Feast or Famine.

Right about now, I find myself feasting – eh, OvEr-FlOwIng – with my fresh goat’s milk. A dairy goat produces an average of 6 – 8 pounds (that’s  3 – 4 quarts) of wholesome milk per day…and I have two milking goats! Schaherezade’s twin bucklings have found a new home and moved on to greener pastures. Nelly’s doelings are eight weeks old TODAY, but, are still being bottle-fed. They enjoy three-18 ounce bottles of milk per day (in addition to a grain ration and all the hay/forage they can eat). The rest of my goat’s milk is ALL mine!

I’m often asked, what do you do with all that goat’s milk…besides make soap? Well, you CAN substitute goat’s milk for cow’s milk in just about every recipe. Of course, we drink it, make cheese, yogurt, ice cream…and Cajeta. While the government forbids the SALE of milk unless you’re a licensed Grade A Dairy, I provide most of my family with milk – if they come and get it. The exception is my mom – to whom I deliver!

Many folks with goats also raise beef and/or pork. They are fed surplus goat’s milk which results in exceptionally sweet and tender meat! Often, if offered, a doe may drink back her fresh milk – which is an excellent feed supplement for her! 

Katie has been working on a 4-H ‘cheese’ project for our local Armada Fair. We researched recipes using our goat’s milk ricotta and tested a recipe for Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes this past Sunday.

Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes                         (Makes eight pancakes.)

1 cup goat’s milk ricotta cheese
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
pinch salt
3/4 cup milk
3 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

(Fresh blueberries or seasonal fruit).

Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Combine ricotta, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla in a separate bowl.

Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer until stiff. Add the dry ingredients to the ricotta and milk mixture, stirring gently until just combined. Whisk in a small amount of the egg whites to lighten the batter, then fold in the remaining whites. Add blueberries.

Heat a griddle over medium-high heat, and brush the surface with butter. Use a ladle or measuring scoop (we used a 1/3 cup measure) to pour the batter onto the griddle. Cook pancakes for about 3 or 4 minutes, then flip, cooking until both sides are golden brown. Serve with syrup or fresh fruit.

Of course, there’s many derivations…so, modify the recipe to suit your family’s fav’s! YUM!

I also want to mention to my fellow Michigander farmsteads that we can now make ~~~ in our own kitchen for sale without a license ~~~ certain non-potentially hazardous food, that is, “baked goods, jams, jellies, candy, snack food, cereal, granola, dry mixes, vinegar, and dried herbs per House Bill 5837 which states:  

2010 House Bill 5837 (Exempt certain “cottage food operations” from licensure) 

• Introduced by Rep. Pam Byrnes (D) on February 17, 2010, to exempt a “cottage food operation,” defined as a person who annually produces or packages less than $15,000 worth of “non-potentially hazardous food” in a kitchen of that person’s primary domestic residence, from the licensure and regulation mandates that apply to regular commercial food producers. “Non-potentially hazardous food” would be defined as “baked goods, jams, jellies, candy, snack food, cereal, granola, dry mixes, vinegar, and dried herbs. It would not include home-canned low-acid or acidified vegetables, home-canned salsa, or home-canned food; food service items; ready-to-eat meals, meat, sandwiches, cheese, or custard pies; garlic in oil; food that requires temperature control for safety; and bottled water, home-produced ice products, and other beverages and products”.

Read more at http://www.michiganvotes.org/2010-HB-5837

Happy day!