastured Vermont cows. While the cheese is young, Jasper Hill wraps each wheel in a band of spruce cambium, the soft inner layer of the bark, harvested from its own woods. It ripens for 6 to 13 weeks. The bark holds the softening paste in shape and flavors it as it ripens.
- Taste
- sweet cream, mushroom, a resinous woodsy note, a little mustard at the finish
- Texture
- custard-soft to almost runny at the center
- Look
- a small round with a wrinkled white rind and a band of tan bark
The bark is the mechanism. Spruce carries aromatic compounds that migrate into the fat of the cheese while it ripens, and fat holds aroma well. That's why Harbison smells faintly of a forest and why no other soft cheese tastes like it. The bark also lets the paste go far softer than an unwrapped cheese could without collapsing.
What it pairs with — and why
| Pair it with | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Crusty baguette | A neutral, sturdy base for a spoonful of soft paste. Jasper Hill's own suggestion. |
| Mostarda | Sweet fruit and mustard heat cut through the cream. Also a Jasper Hill pick. |
| Pears and apples | Juicy acid and crunch against something soft and rich. |
| Honey | Sugar rounds out the slight bitterness of the bark. |
| Toasted walnuts | Their gentle tannin and crunch echo the woodsy note. |
| Oaky Chardonnay or a barrel-aged sour beer | The wood in the glass meets the wood on the cheese. |
Skip it with: blue cheese and heavy smoked or spicy meats. Harbison's flavor is subtle and resinous, and loud neighbors drown it.
How to prep it for the board
- Temper it for about an hour. Cold Harbison is firm and muted. Warm, it turns spoonable.
- Slice off the top rind like a lid. Use a sharp paring knife and cut just inside the bark.
- Serve about 1 oz per person. One wheel covers 8 to 10 guests on a full board.
- Place it at the center of the board on a small plate. It weeps a little as it warms.
- Set out two or three small spoons so people know how to eat it.
- Fix: if it's still firm at serving time, put the wheel in a 200°F oven for 5 minutes. Don't go longer or the bark scorches.
What to buy
| Product | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jasper Hill Harbison, 9 oz wheel | Whole Foods, Murray's, cheese shops | The only Harbison. Buy a whole wheel, never a cut. |
| Jasper Hill Harbison, online | jasperhillfarm.com, Murray's online | Ships cold. Order a few days before a party. |
| Jasper Hill Moses Sleeper | Cheese shops, Murray's | Same farm, a classic bloomy rind without the bark. A good backup. |
| Jasper Hill Winnimere | Cheese shops, winter only | The farm's other spruce-wrapped cheese, washed-rind and stronger. Snap it up if you see it. |
| Cambozola | Grocery cheese case | If you want soft and spoonable for less. See its own page. |
Label check: the wheel should give slightly when pressed through the wrapper. Rock-hard means it's young; very sunken means it's past its best.
Skip: buying it more than a week before the party. It keeps ripening in the fridge and the flavor gets stronger fast.
Quick FAQ
Do you eat the bark on Harbison?
No. The spruce bark holds the cheese together and flavors it, but you scoop the paste out and leave the bark behind.
How do you serve Harbison?
Let it sit out for about an hour, slice off the top rind like a lid, and set out spoons. The inside should be soft enough to scoop.
What does Harbison taste like?
Sweet cream and mushroom first, then a woodsy, resinous note from the bark and a little mustard at the finish.
How much do I need?
One 9 oz wheel serves 8 to 10 people as part of a board.
Is the blue-green mold on the bark safe?
Yes. Jasper Hill says the mottling on the bark is a harmless mold they leave on purpose.
