Milking Goats in May

(Bob finishing it up)

For those of you who have not figured it out I have a bit of a farmer/homesteader/self sufficient person in me. We have enough sucuant (natural sugar) and wheat berries (grind to make flour) to last us a year. Our freezer still has produce in it from last summers garden and we have chickens to give us daily eggs.

(Amy being brave and going first)

This is something that God has called us to do. To go back to the basics, work our land and the earth as He created it for.

(Me giving it a shot)

I have self diagnosed myself as lactose intolerant. It is no fun and I have little self control when out and about or at family meals. I love the idea of goats AND of making homemade mozzarella, yogurt, buttermilk, cream cheese, keifer, butter, cream and whey that I can eat with no side effects.

(Keith doing it like he has done it before)

As a married person when you get an idea in your head as big as getting goats you have to get your spouse on board. So that is what I set out to do.

My sister has an old co-worker Bob, that has some Saanen goats. These babies are a beautiful solid white and the best milk goat in the US. They can milk for up to TWO years per kid and Bob has two that are milking now and he gets a gallon a day.

The last time I visited by myself we set out to go pick his brain. We asked question after question and I am sorry now that I did not record our conversation. We tasted the milk which was raw, unpasteurized and oh so yummy. We had a small bite of some mozzarella cheese that they had made. I knew at that point we were going to be goat owner's once I got Keith to taste the milk and see how beautiful they were.

On the next visit up in May, Keith came along and we went one morning and was able to milk them. We had some set backs at first but eventually got all the milk she had to offer for the morning. We were able to take a quart home and this is what I used to test my self-diagnosed issue. For a week I drank the milk straight out of the jar. Each day I was happy to not be running to the bathroom and to have no cramps and lighting bolt pain. So just as I had read people with lactose problem are able to ingest goat's milk with no problems.

This is an adult goat and the baby in the food trough, is named Bug-A-Boo. She was such a sweet little baby. The first time my sister and I went she was trying to eat my skirt, every 5 seconds I would have to pull it back out of her mouth. This time that sweet little kid put her arms on my chest and was trying to eat my hair and string on my jacket hood. I wish I could have brought her home with me. So, so sweet.

These two trips are the start of our future with goats. Though it will probably be next year before we get them (fencing is expensive) my stomach is jumping up and down waiting on the relief their milk will bring.