Do not fear the nettles

Oh my god, St. Pat is my favorite cheese in the whole world and 18 Reasons is having a release party for it today! I am oh so attending.

"Please join us in celebrating the 2010 release of Cowgirl Creamery's St. Pat cheese. In addition to tasting this much-loved local cheese, we'll also sample the amazing fluid milk that is used to make it and enjoy samples of (cooked) nettles from one of the farmers who supplies the Cowgirls with the green leaves needed to wrap up St. Pat."

What is St. Pat, exactly? "St. Pat is Cowgirl's seasonal springtime cheese. The cheese is made with whole organic milk from the Chileno Valley Jersey Dairy and is wrapped with stinging nettle leaves. Do not fear the nettles, since they are frozen to remove the sting before they are wrapped around the cheese. St. Pat, with its distinctive, green rind, commemorates the arrival of spring in Marin County. After three weeks of aging the cheese is mellow, soft, and full of flavor. The nettle leaves impart a smoky, artichoke flavor. St. Pat received a Gold Medal at the 2009 North American Jersey Cheese Competition."

HELL YES IT DID. Cowgirl Creamery is the badassest cheesemaker around, man.