Minni
our GOATS
Capricious is the perfect word.
We've had goats for 10 years now. Milked twice a day, ya get to know 'em pretty well, but there is never a moment when you can take their actions for granted. They will surprise you any time. If you aren't paying close attention to their every move, this can be a capricious event.
I thought about getting a couple of dairy goats for quite a while. We've got all these llamas, I've got to be here to feed and care for them, why not milking goats? The clean organic dairy products had a definite attraction. We liked the idea of controlling their intake of organic food and being able to see they were perfectly healthy. The problem for me was the taste of "goat". I'd had goat's milk from the carton at the health food store, and it was bad. Nay, on goat's milk, give me cow!!
Then, I met a neighbor who had some Nubians she was milking and as I sat for coffee talking llamas, she had one of them too, as a guard for her goats. After telling her what I thought of "goat", she poured me a small glass. I had some in my coffee.
What a shock!! It was the BEST, most
flavorful milk
I'd ever tasted. She told me that she didn't have a buck around her place. Apparently, the milk is easily 'infested' with odors or tastes. Have you ever smelled an intact adult male
goat (buck)? We'll, there's nothing quite like it. Along with having a 'sprinkler-head' pee-pee, as-in walking down the path, spraying in all directions, they'll take frequent urine face
'washes'. They also have musk glands on the head, next to the horn buds. Whew!! It takes your breath away!
Well, anyway, a couple of weeks later I went to a stock sale. There weren't any goats there, but there was a woman that had a pair of pregnant Nubian does for sale. Just what I was looking for. We drove to her place and there were Criss and Cross, fine, stout and straight pregnant does.
I bought 'em and took 'em home that day. They were to "kid" in about two months, so we had time to get to know them first. Heh! If you ever can get to know a goat.
Something we've recently learned is that West Nile Virus is transmitted through mother's milk. Guess what? I've been drinking raw goat's milk for the last seven years and the goat hasn't been even close to DEET, and we've got mosquitoes. Pastuerize, Pastuerize, Pasturerize.
An excellent all-around goat information page: http://www.goatwisdom.com/index.html#topics
Dairy Goat Production, Feeding, Housing, History & Breeds Page @ FSU
It's impossible not to fall in love with the little rascals.
Then they GROW UP,
and UP!!
The (dairy) business end of a Nubian doe. Full of kids (2) and milk. One more day, and Myrna will have her kids and be giving almost a gallon a day.
Then there's CHEESE !!
Our Favorite Recipe: Basil-Garlic Farmer's Cheese
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Bring a gallon of fresh milk (goat or cow, but must be fresh un-homogenized) to 180º while stirring continuously (don't let it burn), remove from heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes. If you don't have access to un-homogenized milk, use 1 gallon of skim and add 1 pint of cream to start.
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Add 1 cup of vinegar, stir lightly (20 seconds)
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Allow to sit for 5 minutes. The curds and whey should be well separated by then.
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Pour off whey thru a 18" square piece of fine cheesecloth placed into a colander to hold the cheesecloth as a bag
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When finished pouring, catch the four corners of cheesecloth and hang by a string for a couple of hours, or until the bag is dripping whey very slowly. Catch the whey, it's very useful in the kitchen for soup stock, or feed it to the dogs as an excellent protein based drink.
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Put the ball of curds in a bowl. Break it up and mix in 1/4 cup of fresh chopped basil, two cloves of finely chopped garlic and a tablespoon of salt (vary these to your personal taste) and stir well.
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At this point, cheese is ready to use in the crumbled form. Or, you may press it in a cheese press for a couple of hours, chill and cut, to make a harder cheese.
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Makes an excellent salad topping, cracker spread or burrito stuffer. Delicious!!!
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Our favorite serving suggestion is alternate layers of goat cheese, fresh sliced tomatoes, fresh whole basil leaves, olive oil, balsamic vinegar as a salad served with crusty French bread. You'll love it!!
More recipes coming soon ...
