Goat Milk

If you are a potential dairy goat owner, but you are not sure where to start, here are some steps that you might find useful, in terms of gathering information. While not complete, it will assist you be successful.

 

Educate Yourself About Housing and Fencing Needs

Dairy goats need protection from wild and domestic predators, from poisonous plants and shelter from adverse weather. Your specific needs will vary by location.  Do It Yourself books can be found  online. Quality housing and fencing are critical to the safety and well-being of your animals.

Many dairy goat owners use livestock guardian dogs or other guardian animals to stay with the goat herd 24 hours daily. Domestic and feral dogs account for most attacks on dairy goats.

 

Learn About Management and Care of Dairy Goats

Read an introduction to management and care of dairy goats

In addition, you can find your books and resources online as well.

The old proverb “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” couldn’t be more applicable to managing your new dairy goat herd.

 

Learn About Milk Sale Law

Before you sell milk or milk products, you need to be aware of laws regulating those activities in your state and country as it may varies from state to states. You should be aware of the laws in your area as well as the potential risks associated with consuming unpasteurized dairy products.

As a beginner read about the key factors in successful  marketing goat milk products.

 

Learn About ALPHA S1 CASEIN Testing

Read about ALPHA S1 CASEIN Effects on cheese making

The a s1-casein is a protein polymorphism of goat milk, and is one found in all dairy goat breeds.

If you are interested in this testing for your does or buck you can approach ADGA.

 

Learn About Dairy Goats Lactation

Read about Compare dairy goats lactation

Lactation length and milk yield and composition for selected breeds of goats.

 

Understand and Determine which Goat Breeds Best Suit Your Goals

Read about breeds to consider and the basic descriptions of each dairy goat breed

Visit farms that raise the breed(s) of goats you are considering.

 

Conclusion

There’s a lot more to learn about keeping a dairy herd. However hopefully, this overview will help you be mentally prepared as you start your journey with dairy goats.

 

 

Goat cheese is well-known for its distinctive flavor, thanks to the larger proportion of three classes of medium chain fatty acids present in the milk.

 

If you are new to cheese making or if you have ever wanted to learn how to make goat cheese, you have come to the right place. It is unbelievably easy to make, not to mention inexpensive compared to the cost of a store-bought portion.  Seriously, it is about half the cost.

 

There are many different types of goat cheese, each with its own unique flavor and texture.

 

There are a few different types of cheese that are easy for beginners:

 

Soft cheeses – fresh, unripened soft cheese is a good place to start for beginners, because it involves the basic processes of cheesemaking without pressing and aging.

 

• Chevre
• Chhana
• Traditional Ricotta
• Cottage Cheese
• Cream Cheese 
• Quark Cheese
• Lactic Goat Cheese
• Labneh
• Kefir Cheese

 

Acid cheeses –  Acid cheeses are another good episode to start for beginners. The recipes require only a few basic ingredients. These cheeses are made by combining heated milk with an acid, like vinegar or lemon juice to help the milk coagulate.

 

• Vinegar Cheese
• Paneer
• Modern Ricotta
• Fried Cheese Sticks

 

Hard cheeses – If you are looking to create a homemade cheese with a little tang, or if you are feeling very adventurous and want to jump right into making hard cheeses, here are a few good ones that are easier and will give you a feel for the basics of hard cheesemaking.

 

• Goat Velveeta
• Saint Maure
• Mozzarella
• Halloumi
• Feta
• Provolone
• Queso Fresco

 

Ready to learn more related homemade goat cheese recipes?

First and foremost, the ingredients and  effort required for these recipes vary a bit hence, take a peek at each to see which looks most feasible for you.

 

• Smoked Provolone
• Marinate Feta cheese
• Baked Chevre Spread
• Fried Chevre
• Goat Milk Butter

 

Summerhill Dairy, Goat Milk 32 Fl Oz

 

What does Queso Fresco means ?

 

Queso Fresco means Fresh Cheese and is semi-soft cheese. I prefer cheese with lots of flavor, and this Queso Fresco has many variations. Queso Fresco is of Latin American origin. It is lightly pressed and ready to eat in just a few days.

 

Correct temperatures are very important in cheese making, so ensure to use a good thermometer. The easiest way to control the temperature of the curds is to use a homemade double boiler. Place the cheese making pot into the canning kettle and place on the stove. Fill the canner with water up to the level of the milk in the cheese making pot. Then place a thermometer in the water of the canner as well as the milk. This way you can tell the temperature of the water, which in turn, helps you control the temperature of the milk and curds.

 

Ingredients:

 

• 2 gallons of unpasteurized goat milk

• 4 oz. mesophilic culture

• 1/4 tsp. calf lipase powder (mild “piccante”)

• 1/2 tsp. Liquid rennet dissolved in 1/4 Cup water

• 2 Tablespoons kosher salt .

 

 

 

 

Directions:

 

• Bring the milk to 86° and add the mesophilic culture and lipase. Stir well and let set, to ripen, for 1 hour. Add the rennet and stir briskly for 15 seconds. Cover the pot and let the milk set for 45 minutes, or until you get a clean break. Hold the milk at a temperature of 86° for the entire time.
• Cut the curds into 1/4″ pieces with a stainless steel knife. This always seem to be the trickiest part of cheese making, but take your time, and don’t worry if all the curds are not cut to exactly 1/4″. After you have cut the curds, do not stir them yet. Let them rest, undisturbed for 10 minutes
• Now, you can stir the curds and cut any that you had missed. If you stir the curds with a big wire whisk, this will cut any curds you missed automatically. Raise the temperature of the curds to 95° over the next 20 minutes, stirring occasionally so the curds do not stick together. Let the curds settle for 5 minutes, undisturbed.
• Drain the whey from the curds. You can conserve drained whey and use for whey based cheese making like Ricotta. Now, leave the curds in their cheese making pot that is placed inside the canner. Make sure the water in the canner is kept at 95° and this will allow you to hold the curds at a temperature of 95°. Hold the curds at 95° for 10 minutes, stirring with your hand occasionally so that the curds don’t stick together.
• After you have held the curds for at 95° for 10 minutes, stir in the salt. At this point in the cheese making you could spice up your cheese by adding some herbs, such as chives, or even minced jalapena peppers, if you’d like.
• Line a cheese mold with cheesecloth and add the curds. Press the cheese at 10 pounds for 10 minutes, remove it from the press, flip it over and place it back in the press. Continue pressing at 20 pounds for 1 hours and then raise the weight to 35 pounds for 6 hours.
• After it has pressed for six hours, remove the cheese from the mold and let it air dry on a rack overnight. The next day, put it in a ziploc bag or wrap it and refrigerate the cheese for several days before testing. Honestly, it is worth the wait. If you taste the cheese too soon, it may seem “rubbery”. Additionally, the flavor will develops during the short “aging” process.

 

The Queso Fresco cheese will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator. My previous experience proved that this cheese does not freeze well.

 

 

Additional Cheeses Recipes,  Click the link to view the details.

 

 

Related topic for you;

 

• Provolone Cheese