Oh how I love cheese, especially goat milk cheese! And I truly love how your adoration for your girls shines through in this magnificent post of yours @buckaroobaby😊 They must be happy girls indeed, and do my eyes deceive me or is that a lovely herd of Saanens that you have? Hello gallons upon gallons of yield, lol!
I raised my two now very large teenage kids on raw, unpasteurized goat's milk. They don't have food allergies and are rarely sick, this post reminded me so much of the days when I milked everyday most of the year, made tons of cheese and my favorite thing in the world, goat milk ice cream, and chased my Nubian, Boer, and Lamancha does around (more like they chased me trying to get the sunflower seeds in my pocket)! I can't wait to give your Cotija tutorial a try! Seriously, awesome, awesome post!!!
Yes! My beloved Saanens. They were up to 60 at one point - and all named - and all knew their name. People thought I was rather strange. Then they saw how the goats responded to me calling them individually and the jaws dropped. When the drought came I had to sell most of them. But I'll always have goats. My girls have helped raise many many little ones. Goats milk is really amazing. My own kids love their milk, all learned to milk while they were learning to walk. One reason I had such a large flock is because I couldn't resist having more and more of the loveable mischiefs. When Hubby started complaining that they ate better than him and took more of my attention I realized they had to pay their way! Then I found out how huge the demand was for goats milk for small children (lactose intolerant or mamas needing to supplement the breastmilk). But ice-cream? WOW. Now you can teach me something! I've never tried it. Goats milk caramels and custards and cheesecake but not ice-cream.
YAY you had goats @generikat! I love my girls. They are my four legged kids. I'm relieved that you didn't know, it feels like I write more goatie posts than anything else - did another one earlier :D I used to have Boer as well. They are kind of a thing in this area. But they are NAUGHTY. They had to go but my Saanens rule. We don't get Lamancha in SA what is the milk like?
Oh @buckaroobaby, your reply made my day. From one strange lady to another, you're awesome!
And 60 head? Dang! I had about 30 during our peak, they turned my farm into a park, but I had to downsize during the last recession due to feed prices and lack of feed availability. It sounds like you know that tale for sure.
My eye keeps getting caught on goat milk caramels, hello yum! That sounds amazing! It's been a few years now since I sold my last girl, I miss them sometimes, and funny enough, I became known as the local goat midwife in these parts because there weren't any vets who would treat them around here. I do miss delivering the kids sometimes.
Most of my herd was Nubian, LaMancha's, and dairy/boer crosses. I did have a Saanen doe that I absolutely adored, she was such a sweetie and her production ability was tops. LaManchas are super fun too, they don't make a lot of noise, have a lovely butterfat content (super creamy!), and are very hardy. Plus the no ears thing is just hilarious. I had a Lamancha Toggenburg doe who produced an incredible amount of milk.
Ahh! Look at me go, I could talk about goats for days, lol! Say hi to your girls for me:)
Me too! What's not to talk about when it comes to goats. And what's not to talk to goats about! I love how my girls talk to me. Except when I try to sleep in. Then they really have a moan. The caramels were easy just time consuming. I had to make them a lot because it's like whipping cream - suddenly you miss the whipped cream and have butter. I would end up with goat fudge more often than caramel.
LOL! I am reading this reply while listening to my cattle bellow because I am a blistering 30 minutes late for feeding time. Spoiled creatures! The goats are worse I think, they sound like they are dying sometimes ha ha!
I think I would end up with caramel and fudge a lot of the time....you know, by accident lol!