Jumping the Moon Dairy - the next chapter

[Latestarter]

What Bay said!

 

[babsbag]

Hopefully puppy pictures will be soon, I have been worried since she lost them last year. Next Friday is 63 days so technically she could go even earlier. Just hope that it isn't next Monday since I have scheduled my "once every year (or 2) whether I need it or not" doctor's appts. out of town and will be gone for hours and hours. They are finally holding my thyroid meds hostage so I really need to go.

I lost one of Moonpie's daughters this year too. She had delivered preemie quads and just went downhill, most likely a metabolic issue of some kind, goats are like that... Two of the quads didn't make it but of the two that did one is brown and white like Moonpie. We had already named her Mini Moon and she's a keeper. I will try and get a picture of her.

 

[Wehner Homestead]

Can’t wait to see a pic of Mini Moon!!

I’ll also pray things go well for Mia!!

 

[Donna R. Raybon]

Could you make a low fat cheese with the skim milk?

A lot of cheeses are made with skim, so low fat. Cottage cheese, mozzarella are two I make with skim. I make a lot of yogurt and let it drain to make cheese. Are you using goat or cow milk?

 

[ragdollcatlady]

Are you using goat or cow milk?

She has a goat dairy, so it's all goats milk.

 

[babsbag]

Here is Mini Moon. Even though she is an American Alpine the Togg color from her Grandma sure came shining through. Moonpie was 25% Togg.

 

[babsbag]

In the dairy I am only making Chevre, feta, yogurt, and bottled milk. I am going to do ice cream but not really sure that I want to get into making more products to sell but I do need to find a use for skimmed milk other than raising pigs. Adding additional products means adding packaging, labels (which have to be approved for a fee of course), and then marketing. It is quite a bit of work to pack everything up for Farmer's markets, especially if you are giving out samples.

 

[Mini Horses]

How many are you milking for the dairy? Are you doing the cheeses & yogurt yourself? I'm thinking any help?

Because I can see little time for much activity beyond these "chores"....as in feeding yourself, laundry, sleep, etc. No biggie -- right superwoman?

 

[Bruce]

I think ice cream would be hard if for no reason other than having to keep it frozen even at the farmer's markets.

 

[babsbag]

@Mini Horses I am currently milking 40 and next year will be closer to 60. As I determine the best milkers from this year's kid crop I will narrow that number down but I don't want to jump too soon on first fresheners as maybe they will be great in year two. I also don't want a milk string of first fresheners so for a few more years I will have more goats than I need. I don't have any help in the dairy. DH does the Saturday market for me and the rest is on me. The house is a disaster, the lawn needs mowed, the garden is a bust, the grapes are going to the birds, the orchard needs a summer pruning, the pool looks like a pond, and the pond needs cleaned too. Yep, things are different that's for sure.

@Bruce, as far as the ice cream... I will buy a small cold plate freezer and install it in the van; it will easily keep the ice cream frozen for the 4 hours we are at market. Think of an ice cream truck or the street vendors, that is what many of them use.

The nice thing about ice cream is that its shelf life is about a year. I can make it when the milk is flowing and sell it when it isn't. There are many people that can't have cow milk ice cream so my limited market research tells me that this would be a good seller. I hope that I am right.