Yogurt Attempt # 1

Fail.

I tried to reproduce the yummy vanilla yogurt that we usually buy, but the heating/cooling process is a little tricky and I failed miserably somewhere. The result was rather thick-looking milk that made me gag and Chloe throw up.

I'll be tossing that batch out.

Making yogurt is a great way to preserve extra milk though, and research shows that fermented foods (more on that later) are really, really good for our guts. I didn't know this before trying to make it, but all yogurt is simply fermented milk -- kinda gross if you think about it. Nevertheless, we are only as healthful as our digestion, and Emma loves yogurt, so I'll be trying again.

Recipe I used.

And Finally, It's Milking Time

The young spring breeze freshened my hair and I glanced out the window in time to see a red-winged blackbird playing in the open stand of trees outside our "renovated" goat house. Refocusing on my task - milking - I enjoyed a moment of peace. After years of dreaming, planning, and blind leaps, I am finally stepping into the life I have longed for.

We've had the goats for two full days now, and thankfully they have gone off a lot better than I expected. Although it was with nervous anticipation (what if they don't like me??) that I began my milking experience, it ended up being easier than I thought as such things usually do. I am enjoying a new skill and Emma is learning about where milk comes from.

I've read that raw milk is a treat, but I still had my doubts until my sometimes difficult-to-please husband had his first sip. (Will he like it, or did we just waste $400 on an expensive soap-making project?) In classic milk-mustache amazement, he pronounced it better; after I tried it, I had to agree. I never knew milk had flavor. It's like a melted milkshake, smooth and creamy, that makes the plastic carton stuff look like watery nothingness.

Maybe I'll start drinking milk.

Asian Calm to American Hysteria

David Gumpert, author of Raw Milk Revolution (which I recently bought and read, finally) posted an interesting piece on his blog about his experiences while traveling through Southeast Asia. Seems that most other places in the world are somewhat bemused at the US's near hysterical drama over raw milk use. Apparently, they have bigger things to worry about than protecting everyone from an elusive pathogen. I guess they think folks are intelligent enough to boil their own milk if they are concerned!

Which reminds me that I haven't posted on here that I am getting two milk goats in a couple weeks. Tina and Oreo (already named) recently kidded so I will be milking as soon as they get here. I am excited to finally step out of the industrial milk trap! Butter, yogurt, and cheese projects will soon follow.