I have goat milk!

Photo Courtesy of Just chaos

I finally bought a goat share now that I know I really like making cheese. Plus, I contracted to buy a doe and companion wether (Nubians) when as I get fencing up, which will be at least spring with the way our economy is going.

So for now I'm learning to make goat cheese. Learning goat care, feeding and milking will come later.

I expect many cheese failures along the way, pretty much as I've had with cow's milk, although I AM getting better at making cheese in general. Along the way I've learned how fat percentages in the milk affect the cheese, how important controlled heating temps are, and what rennet works best. I've learned there is a whole lot more to know about all the various cultures and adjuncts and how to use them. I've also learned that many recipes are vague and inconsistent with their instructions for the 'make'.

No, the cheese was not made with Bragg's ACV!

My first firm goat cheese attempts are some Caerphilly wheels, because it's a recipe I've made several times successfully once I got the rennet right. 

Milky Whey

First off the bat, a couple of things are different. One is the milky whey after draining the curds (rather than clear), which may be something I'm doing wrong... but I don't know a goat cheese-maker to ask right now. The ones I know only make soft cheese spreads and feta. The weight of the wheels are comparable to cow milk so I don't think I'm failing to convert enough milk solids to curd.

Another difference is how quickly the milk becomes curds after adding rennet. I'll need to work on slowing it down a bit, to improve texture and taste. 

Here's the first goat Caerphilly above on the left (9 quarts/2.25 lbs.) and the 2nd one two days later (1 gallon/1 lb.) on the right. The second make didn't get pressed very well overnight; apparently the weights slipped sideways after I went to bed. I'm trying several combos of ways to salt (add salt, brine, or some of both) as well as different mesophilic culture combinations so there will be several small batches.

One cheese I really want to make (with both with cow and goat milk but not mixed together!) is a gorgonzola dolce. It's a softer, sweeter blue than a Stilton but I need to order the right penicillin roqueforti strain to culture it.

Dwarf Nigerian Dairy Goat Farm Visit

While I was in the Charlottesville area recently, I had the opportunity to visit some Dwarf Nigerian Dairy Goats at Timberwood Farm. The photo above is the current crop of babies, ranging from 9 weeks to 14 weeks old. They were so cute, I could have brought them all home!

Of course, I am not ready for any backyard farm animals yet. I need to build housing and fencing, and because of problems (expense) of fencing up the hill, I am considering smaller animals. Of the smaller milk goats I have seen so far, these seem the most likely in terms of temperament and care. I would want to get one (and a neutered male for a companion) at a young age like these so they become people-friendly. 

However, that means feeding them for 2 years before breeding the doe, and another 6 months' gestation. They typically throw twins, so I might get another doe... or maybe not. Then a time lag while the babies nurse, so it would be close to 3 years before I could actually have goat milk. If the doe threw just bucks, they would have to be sold as I don't want one on the premises. (I can take a doe to be bred.) They do not make good meat goats, so either sell, or castrate and feed as pets.

The mature milking does (above) average around 28" tall, and give about a pint of milk each, twice a day.

Lots to consider, and I am far from making a decision! However, it was a fun visit, and the owners were quite helpful and gracious.

Goat Farm

Goats lined up ready for milking

I had the opportunity to ride with a friend up to an Amish community and visit a goat farm last week. What treat!

The farmer raises Saanen and Alpine goats to have fresh milk for a small raw goat cheese-making operation. The goats seen above are thin due to being suckled by kids, and had just that day been put back into milk production for cheese.

By law, raw milk cheeses that have been aged at least 60 days may be sold by an inspected facility which has their milk tested to be certain it remains safe.

The man was extremely gracious in showing us his small milking operation, the cheese house and the cheese-ripening 'cave' which was a refrigerated room in the block hillside basement of the cheese house. We got to sample a few of the Colby cheeses he makes, and bought a few to take home. Yum!

Just being in the milking parlor while they (his son and daughter helped) hand-milked 2 batches of 20 goats each, and seeing how easily they handled themselves into and then out of the stanchions, took away a lot of the trepidation I have had about getting my own milk goat. If his 40 goats can be so easy in that routine, so can my (eventual) one or maybe two. Of course, mine will be treated more like a pet that just happens to give me milk much of the year!

Some of the kids just weaned that morning...

About A2 Goat Milk

Photo courtesy of fishermansdaughter's photostream

Once I got past my resistance to goat milk (merely on the grounds it was unfamiliar), I finally tasted it and found very little difference compared to conventional cow milk. However, goat milk has some benefits not found in cow milk.

The significant differences for me are: fat molecules in goat milk are small and stay in suspension, eliminating the damage on cell structure by the process of homogenization. Additionally, some people who do not tolerate cow milk (the A1-A2 debate?) often tolerate goat milk, which is all A2. It is the preferred milk in most of the world outside the United States.

According to The World's Healthiest Foods, goat milk is an excellent source of calcium, protein, phosphorus, riboflavin (vitamin B2), potassium and the amino acid tryptophan. I am using it to make yogurt, and fresh goat cheese.

Goat milk yogurt makes a wonderful base for savory dips. Simply mix in your favorite herbs and spices and serve with veggies for dipping, or as a spread on crackers. Top sliced tomatoes with goat cheese, fresh basil and drizzle a bit of balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil on top. YUM!

Making A2 Goat Milk Yogurt

I have switched to pasteurized goat milk (when I can find it) for my homemade yogurt because all goat milk is A2 milk, and doesn't give me the digestive problems of A1 milk yogurt.

I incubate my yogurt in my Excalibur Dehydrator because it's easy to control the temperature. I also incubate my yogurt at a lower temperature than most, and for longer. Another difference is that I use NO powdered/dry milk in any yogurt I make. (Most of it is from China anyway.)

I thought I'd show the steps I use, in case someone is leery of making yogurt, or using goat milk for yogurt. Let me first say it is delicious, and has a slight tang. If you've ever eaten fresh Chevré, you know the tang!

Making yogurt is actually very easy; you just need milk and a starter culture full of active bacteria. Many off-the-shelf supermarket yogurts are 'cultured' in the container after it is sealed, and contain few (if any) live cultures. Look for yogurt for a starter that states it contains live cultures of Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, and/or Lactobacillus acidophilus (which is optional but not found in traditional yogurts).

The lovely Greek yogurt I use has L. bulgaricus, and S. thermophilus but no L. acidophilus. I have read not to use any cultures containing any strain of Bifidus because it can overpower other bacteria in the all-important gut. I strongly suggest an unflavored, unsweetened yogurt as the culture; it doesn't matter if it is low-fat. I only make full fat yogurt, and I like to think a full-fat (whole milk) yogurt for a culture is best even though I have had success with non-fat Greek yogurt as a starter culture.

I sterilize some half-pint canning jars and lids, and all my utensils and let them cool before I begin. I keep the yogurt starter culture unopened until I am ready to add it, as there are live microbes unseen in the air and even on our skin.

Heat the milk slowly to prevent scorching. I heat to at least over 165ºF and no more than 185ºF. Do NOT boil!


Below: The heated milk is chilling, down to just about 110ºF. If the milk is too warm when the culture is added, it will kill the good bacteria in the culture. My tap water is cold enough that I don't need ice in the bath.


Below: I have added the culture to about a cup or two of heated and cooled goat milk. I do this so I can use a whisk to be sure I have evenly distributed the thick Greek yogurt used for the culture. I failed to do this once, and had lumpy yogurt!


Below: my half gallon of goat milk, plus the container of Greek yogurt used for the culture, made 9 half-pints.


Below are the filled 8 oz. canning jars in the Excalibur, ready to incubate. The jars sometimes seal (like in canning) but that is not a necessity since yogurt must be refrigerated after it has thickened. I heat the unit for half an hour or more, checking temperature. I prefer about 110ºF - 115ºF, and a 12 hour (or more) incubation. If temperatures are too low, it won't thicken; temps too high and you will kill the microbes.


One further step is not shown here, and that is straining through cheesecloth after 24 hours. Goat milk yogurt tends to be slightly thinner than cow milk yogurt and I like a thicker yogurt, usually. I find by straining a bit of the liquid off, I can accomplish three things.

One is that I get a thicker yogurt. The second is if I strain some of it even longer, I can produce a lovely spreadable fresh goat cheese. And lastly, the strained-off whey mixed with 9 parts water makes a nourishing 'treat' for the microbes in the soil around my vegetable plants!