You can use feta purchased from the store, or learn how to make feta cheese using goat milk.

Feta cheese is an excellent choice for making marinated cheese.

Marinated feta cheese will keep at room temperature for a time, if it is prepared properly. It can also be stored in a container in the refrigerator.

To keep the cheese at room temperature, you will need to use glass canning jars.

To use canning jars, first sterilize the jar, lid and ring by boiling in water for ten minutes. Remove all parts from the water with tongs and allow to cool.

Place alternating layers of herbs and cubes of feta cheese into the jar. Leave about 1″ space at the top. Cover the cheese and herbs completely with vegetable oil.

Stronger herbs will produce a more noticeable flavor in the cheese, but choose according to your taste. You can use either dried or fresh herbs. Some herbs that are typically used include:

• peppercorns
• garlic
• dill
• rosemary
• basil
• thyme
• bay leaves
• fig leaves

Olive oil will have the strongest flavor, and will add a beautiful golden-green color, but you can also use canola, soybean, or other vegetable oil if you prefer a lighter taste and look.

Place the lid and ring on the jar and tighten. The cheese will keep without refrigeration for a while, as long as it is completely covered by the oil.

Use your marinated feta as a snack.

Experiment with your own combinations to find your favorite taste.

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Carbohydrates are one of the main types of nutrients. This nutrient group includes foods recognized as sugars and starches. Carbohydrates are the most important and immediate source of energy for the body. The process of digestion convert carbohydrates into glucose, which is available as an immediate energy source by body cells, tissues and organs. Energy that is not used immediately is stored for future use.

Carbohydrates are classified as simple or complex, depending on their chemical structure. Simple carbohydrates include sugars found naturally in foods such as fruits, vegetables, milk, and milk products. Complex carbohydrates include whole grain breads and cereals, starchy vegetables and legumes.

As they say, anything excessive is harmful to health. An overabundance of carbohydrates can easily lead to weight gain, as a small amount of carbohydrates rich food sources provides a sizeable supply of energy that the body can readily use. It would be good if you are an athlete but not if you have a desk job.

Carbohydrates in milk are in the form of lactose, also known as milk sugar. Lactose is the ingredient responsible for the slightly sweet taste of milk, and is made up of two sugars, known as galactose and glucose, making it a simple carbohydrate.

The exact difference in lactose content between goat milk and cow  milk is hard to quantify because of the number of different analysis techniques used. However, it is widely accepted that goat milk is lower in lactose than cow milk. This lower lactose level has the most profound implications for individuals who are lactose intolerant.

Milk sugar, or Lactose in goat milk, provides a ready supply of energy, and together with the other nutrients in milk, makes goat milk a wise choice for a quick, energizing drink.

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Elderly skin care is a very important health concern for aging adults. While our skin is generally ignored throughout life unless we have a cut, a rash, an itch, or a burn, etc., Skin is our largest and important organ - adults carry some 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) and 22 square feet (2 square meters) of it,  and the  skin plays a much bigger role than just holding everything together in one package.

Healthy skin keeps infectious agents from entering the body, synthesizes essential vitamin D from sunlight, manufactures vitamin D for converting calcium into healthy bones and provides our sensation of touch through the various nerves running throughout.

The hallmark of goat milk is its gentleness and nutritive properties in digestion, but those same properties carry over to the skin care products, as well.

Goat milk skin care products are especially suited for caring for the special challenges that aging skin presents.

For cleansing, goat milk soap has the benefits of a lower pH, making it more friendly to the skin’s protective acid mantle, and a high fat content that supplies moisture, while gently removing dirt and dead skin cells.

Goat milk soaps also come in a vast array of combinations that include nourishing herbs and other natural ingredients tailored for specific skincare needs. Read the labels or inquire as to the suitability of particular ingredients for elderly skin care, or for other special skin care needs.

Creams, lotion and body butters made from goat milk are also especially nourishing for elderly skin. The special fat and protein molecules from goat milk, along with an array of vitamins and minerals, are easily absorbed through the skin, providing hydration, a protective moisture barrier, and nourishment for the skin all at the same time.

Isolated rough patches of skin might also benefit from the application of a homemade facial solution containing goat milk yogurt, sour cream or buttermilk. These fermented products contain lactic acid, one of the alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), known for helping to remove dead surface layer skin cells to leave skin smoother.

These goat milk versions of alpha hydroxy acid contain no additional chemicals or preservatives and are not as harsh as commercial products.

Conclusion, it is also vital to nourish skin from the inside out. Proper nutrition is an imperative component in elderly skin care.

As the saying goes, “The proof is in the pudding.” - That pudding was made with goat milk, right? Ha Ha Ha!

If you or an elderly loved one suffers from dry, itchy skin, try a cleansing and hydration program based on goat milk. Products are widely available, and come in a range of scents or unscented and added ingredients.

Experiment with different brands and varieties to find one that works best for your special needs.

Of course, homemade products are almost guaranteed to be less irritating and more moisturizing than commercial products, not to mention less expensive!

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Having familiar with Goat Milk Nutritional Breakdown, and it’s comparison to Cow Milk and Human Milk. Let us learn the importance of each mineral and its content in goat milk. Now, for the details!

Firstly, calcium. Everyone knows that calcium is important for the healthy growth and is widely recognized for its role in maintaining the strength and density of bones and teeth.

However, calcium also has equal or lesser known roles in other health issues. When it comes to minerals nutrition, calcium is without doubt a real powerhouse.

Below is a list of some of the other proven benefits of calcium:

• helps protect against colon cancer
• improves blood clotting ability
• helps prevent anemia
• helps prevent muscle contraction
• helps maintain healthy blood pressure

Calcium stored in our bones will be utilized by our bodies if our calcium intake is insufficient. This is obviously not desirable, having the effect of weakening the skeletal structure.

Goat milk is a good source of calcium, containing approximately 13% more calcium per serving than cow’s milk, and making it one of the predominant natural minerals in milk.

Phosphorus works in conjunction with calcium and vitamin D to help build and maintain strong bones, but also plays a role in activities of the brain, kidney, heart and blood. Goat milk has a higher phosphorous content, provides 27.0% of the daily value for phosphorus per serving, whereas, cow milk provides 23.2% of the daily value.

Zinc functions as an antioxidant and is also important for a strong immune system and for healthy skin and production of hormones. Zinc levels in goat and cow’s milk are comparable.

Sodium in the body is important for maintaining fluid balances, but too much sodium has been implicated in high blood pressure for some people. One cup of both goat milk and cow milk provides about 1/5 of the recommended daily intake for adults, with reports varying of which product actually contains more.

Goat milk has a substantial advantage in potassium content over cow’s milk, containing about 134% more. Potassium is important in maintaining a healthy blood pressure and in muscle contraction.

All milk is notably low in levels of iron, a mineral used in the production of red blood cells, and copper, which is important for healthy skin and hair. However, in comparison, goat milk does contain more of these minerals than cow’s milk.

Magnesium is particularly beneficial to the heart, helping to maintain a regular heartbeat, preventing the formation of blood clots and raising good cholesterol levels. It also works with calcium and vitamin D to maintain healthy bones. Goat milk has a higher content of magnesium than cow’s milk.

Manganese is probably the least known of the minerals, but it too has important functions in the human body. Along with some of the other nutrients, it is an antioxidant, and it also complements digestion by helping the body convert protein and fat to energy. Manganese also helps the body absorb thiamin, one of the B vitamins. Goat milk is significantly higher in manganese than cow’s milk.

Lastly, selenium. Selenium is generally accepted as a powerful cancer prevention nutrient. In addition to its inclusion in antioxidant enzymes, it also is essential to helping the body produce its own antioxidant, Glutathione peroxidase.

Selenium also strengthens the immune system and plays a role in keeping the heart and blood vessels healthy. In a comparative study of human, cow and goat milk, researchers found that, although the amounts of selenium in each were comparable, selenium from goat milk resulted in more than twice the peroxidase activity of that from human and cow milk.

Conclusion, Goat milk is a good source for minerals nutrition, especially in calcium, potassium and selenium.

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Yes, you can make yogurt from raw goat milk as well.

However, I would not suggest store bought milk for this method. You must use fresh clean milk that you have just milked out of your health goat and following extremely good sanitary procedure because you are not going to be pasteurizing the milk,  and any harmful bacteria may gets in the milk.

Directions:

1. Start with 3 1/2 Cup. clean fresh raw milk.
2. Stir in  1/2 -1 Cup. powdered milk if desired to produce a nice thick curd. (or a specially formulated culture)
3. Warm milk to 115 degrees by whichever method you desire to heat your milk.
4. Pour the warm milk into your incubating jars, add a couple of heaping tablespoon of plain “live culture” yogurt or DVI culture, screw the lid on tight and shake well.
5. Now it is time to incubate; Cooler/heating pad method. Use a larger cooler. Place the cooler in a place where it will be undisturbed. Place the jar with the yogurt milk in the cooler. Place a heating pad over the jar (loosely). Set the pad on high (some pad needs to be set on high, yours may differ) and place the lid on the cooler. Leave it undisturbed for about 6-8 hours. If this is the first time you use this method, put a thermometer in the cooler to see what the pad is heating the inside of the cooler up to. You want it to be at least 110 degrees and not more than 120 degrees. You may need to turn your pad to medium.

(There are various methods of incubation - Food dehydrator, Cooler/water method, Cooler/heating pad method, Commercial yogurt maker ).

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A delicious Panna Cotta flavored with dried fig leaves. This recipe shows how to combines striking ingredients to make easy dishes.

The recipe below is for 4 individual serving.

Ingredients:

1 oz fig leaves - about 6 leaves
8fl oz goat milk
8fl oz double cream
seeds from ½ vanilla pod
2¾ oz caster sugar
¼ oz gelatine - about 4 leaves
8 fresh figs, quartered

Directions:

Wash and dry the leaves and leave in an airing cupboard or warm place for about a week to dry. Strip out the stems and blitz the leaves to a powder using a pestle and mortar or food processor.

Pour the goat milk and cream into a saucepan, add the vanilla seeds and sugar and bring to the boil. Simmer for one minute then remove from heat. Add the powdered fig leaves and cover with clingfilm. Leave to infuse for 10 minutes. Meanwhile soak the gelatine in cold water.

After 10 minutes squeeze out the gelatine leaves and add to the cream, stirring to help it dissolve. Infuse for a further 20 minutes, then pass through a fine sieve into a jug. Pour into four 5fl oz moulds and leave to cool completely before refrigerating until set - about four hours.

To serve, dip the moulds briefly in hot water, run a blunt-tipped knife around the edge and gently tip on to a plate. Decorate with fresh figs and serve.

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The modern dairy goat produces milk of the highest quality and dairy goats are one of the most useful animals you can keep. Not only are they easy to look after and feed, they produce quality milk to make cheese, butter, yogurt and drinks. Unwanted kids are excellent as a source of meat for the house, the skins tan well and the fat is used to make soap. The female dairy goat is a doe; the male, a buck; the young, kids; and a castrated male, a wether. Their life span is about eight to twelve years.

Some of the basics know how about the management of dairy goats are:

Management

Ideally, goats should be dehorned when they are very young. It is advisable to wait until they are 1-2 weeks of age and in good flesh to be sure they are healthy and not coming down with neonatal diarrhea. If discolored skin is fixed to the skull in two rosettes, horn buds are present. Moveable skin indicates a naturally hornless condition. Hooves should be trimmed frequently to assure proper development of the hoof.

Besides good management, keeping good weight records is important for proper feeding and medication. Tapes can be used for estimation of weight by measuring the heart girth behind the forelegs. There also exists normal growth curve to age-weight relationships. For large breed male goats, they are in average as follows: 1 month-25 lb., 3 months-55 lb., 6 months-85 lb., 9 months-110 lb., 12 months-130 lb., 18 months-155 lb., 24 months-170 lb., 36 months-205 lb. For smaller breeds and females, these standards are less, proportionate to the lesser adult body weight.

In order to check the health of goats and determine suspected illness, it is useful to know their normal physiological values. Body temperature is about 103.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Pulse is about 83 per minute ranging from 50 to 115. Respiration is around 29 per minute with a range from 15 to 50.

Feeding

Dairy goats do not thrive under the same conditions as sheep and dairy cows as they are a browsing rather than grazing animal. Dairy goats like to graze good pasture but their diet must also contain ample roughage, some concentrates and a supply of bushes, weeds or rough scrub to give variety. All dairy goats must have salt and fresh clean water. Breeding, milking and growing stock need to be fed good quality roughage in the form of legume hay, such as alfalfa, each day. Kids and bucks need a balanced grain ration and milkers should be fed a standard dairy grain ration. Kids are milk fed until two to three months of age, but should be consuming forages such as pasture grass or hay by two weeks of age and grain within four.

Pasturing is the ideal way to feed your goat. Under arid conditions, people must guard against the danger of overgrazing but keep in mind that overstocking in temperate climates is an excellent breeding ground for worms, flukes, and other parasites. Rotational pasturing is one of the successful controls. In temperate climates, one-half acre of land per milking goat should be plenty.

Housing

You do not need an elaborate barn or house for your dairy goat. Some type of small shed, about 15 square feet, will make a suitable home but, do require clean, well ventilated, dry, draft free shelter. Have dirt pen floors instead because cement floors become very cold. They must be allowed shade and space for exercise. A minimum of 25 square feet of space per animal, well-drained and properly fenced for outside exercise. Dairy goats are curious and agile and require well built fences for containment and protection from predators. Bucks should be kept in separate quarters away from milking does. Dairy goats have a strong herd instinct and prefer the companionship of at least one other goat.

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Labneh, also known as Yogurt Cheese, is probably the simplest of all cheeses to make. To begin with you will need a quart of yogurt. You can use plain or flavored yogurt, and either homemade or buy from the grocery store.

However, if you buy yogurt for making labneh, make sure yogurt does not contain gelatin, as the gelatin will prevent the whey from draining.

Ingredients:

• 1 quart yogurt
• 1 tsp. Salt

Special supplies:

• cheesecloth
• strainer
• bowl

Begin by shaking or stirring the yogurt until it is thoroughly mixed and smooth. Mix in 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt, to taste.

Next, place a strainer over a pot or bowl, and line with cheesecloth. Pour the yogurt into the cheesecloth.

Cover, and let the yogurt drain for 24 hours in the refrigerator.

Remove the cloth from the strainer and scrape the cheese to form a mound in the center of the cloth. Then, using the cloth for handling, form it into a ball or log and place onto a plate.  Store in the refrigerator.

It does not get any easier than that!




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Yogurt cheese is a soft cheese made from draining the whey from yogurt. You will not find this cheese in the grocery stores but, it can be easily made at home.

Believed to have originated in Lebanon, yogurt cheese has a very smooth consistency much like cream cheese, but with the distinctive tangy taste of yogurt. It can be made from flavored yogurt, as well as plain.

Besides being delicious, yogurt cheese is high in calcium and great for those who are lactose intolerant, as the yogurt-making process converts the lactose in the milk into lactic acid.

Yogurt cheese is extremely versatile and can be used to add a nice zip of flavor to virtually any recipe in which cream cheese is used.

Once you make it, you probably would not have any problems coming up with your own original serving ideas that suit your tastes.

More suggestion:

• Traditional - Serve covered in olive oil with crushed mint and black olives. Eat on toasted pita.
• Breakfast toast - Spread on toast and top with a thin layer of jam.
• Crackers and cheese - Mix with fresh herbs and serve on crackers.
• As a spread - Mix with diced pimientos and black olives and spread in celery sticks, or use as a filling for finger sandwiches.
• As a dip - Combine with taco seasoning or ranch dressing mix to create a dip for vegetables or chips.

Homemade yogurt cheese is going to make a hit at your next social gathering, therefore get started today!

Check back frequently for my upcoming updates  “How to make yogurt cheese”

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Goat Milk Yogurt Recipe for Strong Bones

Goat milk yogurt is one of the major cultured products. Goat yogurt  may be made from low-fat, skim or whole milk. This recipe is for 2 individual serving.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 baby bananas - firm and ripe
• 8 oz. goat yogurt
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1/2 cup mixed cereal
• 2 Tbsp. extra mixed cereal
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp. dark brown sugar

Directions:

Coarse grate bananas. In a bowl gently stir together banana, yogurt, 2/3 cup raspberries, 1/2 cup mixed cereal, sour cream and brown sugar until combined.

Divide mixture into 2 bowls. Sprinkle yogurt with remaining 2 tablespoons mixed cereal and garnish with remaining 1/3 cup raspberries.

More suggestion:

Freeze goat milk into an ice tray, then drop a couple of them into smoothies, milkshakes or ice coffee as a summertime treat . Additionally, you can flavor the ice blocks with coffee or chocolate syrup before freezing for something special.

Stir goat milk into natural muesli with some grated apple and a touch of cinnamon. Refrigerate overnight and serve, topped with fresh fruit and goat yogurt.





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