Harbison is Jasper Hill Farm's 9-ounce, spruce-wrapped soft cheese from Vermont. It is made with pasteurized cow's milk, develops a white bloomy rind, and is sold at 6 to 13 weeks of age.
The bark belt lets the inside soften while the wheel keeps its round shape.
A younger Harbison can be sliced; a riper one is soft enough to open from the top and eat with a spoon.
In This Article
What Does Harbison Taste Like?
Jasper Hill describes Harbison with sweet cream, button mushroom, woodsy, raspberry, and mustard notes. Those are producer descriptors, not a promise that every wheel will taste equally strong at every age.
Its texture changes more visibly than its ingredient list does. The center is firmer in a young wheel and becomes increasingly soft as the cheese ripens, so the best way to serve Harbison depends on the wheel in front of you.
How Do You Know When Harbison Is Ripe?
Start with the batch or best-by information on the package. Jasper Hill says ripeness is subjective and recommends using the date together with the wheel's feel, aroma, and appearance rather than treating one squeeze as a definitive test.
Choose a younger wheel if you want neat slices. Choose a softer, later-stage wheel if you want to remove the top and spoon the paste onto bread.
A blue-green patch on the bark is not automatically spoilage. Jasper Hill says that this flora can be a normal, harmless part of its bark-wrapped cheeses.
That statement applies to the bark; it does not make every unusual color, damaged package, or questionable smell safe.
How Do You Serve Harbison?
For a young wheel, remove the bark belt and cut slices through the rind and paste. For a ripe wheel, leave the belt in place, cut around the top just inside the bark, lift the rind cap, and spoon from the center.
Jasper Hill suggests oaky white wine, barrel-aged sour beer, fruit mostarda, and crusty bread. Let the portion you plan to serve sit out for 30 to 60 minutes, while keeping the total time outside refrigeration within FDA limits for perishable food.
Can You Eat Harbison's Rind and Bark?
The white bloomy rind is edible. The spruce cambium strip around the side is a structural belt and flavoring contact, and Jasper Hill does not recommend eating it.
On a sliceable wheel, peel the belt away before cutting. On a spoonable wheel, keep it around the cheese during service, then leave the strip behind.
What Should You Look for When Buying Harbison?
Look for a refrigerated 9-ounce wheel with an intact wrapper, readable batch or best-by information, and no sign that the package has leaked or opened. Buy by the texture you want: a wheel intended for slicing does not need to be as soft as one intended for spoon service.
Jasper Hill sells Harbison directly when available, and specialty retailers may carry it. Availability and price change, so the current seller page and the date on the actual package are more useful than a fixed retailer list or price quoted here.
How Should You Store Harbison?
Refrigerate Harbison as soon as it arrives and follow the package date and storage instructions. Jasper Hill recommends keeping cheese in its original wrapper, or using waxed or parchment paper inside a resealable container or bag, in the refrigerator's vegetable drawer.
For an unopened shipment stored as directed, Jasper Hill says its cheese should last at least two weeks after delivery. Once a ripe soft wheel is cut, the producer says it can begin losing its shape within a few days, so use it promptly instead of relying on a universal one-week rule.
The FDA advises keeping refrigerators at 40°F (4°C) or below and returning perishable food to refrigeration within two hours, or within one hour when the air temperature is above 90°F (32°C).
Paper, covered containers, and fridge placement each affect how a cheese keeps after opening.
Can You Eat Harbison During Pregnancy?
Harbison uses pasteurized milk, but pasteurization alone does not settle the pregnancy question for a soft cheese. CDC explains that soft cheese can be contaminated during production after the milk has been pasteurized.
Current US CDC guidance lists pasteurized soft cheeses heated to an internal temperature of 165°F or until steaming hot as safer for pregnant readers. Served cold, Harbison is described as a pasteurized soft cheese with a white bloomy rind, a type the CDC list does not cover, so ask a midwife or doctor.
The NHS says pasteurised or unpasteurised mould-ripened soft cheeses with a white coating on the outside must be thoroughly cooked, and it lists any cheese cooked until steaming hot as safe to eat. If you want Harbison during pregnancy, heat it to an internal temperature of 165°F or until steaming hot, and check the current US or UK recommendation that applies to you.
