GOAT MILK?! OR AS WE SAY GOAT MELK?

Getting fresh raw goat milk for the first time is very excited but….what do you do with it next??? 

Well the options are endless… obviously you can use it for fresh milk (I actually prefer fresh goat milk over cow milk (esp. the milk from Nigerian Dwarf goats given that their high butterfat content in the milk makes it slightly sweet and delicious) Milk is also a key ingredient in many, many recipes. Here’s some to name a few: 

• Semi-soft cheese
• Hard cheeses
• Cheese curds
• Yogurt
• Cream (make your own 1/2 and 1/2)
• Butter
• Feed for animals (esp. if you’re bottle feeding on the farm)
• AND soap…

For first time cheese makers these are my top two recipes that I would recommend starting with. Farmers cheese is great because it’s instant satisfaction and there’s nothing like a fresh chèvre. 

Basic Cheese Supplies: *I put links below to my favorite items*

• Goat milk - Ask your Friendly Farmer : ) 
• NOTE: Any milk will work but if it’s pasteurized milk you’ll need to add calcium chloride) Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) pasteurized milk or cream will not make cheese. Some milk labels don’t actually state UHT but you will know as normally pasteurized milk expires within a week while UHT will last for several weeks. 
• Rennet (animal or vegetable - they both work equally in my opinion)
• Mesophilic cultures
• Cheese pot - Stainless steel is best (ideally with no rivets on the inside). Avoid aluminum, reactive metal, Teflon, etc. as they can cause adverse chemical reactions when cheesemaking. A 12-quart size is perfect as it holds 3 gallons of milk so you can easily use this same pot for hard cheeses as well (most recipes call for 2 gallons) 
• Butter muslin - has a tighter weave than cheesecloth and is used for making soft cheeses and lining molds when making hard cheeses. 
• A good quality dairy thermometer I personally like these ones so my hand doesn't get scorched trying to keep the thermometer in while cooking (esp. when making goat milk caramels) 
• Perforated Ladle - This is definitely a must have and probably my favorite tool for cheese making
• Goat cheese recipe resources (you can always ask your Friendly Farmer : ) but this is one of my favorite websites for cheese recipes: https://cheesemaking.com/collections/recipes

**IMPORTANT NOTES ON CLEANING & STERILIZING: All equipment should be put into your cheese pot and brought to a boil for 15 minutes prior to making your cheese. After cheese making, your cheesecloth (butter muslin), pots and equipment should be washed in cold water FIRST (warm/hot will cause the cheese to stick to the cloth). After cold washing, you can hand wash with warm water and boil the cloth in the same cheese pot. 

FARMER’S CHEESE

This cheese is firm with a mildly sweet flavor. It’s great as a crumble to use in eggs, salads, sauces, soups, etc. 

Ingredients: 

- 1 gallon whole milk

- 1/4 cup of vinegar (I like apple cider vinegar) or lemon juice

Directions: 

1. Heat milk to between 185-190 degrees. Stirring to prevent scorching the milk.
2. Slowly add vinegar (or lemon juice) once you reach temperature, until the curds start to separate form the whey (usually it only takes a 1/4 cup of vinegar but if you want to use less vinegar you can increase your milk temperature up to 200 degrees but avoid boiling milk. 
3. Ladle curds into a colander (lined with butter muslin) Tie the corners into a knot and hang the bag to drain for a few hours - try not to eat it all before it cools off ; ) 
4. My favorite way to eat this cheese is as a crumble on top of tomatoes with salt/garlic/chives or your favorite spices. 

CHEVRE

A soft, creamy goat cheese that can be used in place of cream cheese or ricotta

Ingredients: 

• 1 gallon goat milk
• 1 packet Mesophilic Direct Set Culture
• 2 drops liquid animal rennet (dissolved in 1/4 cup of cool water) 

Directions: 

1. Heat your milk to 75 degrees (please note that if you are using raw milk, this process will not pasteurize the milk). 
2. Remove milk from the heat and sprinkle the mesophilic culture to dissolve on the surface of the milk (approx. 2-3 minutes). Once dissolved, incorporate the starter culture into the milk by stirring gently. 
3. Add the rennet (mixed with water). Using a gentle up and down motion (do not stir) incorporate the rennet into the milk. 
4. Cover the pot (I use butter muslin) and allow the mixture to culture for 14-16 hours (room temperature is completely ok ~ ideally 70-72 degrees). I typically start this cheese in the morning, let it sit overnight and drain it the following morning. Entire process ~ 24 hours. 
5. After 14-16 hours, the cheese should look like a thick yogurt (solid form but if pan is tipped but relatively soft when cut through) - you should be able to see the whey separating from the cheese and it should be mostly clear. If you see gas bubbles (like swiss cheese) when you cut through your curds it’s possible that your cheese could have become contaminated.
6. Place butter muslin in a colander and gently spoon the chèvre into the center of the butter muslin. Gather the corners and tie knots to secure. 
7. Hang cheese to drain for 6-12 hours to reach desired consistency. No drainage will give you a thick yogurt, < 6 hours (perfect for a sour cream consistency), 8-10 hours (creamy, spreadable cheese), 12-14 hours - more classic goat cheese consistency (can be used as crumbles if not formed into a container or rolled into a log). 
8. Flavor chèvre with herbs if desired. 
9. Refrigerator for up to one week or you can freeze cheese for up to 1 year.