http://pnwcheese.typepad.com/As much as I like supporting farmers markets, I must admit that they also freak me out. So many people, cooing and oohing and ahhhing, fawning so deeply and audibly over produce is so fetishistic it’s actually creepy. Generally, there’s not a lot of lingering at farmers markets for me. I make a list, bring laser focus, and am in and out pretty quickly. Which is why I missed Samish Bay Ladysmith cheese up until now. Good thing I met a friend at the market who bought a wedge and shared it with me. Somehow I also didn’t catch former food guy Jonathan Kauffman’s ode to Ladysmith in last year’s Best of Seattle issue but, as usual, he was spot-on: “a clean white dome with a soft, almost airy texture and a delicate tang.” This fresh cheese (emphasis on fresh: the one I ate from the Sunday Broadway Farmers Market had been made just the day before), made by Suzanne and Roger Wechsler in Bow, in the Skagit Valley, is buttery, firm and supple. It tastes a bit like queso fresco, but is just as sweet as it is salty. Fittingly, Ladysmith’s best quality is how nicely it plays with both sweet and savory. I nibbled on Ladysmith while going back and forth between a fruit tart and tamale topped with salsa verde. The cheese went quite nicely with both, but tasted even better on its own.Samish Bay Cheese is available at these farmers markets.