This year I decided to become a blogger because my friends like to hear about my adventures. Once spring hit and I realized how much more work we had to do with baby animals, a new sheep herd, a pig, a larger garden, not to mention my mommy duties, my blogs have been few and far between. Now that my little one is in school all day with his brothers, I should have more time to write. Well, that is what I think at least. I still keep busy everyday even with the boys in school. It’s funny because when I used to have a career in marketing, way back when, I could remember some days dragged on and I watched the clock. Now that I am home doing what I love, I don’t have enough time in the day. I have so many projects before winter hits.
So all summer long, I have been milking my goat, Ginger. From a previous blog, you can read about how it was a rough start. She was not an easy milker. It turned out that she mellowed throughout the summer and it became a pleasure to milk her. Now that fall is here and we want to breed her again, I decided to dry her up. My two girls, Ginger and Nya, are going to visit an Amish farm down the road so we can have more babies and more milk adventures.
So I have tried my hand at yogurt and cheese, not always successfully. I seem to be the only one who really eats any of it. My family is set in their ways. I tried to go cold turkey and cut out cow’s milk and just drink goat’s milk, but I admit, at 40 years old, I am used to cow’s milk and it wasn’t an easy transition. My kids did OK but my husband said every time he drinks or eats anything from the goat milk, it tastes like the billy goat smelled. I think he is crazy.
I have tried my hand at soap and the first batch came out great, but the second batch came out different and I couldn’t get it out of the molds, it was too soft. I thought I made it the same but realized it was time to buy a better quality scale and thermometer. You really can’t be successful if your equipment isn’t good quality. So thinking of making candy in the past, I decided to put the mold into the freezer just long enough to get it hard enough to pop out of the molds and it worked great.
So my latest adventure was to try cajeta, a delicious caramel sauce. I hope that if I can perfect it, it will make the best gifts. My first try was so yummy until I refrigerated it. It totally crystallized on me. I think I may have stirred it too much or took it too far. When I first made it, I was dipping an apple in it and ate way more than I should have. I wanted the kids to try it but the texture grossed them out since it crystallized. So lots of internet research and I hope to try again. Any bloggers out there have this problem? I would love some feedback.
So I have a freezer full of milk that I need to do something with. Lots of soap, cajeta and cheese are in my near future. I need to start making room for piggy in the freezer. With all my milk, veggies and blueberries and if my husband gets a deer, we may be investing in a third freezer because they are getting full already. Hope you enjoy my journey into hobby farming. Please visit my Facebook page for more photographs.