Milk! We've Got It!

If you've been following our other blog you would have read about our goats kidding. Now that Bella's kids are 3 weeks old we've been milking her for a week. Since they aren't really a dairy breed they aren't high producers. They also aren't at peak production - which they will reach around day 70. That said we're getting just over a cup per milking from her. We'll probably get less from Daisy since this is her first freshening, but I'll be happy if we get two cups of milk a day. Just enough for us for right now.

The milk is phenomenal. It's rich and sweet. It's not goaty at all. On the second day the cream rises, which is unusual for goat milk which is generally naturally homogenized. But pygmy goat milk is a bit different from dairy goat milk. It has a higher fat content which helps keep it from tasting goaty. It also makes it separate easier.

The other bonus is that we finally can drink raw milk. Raw cow's milk in California is nearly impossible to find and when you can find it, it's prohibitively expensive. I did buy a pint of raw cow's milk once as a treat, but it wasn't something I could buy regularly. Raw goats milk is not available in California at all except for pet consumption. Btu now we have a regular source and we know the condition of the animal it's coming from. This will make live a lot easier when eliminate the buying of all food.

By the way, I haven't forgotten about the cooking challenges. I'll just have to mob post about them when I write them.