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Welcome to Blue House Farm
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2009 babies
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We are a
family in North Hero We are
also able to share eggs, poultry, (including heritage turkeys for the
holidays), and occasionally a bit of garden produce. In
addition to our three saanen does, we have a growing herd of fullblood and
percentage boer goats. We were
thrilled in early April 2009 with the arrival of 8 goat kids all sired by our
handsome red fullblood buck Cherokee.
Later this
year we will have goat meat (cabrito, chevon) to enjoy. |
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Being new
to a homesteading lifestyle, we decided to raise goats for dairy and meat
because we learned through a lot of research that pound-for-pound, goats are
the most efficient livestock animal for converting grass/forage to food. They
are also fairly easy to keep. (We hope!) Below are
some links to websites where we have learned a lot about goat milk and raw
milk. We are drinking our girls’ milk every day, and making cheese, yogurt,
butter, buttermilk and kefir. Truth be told, we were a little nervous at
first that milk from our goats would not taste as “clean” as store-bought
milk that we have been buying and enjoying for years. But we have found
(happily) that our fresh goat milk tastes delicious! It is not appreciably
different from grocery store milk: only fresher and richer. Because
ours is fresh un-pasteurized milk,
it is a LIVING FOOD. A similar
comparison would be that of a raw apple to applesauce. The living food is replete with all its
original vitamins and minerals, plus enzymes, pre- and probiotic we need for a healthy and efficient
digestive system. As such, it will be
tasty and good for us for a very long time.
Compared to the cooked food (pasteurized), all of the beneficial
living components have been cooked and killed. Some vitamins and minerals are still there
(though in diminished quantities, and altered by heat), but the food, having
lost its beneficial enzymes and bacteria, begins to decompose immediately
after pasteurizing. Refrigeration
slows this process down. But more
importantly, the loss of those enzymes and probiotics and heat alteration of
the natural proteins and sugars makes the milk less nourishing to our bodies,
and slightly toxic for some people. If you
would like to sample our milk, please stop by and have a taste! For some
excellent reading about raw milk and nutrition, please check out the links
below. |
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Info about Raw Milk and Raw Goat Milk in particular from Fias Co Farm. Goat Milk Nutritional Information |
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Of course, we are happy to offer you milk by the quart. If you are vacationing in the Champlain Islands, this may be an ideal time for you to try a new aspect of country living. We offer quarts of milk for $2.00. If you use our glass containers, we ask for a deposit of $1.00 per container. If you
live here or visit here often and would like to enjoy our abundance on a
regular basis, we are offering seasonal goat milk shares. Shares are
available for 1- or 2- gallons per week for 16 weeks, June-Sept.
A 1-gallon share is
$80. (That is $5.00 per gallon!!) We plan to
be certified by the Vermont Dept of Ag to deliver our Certified Farm Fresh
Milk. When we are able to do this, we
will ask a small fee for bringing milk to you in our neighboring
counties. Please inquire about this!! For Fall
and Winter months, our milk is available on a more limited basis. However, with the addition of Susannah to
our dairy herd, we plan to have more available in 2009-2010. Stay tuned. |
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Cheese and Yogurt
If you would like to try making cheese or yogurt, we can help. We have several types of cheese and yogurt
cultures, and veal rennet on hand for you to try, and lots of resources to
help you get started. Come by for a
taste of what we have made and you can make some too!
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Eggs
After a long winter of waiting, our egg production is about to
come back full swing. We have 5 adult
hens laying for us now, at the beginning of June. · In about 3 weeks we
will have another 12 hens laying. · 8 weeks after that,
another 12... · 8 weeks after that,
another 12… èèèèèWhat that means is
that we are about to be buried in eggs.
Our eggs are fertile
and ungraded.. Fertile means that in general
a rooster has been living with the hens and the eggs are fertilized. In general our eggs are light brown to brown, large to extra
large. Although occasionally they are extremely
large. Speaking of large, we also
have some turkey eggs to eat.
Heritage
Again this year we will be offering a few free range heritage
turkeys for the holidays. Stay tuned
for details. Chicks and Hatching Eggs
Our (Suzanne’s) unbridled enthusiasm for chickens has resulted
in too many eggs (see above) and a nice variety of colorful and productive
poultry breeds. In our henhouse you
will find Delawares (ALBC critical),
Buff Orpingtion (recovering),
Black Australorp (recovering), NH Red (watch),
Americauna, Blue and Black Jersey Giant (watch), Buff Brahma (watch),
Silver-laced, Golden-laced , and Blue-laced Red Wyandotte (recovering), and
Dark Cornish (watch). I think that’s
all. If you are interested in raising your own flock for eggs or
meat or both, let’s talk!! I can provide you with chicks or hatching
eggs. Just say the word. |
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About our website It is bare bones today!! Keep coming back; we will be improving and filling in as time permits. Thanks for visiting!! Website hosted by Khimaira |
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