Our daily life has been completely changed with our new addition of Ruthie. Ruthie is a dairy goat that has been loaned to us for indefinite amount of time. She is on loan to us so that we might see if we really like the idea of having a goat. This is certainly a blessing!
At this point my knee is still not stable enough to hold me in such a position that I would be able to milk Ruthie, so Jeremy has done the honors of learning how to milk, and now milking her twice a day.
She is giving us 2 and sometimes almost 2 1/2 quarts of milk a day. That is a lot of milk for a family that has not drank milk for 2 years! We are enjoying it very much on our cereal in the morning, and the children find it to be the most delicious treat to drink from a glass.
We are pasteurizing it at this point, because we don't really understand the debate on raw milk. It is also possible that this goat has cae, because of some symptoms. So, we are staying on the safe side, but sad that we are missing out on the good bacteria of raw milk.
Tomorrow, I am hoping to get into town to purchase some cheese making supplies. I am going to start with a hard cheese, because I don't think we would eat any of the softer cheeses, although they look easier to do. I am also hoping to make many beauty supplies with the milk, such as soaps and bath salts.
I love seeing Jeremy getting ready to go out and milk Ruthie, and then coming in with the milk. He loves this! I do believe that we have found the next addition to our farm. Goats!!
