I am a very smart goat. I say this with all humility....
I also love to answer questions and I am so very happy when my readers ask them of me. In yesterday's post I wrote about what it was like to be milked and Daisy and my Aunt Vicki wanted to know more so here I am today with answers to their questions.
Actually it is my publicist and her male person that are providing the answers because I have never tasted cow's milk or goat's milk cheese but I am quite pleased to pass them along. According to them goat's milk tastes exactly the same as cow's milk. The only difference the publicist finds is that it is much richer as my milk is somewhere between 4 and 6% milk fat and she was used to drinking skim milk. What made her most happy was that if she drank any kind of fatted cow's milk she would get horrible heartburn buy our milk does not give her any discomfort at all. Goat's milk is also very good for people who are lactose intolerant because it doesn't contain any lactose. Many babies who cannot drink cow's milk or formula become quite happy and chubby on goat's milk.
Nigerian Dwarf milk is naturally homogenized so the cream does not rise to the top which makes is difficult but not impossible to make butter. But making ice cream is easy, fun and quite tasty! The publicist has done it quite a few times; by all accounts Triple Chocolate was the clear flavor winner.
As to how much milk we give, I am on a rest right now as I have mentioned When Abby and I are both producing at full volume we will give the publicist about a gallon a day. Right now Abby is giving just short of a quart a day (That is yesterday's milk in the photo). It is enough for the male person's morning coffee and cereal plus any baking needs. The rest goes in the freezer for soap or if any barter opportunities arise.
Now to the cheese! The publicist and the male person love cheese. She has done a bit of experimenting and has been very successful at making soft cheeses like feta and chevre. Her mozzarella was not quite as good but she has not given up! She also made two hard cheeses; a cheddar and a Colby. Both were very good and she is looking forward to making more this summer. It is hard for her to make cheese in the winter because her kitchen is very small in the trailer and she cannot keep the milk mixture at the right temperature because she cannot fit her pot in her sink. But come this summer she plans to make lots and lots of hard cheeses to have in her pantry for winter. They have to age for at least four months and get better the longer they sit.
I hope this answered the questions and by all means ask any more you might have. I do love to pass on any goat information I have.
