Go{a}t milk?

While supplies of other commodities appear to be running thin, our fridge is currently at near capacity levels of goat milk. Capacity being a function of how many quart mason jars we have on hand and how many we can safely fit into the fridge around any leftovers. This is currently about 6 gallons and some change. Between the two girls, we're getting about 1 gallon a day. That's 7 gallons a week for those who are counting. Considering we only consume about 2 to 3 gallons a milk per week as a family, and there is a limit to how much you can give away to friends before they start to look at you funny, we might need to enter the cheese business.

Cheers, everyone.

A first taste. A pleasant surprise.

I've had goat milk before, and the results were regrettable. Think of a large vat of milk (like you are used to) add to it a few bales of hay, and then let it steep in the hot sun for several hours. Strain out the straw and pour out a glass and take a swig. Enough said, I did not like it. I had it over a bowl of cereal once, and I about couldn't get through the whole of it.

So from the begining, I've been riding along with Andrea on the goat thing. She can have her milk, and as long as there is a gool old red cap in the fridge for me everyone gets along just fine.

Yesterday, I get a really excited phone call from my wife excited about how good our goat's milk tastes. We had just gotten together all the equipment we needed to do it right and safe. She saves me some. I get home, dinner time roles around, and I muster up the variety of courage it takes to down something you know is going to be bad.

But it was good. In fact: it was really good. Take the red cap vitamin D milk that us Roberts kiddos are used to, make it a little creamier and a bit sweeter. Good, good stuff.

But don't worry. I know we'll be having some visitors in the near future. We'll make sure we have some cow-juice for you in the fridge.

Headaches for Breakfast

Child: "Mom, what's for breakfast?"
(crack! smash! [the sound of a head-butt])
Mom: "Not now. How about never?"
Child: "Aunty, can you spare me some leftovers?"
(bang! double-smash!)
Aunt: "No...I don't even like you"

Alas, the happy ending.

Our buckling goat, Bingham, was brought to a happy adopting home yesterday to a family that is going to bottle feed him. His mom, Kelly, nursed him for a few days, but then decided that brother, Boyd, could eat but that Bingham could not. Bingham's aunt, Kate, never really cared much for Bingham either. We had been keeping him nourished by putting Mom and Aunt on the milk stand and letting him take what he could get. Bingham's desperate attempts at eating were starting to disrupt nursing for everybody, because if Boyd or cousing, Hully, started nursing, Bingham played opportunist and caused Kelly and Kate to jump away.

We'll miss Bingham, because since he didn't get along well with either his mother or aunt, he was the most personable towards people. I think that the new arrangement will go well for everybody, though.