Sage cheese is another modified form of the Cheddar variety.  Its distinguishing features are a mottled green color and a sage flavor.  The usual method of manufacture is as follows:  One-third of the total amount of milk is placed in a vat by itself and colored green by the addition of eight to twelve ounces of commercial sage color to each 1,000 pounds of milk.  If green corn leaves (unavailable in England) or other substances are used for coloring, the amounts will vary accordingly.  The milk is then made up by the regular Cheddar method, as is also the remaining two-thirds, in a separate vat.  At the time of removing the whey the green and white curds are mixed.  Some prefer, however, to mix the curds at the time of milling, as a more distinct color is secured.  After milling, the sage extract flavoring is sprayed over the curd with an atomizer.  The curd is then salted and pressed into the regular Cheddar shapes and sizes.

A very satisfactory Sage cheese is made at the New York State College of Agriculture by simply dropping green coloring, made from the leaves of corn and spinach, upon the curd, after milling.  An even green mottling is thus easily secured without additional labor.  Sage flavoring extract is sprayed over the curd by an atomizer.  One-half ounce of flavoring is usually sufficient for a hundred pounds of curd and can be secured from dairy supply houses.

A modern cheese authority reported on the current (1953) method: 

Instead of sage leaves, or tea prepared from them, at present the cheese is flavored with oil of Dalmatian wild sage because it has the sharpest flavor.  This piny oil, thujone, is diluted with water, 250 parts to one, and either added to the milk or sprayed over the curds, one-eighth ounce for 500 quarts of milk.

In scouting around for a possible maker of the real thing today, we wrote to Vrest Orton of Vermont, and got this reply: 

Sage cheese is one of the really indigenous and best native Vermont products.  So far as I know, there is only one factory making it and that is my friend, George Crowley’s.  He makes a limited amount for my Vermont Country Store.  It is the fine old-time full cream cheese, flavored with real sage.

On this hangs a tale.  Some years ago I couldn’t get enough sage cheese (we never can) so I asked a Wisconsin cheesemaker if he would make some.  Said he would but couldn’t at that time—­because the alfalfa wasn’t ripe.  I said, “What in hell has alfalfa got to do with sage cheese?” He said, “Well, we flavor the sage cheese with a synthetic sage flavor and then throw in some pieces of chopped-up alfalfa to make it look green.”

     So I said to hell with that and the next time I saw George
     Crowley I told him the story and George said, “We don’t use
     synthetic flavor, alfalfa or anything like that.”

     “Then what do you use, George?” I inquired.