We milk our goats for our own consumption.  We do not sell it to anyone else.  We do not want to sell it to others mainly because of the red tape you would have to go through to obtain such a certification.  A good friend of mine has such a certification, and she has had to jump through hoops to get it.  She has a large herd of goats, which makes it feasible.  It is her sole source of income.  

My family on the other hand has three dairy goats, and only one in milk right now.  It just would not make sense to go to all the trouble for a license.   After researching raw milk, we made the decision to not pasteurize our milk.  But what about outbreaks of disease and illness?  We have never once gotten sick from consuming our raw goat milk. 

Have people in the past become ill from salmonella in milk?  Yes. Surprisingly in 1985, 14,000 people became ill and one died from salmonella in contaminated milk.  The catch is that it was from pasteurized milk, not raw (Nourishing Traditions 34). 

I am not going to argue further about our family’s choice to consume raw dairy products.  I don’t want to present all the information.  I don’t have enough time or space in this article to do it.  Do your own research.  Start with these books.  Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, The Untold Story of Milk by Ron Schmid, and/or The Raw Truth about Milk by William Douglas.  Online you can find great information, too.  The Bovine has an informative two part series on raw milk. 

In many states, raw milk is an illegal food.  It is illegal for human consumption.  So people are forced to drink “pet milk,” like in Florida and North Carolina.  In Texas, a certified “Grade A Raw for Retail” dairy would be breaking the law if it delivered raw milk to its customers.  An uncertified dairy could not sell any milk without breaking the law. 

This past April 20th, armed federal agents raided an Amish farm after a year long investigation by the FDA.  Why?  The Amish farmer was selling raw milk.  Does our government not have anything better to do?  Aren’t you glad that your tax dollars paid for this sting operation? 

I try hard to not get political in my articles.  I have not decided who I am going to vote for in 2012.  It is too early in the race and I am learning about the individuals running.  However, Ron Paul, a congressman from Texas, has introduced HR 1830 in response to this Amish raid to allow for the distribution of  raw milk for human consumption across state lines.  You can read his article, “How Much Freedom Do We Have If We Can’t Even Drink Unpasteurized Milk?“ 

Until HR 1830 becomes a law, raw milk producers need to be aware that unless properly certified you can find yourself in hot water.  Raw milk consumers need to know the laws as well.  The government is apparently cracking down on raw milk.

Honeybear is a little weary from the constant rain.

Since the drought during the spring and summer, it feels like it has not stopped raining this fall.  We have enjoyed weeks of rain.  The grass is all green, the ponds are filling up finally, and the mosquitoes are alive and unfortunately well.  Following my own advice for the latter, we are spraying Listerine like crazy.  If you don’t know what I am talking about, read “Anything Bugging You?”

We have two adult Nubian does.  Their names are Windy and Honeybear.  We did not name them; they came already adjusted to their names.  When we purchased them, we thought that they were both bred.  Both started swelling in their sides, but only Windy ever delivered any goats.  A few more weeks passed as we patiently waited for the birth of Honeybear’s kids, but none ever came.  It soon became apparent that she was not expecting.

Our philosophy on the farm is that animals must earn their keep.  They are not pets and we cannot afford to feed all these mouths for no reason.  I already have five children at home and one is a teenage boy; therefore, my husband and I have enough trouble feeding our own children.

We have been feeding Honeybear for too long now.  However, I finally arranged for her to go back to the prior owner’s place to be bred.  She will stay there for three weeks with a buck.  We are excited!

Windy was separated from her mother at birth and bottle-fed.  Therefore when she birthed triplets for us, she did not know how to mother her kids.  On the other hand, Honeybear was raised naturally beside her mother.  She mothered Windy’s kids for us.  We cannot wait to watch her mother her very own.  She is an excellent mother.

I will keep you up-to-date on Honeybear’s progress.  The gestation time for a goat is about 5 months.  So we should expect more kids in March.  It is common for goats to deliver twins or to have a single birth.  It is less common for them to have triplets.

We love raising our dairy goats.  We drink their raw milk daily.  We cook with it, drink it, and make great homemade ice cream.  In addition, I make goat milk soap.  We do not sell it to others.  However, we bought both Windy and Honeybear from Swede Farm in Waller, Texas.

Tim and Leeanne Carlson, the owners of Swede Farm, have Nubian and  La Mancha breeds.  I think they have expanded to an alpine breed, but I am not positive.  Swede Farm is a licensed goat milk dairy.  They sell pasteurized goat milk and other dairy products.  They sell their products at the local farmer’s markets.  They also sell dairy goats.  If anyone is interested in goat products or goats in general, they are a great source of information.

Wendy at the milk stand.

We have two Nubian does and only one in milk right now.  She gave birth about a month ago.  Just like humans, cows, and other mammals, goats need to give birth to have a milk supply.

Our goat, Wendy, is giving us about 3/4 of a gallon a day.  We have plenty to drink and even enough to make ice cream about once a week.  After we wean the kid, we will have enough to make yogurt, kefir, and/or cheese.

My husband built the milking stand.  It stands off the ground  so that the goat is at a comfortable height for us to milk.  Wendy jumps on it with ease.  The stand holds her head secure while she eats a small amount of grain.

My husband or children will spray her teats will a cleaning solution and gently massage her udder to aid in the letting-down process.  Then they begin milking.  They pinch off the top of the teat with their thumb and pointer finger.  Then they guide the milk out by working their other fingers down the teat.

After a few squirts, they check the bucket to make sure that the milk looks right.  It should look like, well, milk.  It should not be clumpy, smelly, or streaked with blood.  These are all signs of infection called mastitis.  Fortunately we have not had this problem with any of our goats so far.  Knock on wood!

Milking Wendy

Anyway, they keep milking both teats until the milk stops flowing.  Then Lane or our children give her a minute to relax while they massage her udder again.  Lane’s hand is so big that he gives just one more squeeze to completely empty her bag, but our children have to strip the teat.  This means that they hold the udder with one hand while they pinch off the top of the teat with the other.  Instead of working their fingers down the teat, they pull down with their thumb and pointer finger to get the last drops of milk.  Just like nursing mothers, goats need to eliminate all of their milk in order to continue to have a good milk supply.  Then they clean her teats again.

We are in the process of straining the milk.

After covering the stainless steel milk bucket with its lid and releasing Wendy from the milking stand, they bring the bucket to me.  We use half-gallon mason jars to store our milk.  We place a stainless steel strainer into the mouth of a jar.  We have to insert a straining disk into the strainer first.  As we slowly pour the milk into the strainer, the straining disk removes any dirt, hair, or anything else that is not supposed to be in milk.

A secret to great tasting milk is to cool the milk down as quickly as possible.  The best way to do this is to place the jar of milk into a bucket of ice water.  If we are in a hurry, we put the jar into the freezer for 10-15 minutes.  Regardless which method we use, the milk is then moved to the refrigerator.

It sounds time-consuming.  I know, I read many books about raising dairy animals.  With everything that I already do in life, I feared that having a home dairy would eat up too much of my time.  It does require a commitment as we choose to milk twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.  Optimally you would milk in 12 hour intervals.

Now that we have been dairying, we really enjoy it.  When everything is said and done, milking, putting up the milk, and cleaning all the milking supplies, it takes us 30-45 minutes a day total.  So if you have been considering milking your own goat or cow, go for it.  Don’t let the fear of not having a life scare you off.  Not only does our family get great-tasting and fresh milk, but we also get a life full of memories, experiences, and we learn self-sufficient life skills having our own dairy at home.

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

In the most interesting cookbook you will ever read, Sally Fallon answers these questions and much more.  Her book, Nourishing Traditions, is a must-read for anyone interested in nutrition and healthy living.  If you are looking for a repeat of what dietitians and health professionals say on talk shows, do not bother buying it.  On the other hand if you are confused about how one study thinks consuming high fructose corn syrup is the same as any other sweetener versus another study refuting this claim, you need this book.

This book is not politically correct.  It states on the cover, “The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats.”  Ms. Fallon sought to discover what people groups ate that allowed them to thrive, prevent dental problems, and other health-related problems.  She goes against what the average American has been told by their doctor, and it makes sense with all of her research as well as the research of the Weston A. Price Foundation.  This foundation is dedicated to bring back nutrient-dense foods into the American diet through education and supporting organic farming and locally farm-raised food.

In Nourishing Traditions, you will learn about the importance of lacto-fermentation, raw dairy products, grassfed meats, and soaking your grains.  This cookbook has hundreds of recipes from all over the world.  Korea, Cuba, Africa, the Middle East are just some examples.  It is the only cookbook that I have read from cover to cover.  She has quotes from medical journals and research, from literature, and other places to help illustrate the points she is making.  I learned so much about nutrition from this book.  I have found some great recipes, too.

In addition, my favorite sections in  Nourishing Traditions are on feeding babies, food allergies, milk and milk products, and a catalog of fresh vegetables.  The latter tells you how to prepare some vegetables you might have been too afraid to try.  My family loves her recipes for potato and leek soup, creamy mayonnaise dressing, kimchi, and chicken enchiladas with red sauce.

If you have spend anytime in the kitchen preparing food and are interested in not using pre-packaged, processed foods, then you need this book.  You can rediscover the art of cooking with nutrient-dense food.  For those of you living in the city and/or without means to raise your own garden, meat, or goats for milk, then this book also lists resources to help you find sources in your area.  After reading Nourishing Traditions, you won’t listen to the nutritionists on talk shows or news programs claiming that calories are calories and that it does not matter from where they come.  I highly recommend purchasing and/reading this cookbook.  It is great for the homesteader, those with food allergies, and those wanting to serve truly healthy meals to their family.