After two years of being happy goat owners, our does gave birth to two tiny babies. Which means we are now up to our ears in milk! Not just any milk. Nope. This is the good stuff. Raw, creamy, nutrient-rich goat milk.
Milking has been an adventure, but one that we love. If you don’t know about the commitment that comes with milking, I will tell you that morning and evening those goats need milked. Rain or shine, cancel all your plans! The goats must be milked.
And all that creamy goodness is our reward. It has been six months since we began milking our girls. A lot of the milk we use right away, but after straining the milk some of it gets frozen for when Hazel and Sammy hit their dry period. We have 20 gallons of milk stored in our freezer right now!
Oh the many things we can do with goat milk! Some milk is used for soap making. Some is used for making cheeses….yum! And that oh so healthy whey that is left behind can be put into smoothies (hello, digestive system!). But my favorite part of milking is the cream….oh, that thick, beautiful, rich cream! I have never seen any cream so wonderful or tasted any that was this delicious.
Raw goat milk has made a huge difference in my family’s ability to process dairy. Goat milk is much easier to digest. It also has not had all of its important properties destroyed in the pasteurization process. My kiddos and I (Scott doesn’t have our milk troubles) can now drink big glasses of milk and smoothies and eat tasty cheeses. And we actually get to love on those sweet girls who give us these rich, creamy treats every day.
It’s a little easier to forgive them for jumping the fence and nibbling on my favorite cactus every day…
