Tasty Milk
(Featured above, is Cocoa's doeling Hershey Kisses, with her own natural milk mustache,
or, wait, did she just drink some nice milk...)
Milk, sweet and good for you. But, my first experiences with goat milk were quite the opposite.
I now prize my goats milk flavor over any milk I've ever tasted.
So, how I got to that point was part of the journey.
A professional cheese maker, in Lubbock, who shipped across the US to high cuisine restaurants, gave tours.
She said studies have shown that the milk's flavor can be manipulated by what the doe smells.
The experiment involved a doe kept in a room that smelled like ammonia (the cleanser),
and subsequently produced milk that carried that same taste as the fragrance.
The point: keep a strong-smelling buck away from the lactating doe.
As far as bucks go, the Nigerian Dwarf bucks have the least harsh smelling musk, amongst other breeds of goats.
And, they tend to be smelliest during the fall, or rutting season.
Some owners can pen does as close as 100 feet away from the buck, and still have nice results.
So, these little guys (ND) have multiple advantages.
What she eats also is a factor.
Fresh water, and many owners can tell the difference in goat milk flavor if she eats "sweet feed".
Can you say C R E A M? My goodness, I let my vat of pasteurized milk sit in the fridge for a few days,
went to scoop, getting a cupful of creamy goodness that I was sure I didn't even need to add sugar to enjoy.
Generally, I shake my jar of milk to homogenize before I pour out, getting a drinkable meal that will really hold me.
or, wait, did she just drink some nice milk...)
Milk, sweet and good for you. But, my first experiences with goat milk were quite the opposite.
I now prize my goats milk flavor over any milk I've ever tasted.
So, how I got to that point was part of the journey.
A professional cheese maker, in Lubbock, who shipped across the US to high cuisine restaurants, gave tours.
She said studies have shown that the milk's flavor can be manipulated by what the doe smells.
The experiment involved a doe kept in a room that smelled like ammonia (the cleanser),
and subsequently produced milk that carried that same taste as the fragrance.
The point: keep a strong-smelling buck away from the lactating doe.
As far as bucks go, the Nigerian Dwarf bucks have the least harsh smelling musk, amongst other breeds of goats.
And, they tend to be smelliest during the fall, or rutting season.
Some owners can pen does as close as 100 feet away from the buck, and still have nice results.
So, these little guys (ND) have multiple advantages.
What she eats also is a factor.
Fresh water, and many owners can tell the difference in goat milk flavor if she eats "sweet feed".
Can you say C R E A M? My goodness, I let my vat of pasteurized milk sit in the fridge for a few days,
went to scoop, getting a cupful of creamy goodness that I was sure I didn't even need to add sugar to enjoy.
Generally, I shake my jar of milk to homogenize before I pour out, getting a drinkable meal that will really hold me.
To pasteurize, or not to pasteurize
And yes, I DO pasteurize,
after realizing that in doing so, I was killing bacteria and viruses
that could be transferred from goats to humans.
Many people test their herd for diseases,
but how many diseases and strains are not tested for?
So, I play the trump card and get to the bottom line of safe milk,
and PASTEURIZE.
Pasteurizing is merely using a double boiler
(or one smaller pot inside of a larger pot)
and bringing the temperature up to 170 degrees,
using a candy thermometer.
My "double boiler" are large staiinless steel pots that hold over a gallon,
one being larger than the other to allow one to fit inside.
After reaching 170 degrees,
I pour out the boiling water,
replacing it with ice water.
This chills the milk soon,
which can then be more quickly put into jars for the fridge
after realizing that in doing so, I was killing bacteria and viruses
that could be transferred from goats to humans.
Many people test their herd for diseases,
but how many diseases and strains are not tested for?
So, I play the trump card and get to the bottom line of safe milk,
and PASTEURIZE.
Pasteurizing is merely using a double boiler
(or one smaller pot inside of a larger pot)
and bringing the temperature up to 170 degrees,
using a candy thermometer.
My "double boiler" are large staiinless steel pots that hold over a gallon,
one being larger than the other to allow one to fit inside.
After reaching 170 degrees,
I pour out the boiling water,
replacing it with ice water.
This chills the milk soon,
which can then be more quickly put into jars for the fridge
A quick and EASY cheese recipe
One quick way to make cheese is to follow the advice of Little Miss Muffet,
you know, who sat on her tuffet, eating her curds and whey?
Curds and whey are what you see after having left a jar (lightly covered) of milk on the counter,
at room temp,
for about a day or two.
The separation results in the curds, which are the white chunks,
and the whey or the liquid.
My body-building son uses a powder he mixes in order to add weight and muscle,
it's main ingredient is whey.
So, I've taken whey and dried it in my food dehydrator,
storing it in baggies.
I've also dried milk,
by using the dehydrator
or the oven and cookie sheets (170 degrees for 10 - 12 hours.)
A food processor can powder it.
The trick is reconstituting it,
which I resolved by remembering my mother who not only used hot water but a BLENDER.
The consistency was amazing,
however, like chocolate milk does, the powder can eventually settle to the bottom,
until stirred up again.
So, getting back to Miss Muffet and her curds which are scooped onto cheesecloth and left to drip.
The more it drips, the more dry it is, "duh".
So, you can have a soft cheese,
like the spreadable cream cheese on bagels.
I like to add powdered sugar to taste, or honey, or jelly, or vanilla...
you know, who sat on her tuffet, eating her curds and whey?
Curds and whey are what you see after having left a jar (lightly covered) of milk on the counter,
at room temp,
for about a day or two.
The separation results in the curds, which are the white chunks,
and the whey or the liquid.
My body-building son uses a powder he mixes in order to add weight and muscle,
it's main ingredient is whey.
So, I've taken whey and dried it in my food dehydrator,
storing it in baggies.
I've also dried milk,
by using the dehydrator
or the oven and cookie sheets (170 degrees for 10 - 12 hours.)
A food processor can powder it.
The trick is reconstituting it,
which I resolved by remembering my mother who not only used hot water but a BLENDER.
The consistency was amazing,
however, like chocolate milk does, the powder can eventually settle to the bottom,
until stirred up again.
So, getting back to Miss Muffet and her curds which are scooped onto cheesecloth and left to drip.
The more it drips, the more dry it is, "duh".
So, you can have a soft cheese,
like the spreadable cream cheese on bagels.
I like to add powdered sugar to taste, or honey, or jelly, or vanilla...
CHOCOLATE, salad dressing and Starbucks
In addition to a spread, I've made C H O C O L A T E, oh my, by using powdered sugar, vanilla and a liquid chocolate (cocoa powder with only enough boiling water to make it the desired consistency of chocolate syrup).
But my all time favorite is" blue" cheese dressing. For this I use curds and some whey for added liquid, powdered sugar to taste, garlic salt, onion powder, herbs.
Okay, I lied. My all time favorite is a better-than-Starbucks hot chocolate,
You know, milk, cocoa and sugar (and vanilla), but pumpkin spice makes a seasonal delight.
Hot Cocoa
one cup of hot goat milk
2 -3 Tbsp of Hersey Cocoa
2 Tbsp of sugar
drops of vanilla
dash of salt
But my all time favorite is" blue" cheese dressing. For this I use curds and some whey for added liquid, powdered sugar to taste, garlic salt, onion powder, herbs.
Okay, I lied. My all time favorite is a better-than-Starbucks hot chocolate,
You know, milk, cocoa and sugar (and vanilla), but pumpkin spice makes a seasonal delight.
Hot Cocoa
one cup of hot goat milk
2 -3 Tbsp of Hersey Cocoa
2 Tbsp of sugar
drops of vanilla
dash of salt