Cheese: The Making of a Wisconsin Tradition [Paperback]

Jerry Apps (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 27, 2004

This is a story of farmers, milk cows, dairy barns, and green pastures. It is the story of cheese makers who work their magic and turn milk into cheese. Jerry Apps narrates the history of the cheese-making industry in Wisconsin from its inception in the 1940s to the present. In his compelling yet conversational style, Apps documents how the daily lives of the early cheese makers and how Wisconsin became the nation’s number one cheese producer. The experiences come from the cheese makers, milk haulers, cheese graders and buyers, with stories of snow-blocked roads and frozen milk, of fish in the milk cans, wine in the cheese cellars, and the early resistance toward "western" cheese. Apps explains the many different kinds of Wisconsin-made cheeses (including those that originated or are exclusively made in the state), and discusses the current cheese producers, their factories and technology. Apps also includes his insights into the wedge-shaped foam headgear and other cheese phenomena.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Distributed for the author 1998, Amherst Press

About the Author

Jerry Apps, born and raised on a Wisconsin farm, is Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of numerous articles and columns that have appeared in state and national publications. He is a former publications editor for UW-Extension, an acquisitions editor for the McGraw-Hill Book Company, and editor of a national professional journal.

Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press; 1 edition (December 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0942495802
• ISBN-13: 978-0942495805
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,386,693 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > Travel > United States > States > Wisconsin

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Winner Wisconsin State Historical Society Book Award, June 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Cheese: The Making of a Wisconsin Tradition (Paperback)

Author, Jerry Apps has just been presented the State of Wisconsin Historical Society Book Award. Presentation was made on June 26, 1999 in Green Bay Wisconsin. This is the WHOLE story of cheese making in Wisconsin. Great historical photographs, and listing of all current cheese info. A "Must Have" for the cheese lover!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The history of cheese-making in Wisconsin from the 1840s to modern times, September 4, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cheese: The Making of a Wisconsin Tradition (Paperback)

Say 'cheese' and Wisconsin comes to mind - but how many take the time to delve into the cheese industry's history in that state? Wonder no more: In Cheese: The Making Of A Wisconsin Tradition, Wisconsin author and historian Jerry Apps researches the history of cheese-making in Wisconsin from the 1840s to modern times, detailing both the daily lives of early cheese makers and their contributions to making Wisconsin one of the top cheese-producing states in the nation. Stories from cheese makers, milk haulers, graders, and more compliment explanations of different kinds of cheeses, production techniques, and common problems making cheese. Simply put, Cheese: The Making Of A Wisconsin Tradition 'must' for any cheese fan, as well as terrifically informative and fun reading for we of the Badger State!