For the Love of Dairy
Big news in the world of cheesemaking (did I lose you already?)!! Here in Austin we are lucky to be down the road from a nationally acclaimed artisinal dairy goat farm, Pure Luck Dairy. Each year, the farm opens its doors for a 3 day, intensive cheese-making workshop that takes particapants from pasture to milk parlor for the full caprine dairy experience. You better believe I’ve been waiting to sign up for one of these classes. After a long hiatus, Pure Luck recently announced its upcoming winter/spring workshops, and I’ve already secured a spot. When I explain the workshop, a few folks wrinkle their nose at the prospect of shelling out decent cash to experience goat milking, followed by milk sanitizing, followed by…well, you get the point. This isn’t for everyone. But for me it’s an exciting step and a real investment in the land.
Remember the land? It’s that big lump of dirt that we have to somehow make useful. It’s gotten a little lost in the excitement of Marta and the cabin but it’s still out there, costing money and growing more tangled by the day. Perhaps my contributions will emerge through goat handling/cheesemaking since my fence-mending and post-hole digging “skills” are just crap. Perhaps a few goats will lead to selling raw milk and fresh cheeses. It won’t pay all the bills, but it could bring a bit of spare change and make this girl very happy, to boot.