Named for the pretty dried fern that decorates its surface, Fougerus ("Fern") is a soft ripened cow's milk cheese produced in Ile de France in Northern France. 

By happenstance, cheese crafter Robert Rouzaire was frustrated when the bloomy rind on his cheese displayed minor flaws.  In a moment of inspiration, he graced each piece with a pretty dried decorative fern.

Produced from cow's milk sources from several small dairies in the Seine-et-Marne region south of Paris, the cheese is aged for three to four weeks creating a nose of nuts, mushrooms and savory vegetables.

Pair with champagne, toasted nuts, crusty bread and salamis. 

The quality of made-in-Utah cheeses keeps getting better every day!  Gold Creek Farms, started in 2007 now produces some of the world's most awarded cheeses. 

After the discovery of an old, out of production dairy farm in Woodland, dreamers/cheese lovers Alan and Debbie Gold decided to convert the farm to an artisan cheese-making facility, using all the remaining structures including renovating the milk barn, and rehabbing the dilapidated hay barn and stable.  Raising their own Brown Swiss Cows, all of their cheeses, soaps and locations are made from their milk; the breed was specifically chosen for its buttery rich milk. 

Gold Creek Farm also displays a laudable commitment to sustainability in all their practices, including using restaurant leftovers to feed their pigs, using spent wheat leftover from a local distillery to feed their cows, and growing their own alfalfa with limited chemicals. 

Aged White Cheddar:  Aged over one year, with a sharp and nutty flavor and melt in your mouth texture.  This cheese is the base for their unique specialty cheeses.

Smoked Cheddar:  A bold cheese with smoky, nutty notes.  One of their most decorated cheeses - recently awarded 2012 "Best in Class" and 4th place in for the "Best Overall Cheese in the World" at the World Championship Cheese Competition, and in 2010 and 2011 2nd place by the American Cheese Society.

Truffle Cheddar:  sweet and creamy with just the perfect amount of Italian truffle.

Smoked Parmesan:  Another multi award winner!  Received 2013 Best of Class at the United States Championship Cheese Contest and 2nd in Class at the 2012 World Championship Cheese Competition. 

Drunken Cheddar:  Aged three years then blended with local red wine for earthy rich flavors.

Bacon Chive Cheddar:  Sophisticated flavors ideal for grilled cheeses, in omelets, or melted onto a burger.  

A little bit of cheese history...  Up until the 1990's, the Swiss Cheese Union tightly controlled the cheeses allowed to be produced, limiting production to only the most traditional cheeses such as Emmental and Gruyere.  When the Union met its timely demise, an age of creative, innovative cheesemaking followed and Heublumen ("hay-blu-men") is one delicious result!

Made from organic raw cow's milk from mountain grazed animals in the Swiss Alps, the cheese is pressed and brined, then encased in hayflowers and sweet grasses.  The massive wheel is aged for four months when the herbaceous perfume permeates the cheese, leaving notes of summer grass, alpine flowers, toasted nuts and sweet cream. 

Fontina is a rich and creamy Italian cheese made for nearly a thousand years in the Aosta Valley.  Fontina Val d'Aosta is traditionally made from unpasteurized milk of the Valdaostan Red Spotted cows grazing on the plains of Aosta Valley.  With a pale creamy center dotted with eyes, Fontina Val d'Aosta has an unctuous texture that develops its nutty flavor the longer it is aged.   This versatile cheese can be used to make fondues, add sophistication to your mac and cheese, or enjoyed paired with jams, salamis, and crusty bread. 

There are many Fontina cheeses made with alternative names such as "Fontinella", "Fontal", and "Fontella" but the Italian Fontina, Fontina Val d'Aosta, identified by a Consorzio (Consortium) stamp is the original and most famous. The other versions are much milder than the original Fontina. Italian Fontina has a natural rind that turns tan to orange-brown with aging.

Tome de Bordeaux is on SALE this week! Only about 500 wheels of this sublime cheese make it to the US each year. From a goat dairy co-op in the LoireVvalley in France, the wheel is bathed in Muscadet wine then encrusted with a pretty blend of peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, fennel seed, juniper, and paprika. With an assertive, salty, and nutty flavor and a wonderfully rich and tender texture. Normally $32.99 now $26.99/lb.

For those who have tasted artisanal and European style butters - butter is never "just butter!"  The luxurious mouth-feel, higher butterfat content and lower moisture levels result in richer baked goods, more delectable savory dishes and fuller flavor in every dish. All of our butters are completely free of "Butter Flavor" (also seen on labels as "Natural Flavor") frequently added to supermarket butters to make them taste, well, more like butter.   Liberty Heights Fresh is proud to sell a wonderful selection of some of the best butters the world has to offer!

Straus Family Creamery unsalted and salted butters - Organic Grade AA European Style butter with 85% butterfat - Rich, sweet and creamy, with 85% butterfat content and extremely low moisture levels for baking results in flakier pastry that rises higher and browns more evenly. This is the “chef's” butter, because it doesn't burn as easily as other butters, made in the European-style, in small batches in an old-fashioned 1950s butter churn. Named "One of the Top Premium Butters in America" by Food and Wine Magazine and recognized by Saveur magazine as one the "50 Great Butters of the World" for its velvety texture and complex herbal notes.  Certified Organic Butter is also certified kosher and gluten free.

Sierra Nevada Cheese Company Vat Cultured European Style Organic Butter  - lush flavor and a light tang perfect to melt onto baked goods. Vat cultured with live active cultures in a time-activated process to develop a distinctive all-natural flavor. Rich and creamy with a high butterfat content creates an unctuous texture.

Burro Mandriano - Made from milk from cows that open graze on the sweet grasses of the Italian alps, this high butterfat butter is perfect for baking and has a lush rich flavor and texture.

Kalona Supernatural unsalted and salted organic butters  - Organic butters from grass-fed Iowa cows made in small batches.  Their lightly salted butter is made with Celtic Sea Salt that is hand-harvested on the Brittany coast of France. Using an old-school style butter churn, each batch is hand made and hand packed.  Amazing flavor and a great value!

Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery - Vermont Cultured Butter is made with a luxe 86% butterfat. Crafted from family farm cows in Northeast Vermont, this milk is first cultured, then small batch churned into silky, nutty flavored European butter.  Perfect for sauteing, in pies or dipping lobster.  Named by Saveur magazine as one the "50 Great Butters of the World" for its appealing texture and "sharp" flavor.

Pamplie - Le Beurre des Chefs - Since 1905, this sweet and creamy French unsalted butter had been made in an old world style wooden barrel by a cooperative of French dairy farmers.  With light floral notes and a sweet, clean finish with the taste of hazelnuts.  Named by Saveur magazine as one the "50 Great Butters of the World" and is their favorite cultured butter. 

From Abruzzo, Italy, Fior di Maiella White Polenta with Truffle and Porcini Mushrooms:

This rich and satisfying white polenta is made from non-GMO white corn and flavored with black truffle and dried porcini mushrooms. A taste of opulence in every bite, but on the table in about 5 minutes!  Pair with grilled duck breast, pork chops or roasted vegetables.  

Liberty Heights Fresh now offers a full line of naturally gluten-free heritage grains to use in all your baking and cooking!

Zócalo's mission is to support agricultural communities and traditions in Latin America and bring heritage alternative grains and flours to North America. They select only products that adhere to strict standards of fair and equitable treatment of their communities and responsible land stewardship. 

Peruvian Organic Lima Bean Flour - Named after Peru's capital, the rich and buttery Lima bean has been cultivated in Peru's coastal regions dating back to 6000 BC.  It is a very versatile, high-protein and buttery-flavored legume.  Zócalo mills the beans to create a delicate gluten-free flour that can be added to soups as a great vegan alternative to cream and mixed with other flours to make delicious baked goods and breads. 

Sweet Potato Flour - Incredibly versatile - sweet potato flour can be used to create moist and delicious gluten-free muffins, pancakes and other tasty baked goods, as a thickener for sauces and gravies, and to coat fish or chicken.  The flavor is rich yet delicately sweet. 

Amaranth Heritage Kiwicha (kee-wee-cha) Flour - once a staple of the Incas, Aztecs, and other pre-Columbian peoples, amaranth is a seed (not a grain) about the size of a poppy seed with a light brown color.  Easily harvested and rapid growing, amaranth offers high quantity protein, essential amino acids, calcium, iron, magnesium, folate, phosphorous, potassium, vitamin E, fiber, and zinc.  Regular consumption is thought to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol.  Amaranth has a nutty flavor that works nicely added to breakfasts, in rich baked goods, and used to make pastas and breads.  

Purple Corn - Organic Maiz Morado Flour - Purple corn, once a staple of the Incan empire, is botanically the same species as regular table corn.  With a deep purple color, this corn has long been used by people of the Peruvian Andes to color beverages and food.  Most commonly, maiz morado is used to make both alcoholic and nonalcoholic versions of a popular beverage called Chicha Morada. Naturally rich in the antioxidant anthocyanins, purple corn has a higher antioxidant capacity than blueberries.  This antioxidant is thought to have anti-inflammatory abilities, improve circulation, inhibit abnormal cell growth and encourage connective tissue regeneration.  Use purple corn in any recipe that call for traditional corn flour for a burst of extra nutrition. 

Branches Honey from Katz and Company crafts unique varietal honeys.  Their mission is to seek out distinctive California flora which produce honeys that have the singular aroma, taste, texture and color reflective of their particular species of flower. 

All of the Branches honeys are gathered directly from the hives and bottled unpasteurized, thus maintaining the multitude of health benefits associated with honey that are often lost in traditional commercial honey from overheating to eliminate crystallization.   If your honey does develop some crystals, simply gently reheat in a warm (but off) oven and stir to combine. 

These beautifully wrapped bottles make a wonderful hostess gift or treat for mom. 

Citrus Blossom - gathered from California's Central Valley where citrus trees grow in abundance, the honey has a pale color with an aroma of an orange tree in bloom.   Drizzle over yogurt or granola, brush over baked squash or serve with apples and pears. 

Range Wildflower Honey -  with a rich creamy texture and herbal notes from the wildflowers of the California Sierra foothills - this honey reveals flavors of wild berries, sweet clover, star thistle and more.  Perfect to spoon into warm tea or onto your morning toast.

Wild Blackberry -  With a pretty amber color and delightful floral flavor, the wild blackberry honey is wonderful on warm baked breads and used in salad dressings and marinades. 

Black Button Sage - Gathered in the lower foothills of the California coastal mountain ranges, the Black Button Sage when pollinated produces a honey that will not granulate and is amazingly smooth in texture. Delightful pure color and subtle herbaceous taste.  Lovely with assertive cheeses and fresh fruit, or over vanilla ice-cream.

From one of our favorite California olive oil producers, Bozzano Olive Ranch produces high quality oils to use in cooking, in salad dressings, to top grilled vegetables and meats, or to garnish soups.

Coratina California  - Certified 100% organic extra virgin olive oil with a robust flavor and notes of sweet cherry.

Maurino California - Certified 100% organic extra virgin with grassy notes and a peppery finish. 

Toscana - Certified 100% organic extra virgin blend of Frantoio, Leccino, and Pendolino olives. Fruity and floral, ideal for salad dressings, pastas, and sautéed vegetables.

The Bozzano family has been farming in California for four generations and in Italy for generations more!  When 15-year-old Lino Bozzano emigrated to Stockton, CA, he brought his family's traditional olive oil methods with him.  At first he planted tomatoes, then moved to cherries, then in January 2007 the Bozzano family switched to olives and olive oil. In four generations the Bozzano farm has come full circle, from a small olive farm in Italy to the expansive olive ranch it is today.

Dating back to the era of the Pharaohs and even early pre-pottery civilizations, the ancient grains of Lentz Spelt Farms and their sister brand Resurgent Grains are sustainably grown on the sunny Columbia Plateau of Eastern Washington. From Lena Lentz Hardt, a descendant of centuries of European and Russian wheat farmers, her wholesome whole grains are higher in protein than many modern grains, are nutritionally richer and more complex, and have a wonderful rich nutty flavor.

Certified Organic Whole Grain Spelt Flour – Use in place of whole wheat flour for a softer texture and slightly sweeter flavor. Fantastic for pancakes!

Whole Grain Spelt Berries – grind to make your own flour, or soak overnight and use for cereal, in soups or salads.

Emmer Farro Pancake Mix – all you need for your busy mornings!

Whole Grain Emmer Farro Berries – a rich flavor with a distinct crunch even when cooked, perfect for salads.

Madécasse Chocolate Company began with a vision by former Peace Corp volunteers to change chocolate in Africa.  Currently, 70% of the world's cocoa comes from Africa yet less than 1% of chocolate is actually made there. Going beyond simply "fair trade," making the chocolate in Madagascar itself creates four times the number of jobs and income than simply harvesting raw cocoa.  With a commitment to natural farming practices, the cocoa is produced without pesticides or chemicals and harvested by hand.  Each step of the process occurs at their plant in Madagascar, from chocolate production using all locally sourced ingredients to the local printing of the wrappers. The result is a fine and nuanced bar that reveals complex chocolate and fruity flavors revealing the unique soil, climate and beans found in Madagascar. 

Pink Pepper & Citrus - Floral, sweet and highly addictive. This bar leads with clear citrus notes from the exotic combava fruit.  Lingering touches of spice and berries from mild pink peppercorn stays long on your tongue, mingling with a deep cocoa flavor from the 63% dark base.

Arabica Coffee -  chocolate with crunch.  The coffee beans are shade grown by a small farming cooperative in the highlands of Madagascar, then the coffee nibs are blended with classic cocoa nibs and traditional chocolate. The result: a rich coffee and caramel flavor, every crunchy bite both sweet and savory.

Sea Salt & Nibs - Crunchy with a touch of salt.  The cocoa nibs add texture to the 63% cocoa bar's naturally smooth flavor. A light dusting of sea salt intensifies the complex flavors of the cocoa.  Each bite has a satisfyingly sweet & savory experience to be remembered.

Milk Chocolate - Silky smooth! Winner of the Good Food Award, recognizing chocolate that is "delicious, respectful of the environment, and connected to communities and cultural traditions."  Uncover the softer side of Madagascar with their 44% Milk Chocolate bar.

75% Cocoa Bar - Dark and bold!  Their 75% cocoa bar is powerful and strong. The higher percentage cocoa gives this bar a deep, intense chocolate flavor. It's perfect for the person who says, “I like dark, dark chocolate.”   Fine dark chocolate is as unique as it's cocoa source. Like wines, coffees or olive oils, you can detect subtle flavors when you take your time with it. Many consider Madagascar cocoa to be the best in the world.