Blessedfarmgirl's Journal

[Mini Horses]

State Cottage Food laws.

@Baymule isn't giving you a minute of rest but yes, those things sell! Plus gift packs. When I was traveling to venues for goat soap sales, the little baskets of soap, lufa sponges & lotions sold well. Gift packs. Locally, cheeses were popular. Cajeta is great caramel sauce. I made several pints last year. Grocery gets an average of $1.50 an ounce for goat cheese.

 

[blessedfarmgirl]

If I lived closer I’d be your first customer!

I’ve seen ads on Craigslist for pet milk, it has blue food coloring in it, I suppose to further protect the seller. I used to buy Jersey milk from a couple, they used half gallon mason jars. I paid a deposit up front, then just returned empties after that.

I would use the half gallon mason jars, be sure to figure cost of rings and lids and keep a good supply of them. I use them for food storage, they are so handy. During Covid jars, rings and lids disappeared. Every time I went to Walmart or any of the dollar stores, I went straight to the aisle where canning supplies were. Usually nothing, but if I found some, I bought them. I had a stockpile already or else I wouldn’t have been able to can proceeds from the garden that year.

Make cheese, I used to buy a soft cheese from a fellow BYH’er, but she sold out due to health reasons.

Another idea, if you have people coming to the farm to buy milk, make homemade bread. That cinnamon bread that’s frightfully expensive and so delicious…….artisan breads, speciality breads, better than store bought. And homemade jam and jellies. Mayhaw is a favorite and difficult to find. There are 2 ladies in Lufkin that planted a Mayhaw orchard and they sell out every year.

Explore farmers markets, you want to sell something that everyone else doesn’t have. Are there wild plums growing anywhere around you? In Lindale, they grew in fence rows and I picked a lot in this old man’s fences. I always gave him jars of the wild plum jam, he was delighted. They are bright red, small, the size of a cherry, so good!

Milk, cheese, bread, jam, I’m making lots of busy plans for you…. LOL

You really do want to keep me busy! But those are all great ideas. We don't have enough wild plums on our property to do that, but we do have a million beauty berries. My sister makes amazing jelly out of that. This year we're going to have a bumper crop because of all the rain, so we could actually start selling that. A friend is opening their farm store and is interested in some of our products. They might be interested in the jelly. They are wanting milk too, so I guess I could sell them some with "not for human consumption" labels. I do like to make bread and I make sourdough and sweet breads and muffins regularly for my family, so I could start doing that and selling. There's a little nook by our front door that I'm thinking about putting shelves in and stocking up with produce, baked goods and maybe some jellies and pickles.
I've been needing to get my food handlers license in order to do the whole cottage food thing, but that is only a quick course, so it will be easy to get.
But the whole dairy enterprise hinges pretty much on if I can sell my three goats for the price I got them for, or at least somewhere in the area of that price. I just posted the ads a few days ago, so we'll see what happens. It will be a good 1k if I can get what I want for the three, which will be an excellent jump start towards buying the animals I need.

 

[blessedfarmgirl]

A thing happened yesterday! We put Mocha, Butterfly and Lambs-a-lot in with the flock! They had been on hay for about a week so they were tickled green to be on pasture again. It was funny to watch all of the other 12 sheep following them around and staring at them. They are getting along well, haven't broken out of the fence (or tested it yet as far as I know) and only minor head butting. I wonder if Mocha will end up being the new leader of the flock. She's the biggest and seems to have a big personality.

 

[Baymule]

Why not go for full sized goats? If you are milking, you will get more than the mini’s, for basically the same effort.

There is a Guernsey raw milk dairy in Mineola that sells milk, yogurt and other items. They have a store in Lindale, on Hwy 69, just past I-20 on the right. They also planted pink blueberries and put up a pavilion where they give lessons on making jelly and such. You can buy off the farm too.

Whoa! I just looked up their web site, dairy is gone and they now offer grass fed beef. Last milk we purchased was $12 a gallon, it got too pricey so we stopped buying it. But we went to their store and bought the yogurt, it was so good. I bet their store is closed too.

There is also a Jersey dairy in Winnsboro. It’s called Jersey Girls. Before I go any further I think I’ll look them up.

Still there!

Jersey Girls Milk Co.

Jersey Girls Milk raises Jersey (and a few Jersey-cross) cows on pasture year round, only confined long enough for their twice daily milkings. Located in Winnsboro, Texas, they produce milk, cheese, yogurt, queso fresco, bread, honey, and more!

www.jerseygirlsmilk.com

They have an on farm store, y’all should go visit and make a purchase. They also sell calves, maybe buying one to raise for the freezer? And giving it milk from your goats?

 

[Baymule]

The girls look so happy! Mocha does have a big personality. Her mom, Eve, is a BIG girl. Butterfly is more laidback. Neither one tries fences, with a shock, they probably will never be a problem. I’m so happy that they are with you and your family.

 

[blessedfarmgirl]

We've been to Jersey girls but there is a dairy closer to us that we like better and were getting our raw milk from before we got goats. It's called Trimble Farms and it's only 10 minutes away vs 30 minutes to Jersey girls. It's a much nicer store too. We do want cows eventually, but I'm looking at Dexters, not jerseys. And we definitely don't have enough milk to feed a bottle calf. 12-16 dollars a gallon is pretty standard for raw goat milk. 8-10 is about the price for raw cow milk. We'll probably do 12 for our milk, 10 for friends and family. It costs me at least 5 dollars to produce a gallon just in feed right now. I need to find a better price for goat feed then 25 dollars for a 40lb bag.

I do want some bigger goats, either mini crosses or full size, but I don't think I'm ever getting away from the Nigerians. I want to have at least two or three Nigerians for every bigger goat. Number one because I love them, number 2 because their milk tastes so amazing compared to all the other goat breeds I've ever tried, number 3 because their butterfat is so high it makes almost twice as much cheese and number 4, the kids are extra cute and people like to buy them as bottle babies. So I am looking at getting a few Nubians for higher milk volume, but I love my Nigerians too much to switch. I've changed so many goat skeptics minds with the Nigerian milk I've lost count.

 

[farmerjan]

I think that @Mini Horses has Saanen's and says the milk is very good. I can attest to that... having never had goat milk but once and not liked it.. I got 2 qts from @Mini Horses at the poultry swap a year or so ago. It really was good. Just a smidgeon different taste than cows milk, and of course, no shaking to mix the cream back in... but I was surprised... and she says they milk really good and are smaller than Nubians I think. There's also LaMancha's ..... @rachels.haven has some of them...GOOD ONES..... if you can get around the "earless" thing...

 

[blessedfarmgirl]

I have considered the saanens. I really like them and I've heard good things about them. But I'm concerned as to how well they would sell here. In the 2 years I've been looking into goats I've seen absolutely zero people with saanens in my area, or any ads for saanens for sale. Lamanchas are a little more common, and I have considered those, but I've had lamancha milk and wasn't too thrilled. That's why I'm going with Nubians for my larger breed.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I may be prejudiced, but I don't think you can go wrong with Nubians. Their milk is mild and delicious. I've converted several "never goat milk" folk to loving goat milk. Most recently my son-in-law.

 

[Baymule]

See if there are any feed mills in the area that sell “super bags” of feed. Super bags are usually a thousand pounds or more. Transfer into metal trash cans or barrels. You will need to talk to the mill to see if they have a goat formula.