Our newest adventure this summer has been dairy goats. I was helping a friend out by milking her goats while she was out of town and fell in love with the taste of sweet goat's milk. The goat's were also very sweet animals that I knew I would enjoy being around. So, I put Christian to work constructing a goat pen and shelter, started doing some major research and then (with the help of my friend) found some goats for sale. I started out buying two does and their 3 baby boys. The does were not being milked and were just left to nurse their little bucks. They had been milked in the past, just not this litter. So, I had to readjust their thinking and attitude to the milking stand and my milking them. I immediately started separating their babies at night and milking them first thing in the morning. Then the babies were allowed to nurse as much they wanted the rest of the day. Then, since the two does I got (Cammy and Kansas) were being so cooperative, I decided to go ahead and expand the herd (I mean that just means more milk, right?). So, last week, I bought two more does. Sadie is a beautiful Lamancha/Toggenburg mix and her mother, Faith, is a pure Lamancha. These two do not have any babies, so no need to share the milk! They are milked twice a day and give LOTS of milk. Between all the does, I am getting on average almost 2 gallons of milk per day.
So, what do I do with all this milk? Not enough! So far, we have made yogurt, cheese (feta, of course and mozzarella) , ice cream and pudding. Not to mention drinking it. And my fridge is always packed full of milk. I ordered some different cheese cultures so that I can experiment with different types of cheese. And what will I do with the three baby boys since they will never give me milk? They will give us meat! Come November they will be headed to the processors and my freezer will be full. As cute as they are right now, I'm sure that by the time November comes around I will be ready to turn them into something useful. And just to make sure that the girls understand that these babies will be meat for us one day, they were named, Stew, Curry and Lambchop! :)
We are preparing our garden, also, so that we can plant our fall garden. The summer garden has been turned over and I am just waiting for my manpower (Christian) to till it up so that I can begin planting. I have never grown a garden in the fall, so I pray it will be prosperous.
4 comments:
They really are pretty...but goat meat? Never heard of such. How is it prepared/used?
"Goat meat has been established as a lean meat with favorable nutritional qualities, and it's an ideal choice for the health-conscious consumer." http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/U/UNP-0061/
It tastes similar to lamb, but not exactly the same. You can substitute it for just about any other meat. It is actually very popular and common in other countries. Also know as cabrito or chevon, depending on the age of the goat when slaughtered. Most indian restaurants have goat of some kind on the menu, such as goat curry. Yummy
Hey Christina. Faith and Sadie really look good. I am so glad. I want to come see them.
Hey Christina. Faith and Sadie really look good. I am so glad. I want to come see them.
Post a Comment