The longest three months of my life

[PrettyPaisley]

I know I might not sing this song when the kidding begins but MAN I miss my fresh milk! I'm so tired of making milk from powder for recipes and not having any to drink! Even if I will spend hours each day milking, it will be worth it!

Here's to fresh milk soon!

["SPIKE"]

LOL Ohhh gosh, I feel your pain!!!!!

My first is due March 2nd and while I do not wish too many of my days away at this point in life, approximately March 16th can not get here quick enough!

Fresh Goat Milk..... Simple Pleasures in Life

SPIKE

[Sherry in Iowa]

I can't blame you guys. Lucille is still hanging in there for me, and I would be quite upset to have to switch back to store bought milk now. It sure doesn't take long to get spoiled..does it?

[Bret]

I have never tasted goats milk. I never liked the taste of powdered milk. How does chilled whole goats mild taste compared to say Deans Whole Milk. Would I know the difference in a blind taste test?

[Monica33]

I don't have goats but am interested in the reasons why, when you have multiple goats, that you WOULD NOT stagger breeding so that you always have your fresh milk?

[PrettyPaisley]

Unpasturized goat milk is sweeter to me than cow milk. It's not as thick, IMO-so you don't have the heavy cream issue. I prefer to drink goat milk and I use cow milk for other yummy stuff.

I didn't stagger breeding because I wanted a break. Also, this is the first full year we have lived on this much land and I have more goats than I need and didn't have enough time. I switched jobs from one that kept me out almost all day everyday to one where I don't go in until 5pm 4 nights a week. I just started that job and I'm so grateful for the hours so I will have lots more time to work our farmstead this year. It's a work in progress and I'm learning more as time goes by-though I will doubt I'll ever know enough !

[coso]

My wife and I were just having this discussion. We had a doe kid last Thursday, and one Friday. Trying to decide when to start saving milk. Our son doesn't like his choc-choc made with store bought milk as well and I am out of feta. Son has requested mozz when we get enough saved up. Guess I will save some tonight and try it out.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Who is Dean, and why is he giving milk?

["SPIKE"]

Originally Posted by Monica33

I don't have goats but am interested in the reasons why, when you have multiple goats, that you WOULD NOT stagger breeding so that you always have your fresh milk?

It is nice to take a break from something that must be done 2 times a day every day.
I do have 2 Nubian does. This year I was staggering my breeding so I would not have this problem, but the buck jumped the fence and I thought bred the second doe early. I never saw her come back into heat, but now I think that this breeding did not take. So it looks like I will have only one in milk this year. Unless manipulated, nubians are seasonal breeders around here, so I guess Annie will get a year off and I will try the staggering next year or try to milk Cecelia through if all goes well with her.

SPIKE

[Bret]

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

Who is Dean, and why is he giving milk?

I can't believe that I set myself up for this. It is usually the other way around. You are too sharp.

[CaliannG]

Originally Posted by Bret

Would I know the difference in a blind taste test?

You will know the difference in a blind taste test...you will ALWAYS know the difference.

Fresh, raw milk from a HEALTHY goat, if you are accustomed to drinking whole milk from the store, will taste a bit sweeter than the store-bought stuff at first. People that try my goat milk for the first time generally look at me in shock and say, "It tastes like MILK!"

Ummm, well, yeah...that is because it IS milk.

If it tastes nasty, or salty, it is NOT from a healthy goat. Healthy goats give milk that tastes like regular milk, but just a bit sweeter, if you are not used to it.

Ahhhh...but it doesn't work the same way the other way around. Once you are accustomed to goat milk, then one day you will be someplace or your goats will be dried up, and you will have, for whatever reason, a glass of homogenized cow milk from the store in front of you. You will take a big gulp, and then you will gasp...because it does NOT taste like milk anymore!

Then you realize that store-bought milk tastes like it is watered down, with a palate that is faintly reminiscent of industrial cleansers mixed with kennel sterilizers, and that even under all of that, it is *bland*, and you will say, "Bleechh! How can people DRINK this stuff?!?"

Your goats will be outside of the window, listening in, and they will nod to one another, whispering to themselves in muted bleats, "NOW we have him!"

["SPIKE"]

Originally Posted by CaliannG

You will know the difference in a blind taste test...you will ALWAYS know the difference.

Fresh, raw milk from a HEALTHY goat, if you are accustomed to drinking whole milk from the store, will taste a bit sweeter than the store-bought stuff at first. People that try my goat milk for the first time generally look at me in shock and say, "It tastes like MILK!"

Ummm, well, yeah...that is because it IS milk.

If it tastes nasty, or salty, it is NOT from a healthy goat. Healthy goats give milk that tastes like regular milk, but just a bit sweeter, if you are not used to it.

Ahhhh...but it doesn't work the same way the other way around. Once you are accustomed to goat milk, then one day you will be someplace or your goats will be dried up, and you will have, for whatever reason, a glass of homogenized cow milk from the store in front of you. You will take a big gulp, and then you will gasp...because it does NOT taste like milk anymore!

Then you realize that store-bought milk tastes like it is watered down, with a palate that is faintly reminiscent of industrial cleansers mixed with kennel sterilizers, and that even under all of that, it is *bland*, and you will say, "Bleechh! How can people DRINK this stuff?!?"

Your goats will be outside of the window, listening in, and they will nod to one another, whispering to themselves in muted bleats, "NOW we have him!"

BWAHAHAHAHAHA

That is so true. It is even funnier when someone that does not realize that and goes through it for the first time. Like my SO. Milk from the store becomes an awful thing!

SPIKE

[Gaby Rose]

We haven't had fresh goat milk for 5 months! I can't wait for April!

[Frosted Mini's]

Yeah. Goats milk has flavor, and grocery store cow milk is pretty much flavorless. The "flavor" in goats milk is not bad, it just "is". I don't feel like cow "milk" from the store is necessarily bad tasting, either, though, just different.