Since I am the non-official "cheese girl" to my family and friends, I get asked a lot of questions about goats, cheese, and things of the sort. In recent days, I have been asked a lot why we have few to zilch goat's milk cheeses available at the dairy now. The answer is simple... I will direct you to a news article I posted today on the Sweet Grass Dairy website. Jessica Little, co-owner of the dairy, and I wrote this up to share the knowledge with all of our fabulous customers. Enjoy...
Goat Cheese Limitations
January 14, 2010
We get a lot of questions from our customers about the availability of our goat cheeses. Before we are able to produce goat cheeses, there is a series of events that must first take place. We would like to share what goes on behind the scenes before production can begin.
Each summer, we bring in a few new male goats called bucks. These bucks mate with our 150 or so females in August, September and October, hence providing us with future Sweet Grass Dairy milkers. The gestation period for a goat is approximately five months. So between the end of January and March, we have precious little kids everywhere. Just before kidding season (November, December, and January), we give our goats a vacation from milking. This ensures that the animals will be happy, healthy, and well-rested before they start kidding out in winter. What this means for us, is no goat’s milk. And in turn, meaning no goat cheese production for the three or so months we are not milking. We believe in following the natural cycles of the goats and not manipulating their lactation by use of hormones or lights.
Luckily, when it comes to our aged goat’s milk cheeses, we normally do have a supply of these when we’re out of our younger, softer varieties. The milk that was taken from the goats during their peak production in the summer months has been made into cheese that has been aging in our coolers, making our harder, aged varieties ready when the winter months are in full swing. Some of these cheeses include the Holly Springs, Kelle's Blue, and the mixed-milk cheese Hopeful Tomme.
So you see, our cycle of events proves to be beneficial to our animals but at the same time frustrating to those of us who could eat Fresh Chevre, Georgia Pecan Chevre, Lumiere, and so on… all year long! Each spring gives us something to look forward to—fresh and delicious soft goat’s milk cheeses! And of course, we don’t mind watching the baby goats frolicking and bouncing around the dairy grounds as well.
When spring rolls around and Sweet Grass Dairy is full of new life, we would love to welcome you to share with us the joy that the babies and seasonal cheeses bring. We greatly appreciate your interest in our farm and our practices, and hope you get a chance to visit us at the farm and our Marketplace soon!
January 14, 2010
We get a lot of questions from our customers about the availability of our goat cheeses. Before we are able to produce goat cheeses, there is a series of events that must first take place. We would like to share what goes on behind the scenes before production can begin.
Each summer, we bring in a few new male goats called bucks. These bucks mate with our 150 or so females in August, September and October, hence providing us with future Sweet Grass Dairy milkers. The gestation period for a goat is approximately five months. So between the end of January and March, we have precious little kids everywhere. Just before kidding season (November, December, and January), we give our goats a vacation from milking. This ensures that the animals will be happy, healthy, and well-rested before they start kidding out in winter. What this means for us, is no goat’s milk. And in turn, meaning no goat cheese production for the three or so months we are not milking. We believe in following the natural cycles of the goats and not manipulating their lactation by use of hormones or lights.
Luckily, when it comes to our aged goat’s milk cheeses, we normally do have a supply of these when we’re out of our younger, softer varieties. The milk that was taken from the goats during their peak production in the summer months has been made into cheese that has been aging in our coolers, making our harder, aged varieties ready when the winter months are in full swing. Some of these cheeses include the Holly Springs, Kelle's Blue, and the mixed-milk cheese Hopeful Tomme.
So you see, our cycle of events proves to be beneficial to our animals but at the same time frustrating to those of us who could eat Fresh Chevre, Georgia Pecan Chevre, Lumiere, and so on… all year long! Each spring gives us something to look forward to—fresh and delicious soft goat’s milk cheeses! And of course, we don’t mind watching the baby goats frolicking and bouncing around the dairy grounds as well.
When spring rolls around and Sweet Grass Dairy is full of new life, we would love to welcome you to share with us the joy that the babies and seasonal cheeses bring. We greatly appreciate your interest in our farm and our practices, and hope you get a chance to visit us at the farm and our Marketplace soon!
