I was inspired by Kathleen's discussion over at Farm Fresh Family to think about cheese made within 100 miles of Seattle.

The concept of 'eating local' is evolving into a lifestyle that more and more people are taking to heart. Several books have been written by folks who took the issue so seriously that they actually strove to eat within 100 miles (or so) of where they live for a year (Barbara Kingsolver's new book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and Plenty: One Man, One Woman and a Robust Year of Eating Locally by British Columbians Alisa Smith and J. B. McKinnon are two that come to mind). Over at the blog titled No Impact Man (you may have heard or read about this guy in NYC who is going 'no impact' for the year) is a great summary of the reasons for eating local and the politics that affect our food choices. For more information, see two websites devoted to the topic: the Eat Local website here or the 100 Mile Diet website here.

But what I'm here to talk about is this: were you to decide to take up the 100 mile diet challenge or something similar, I can assure you that you wouldn't have to give up cheese. Coffee, yes - but you're not going to have a problem finding local cheese. There are a rich variety of cheeses available that are made by cheesemakers within 100 miles of Seattle.

Let's start w/ the closest one, which, of course, is Beecher's in the Pike Place Market, with a whole assortment of great cheeses like the cheddar-resembling Flagship and Flagship Reserve (see my prior post on those cheeses here), Just Jack and a variety of fresh spreadable cheeses with herb and spice flavorings.

Thankfully, the Skagit Valley is well within the 100 mile range. The Skagit Valley is one of the most dynamic cheesemaking regions in the entire Northwest, with at least six cheesemakers calling the area home including some you may have already heard of like Golden Glen Creamery, Samish Bay Cheese Co., and Pleasant Valley Dairy.

Want to take a ferry ride? No problem! Bainbridge Island is home to the wonderful Port Madison Farm goat cheeses, or hop over to Vashon and visit Sea Breeze Farm. On San Juan Island you'll find Quail Croft goat cheeses, though I'm looking at Yahoo maps, which lists that trip as 104.4 miles. Too bad!

Sorry, if you're thinking about Quillisascut's wonderful cheeses for this 100 mile list you won't find them - Rice, WA is 328 miles and well outside your 100 mile limit. Ditto (obviously) for other cheesemakers in Eastern WA - Monteillet Fromagerie (272 miles) and Pine Stump Farms in Omak (237 miles). Sally Jackson? Nope. Also out of range is Mt. Townsend Creamery - sadly, it's 111 miles to Port Townsend.

Looking toward the south, Black Sheep Creamery and Twin Oaks Creamery in the Chehalis area are both within the 100 mile limit at 88 miles. Estrella Family Creamery in Montesano squeaks in at 98.6 miles.

If you want to rationalize your 100 mile choice a bit, all the distances I've quoted are courtesy of Yahoo maps and start from what Yahoo calls "Seattle City Center" - whatever that is. And all mileage is measured by road distance, not as the crow flies....crows could probably shorten some of these distances considerably. Better yet - widen your scope of food sources to include the entire state and you're set with 29 cheesemakers to choose from.