This talk was presented at the Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs, PA, on Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012. It covers information you need to know to get started producing your own dairy products, whether you have cows, goats, or sheep.

1. The Natural Home Dairy
How to raise dairy animals
and make dairy products for your family
. . . naturally!

2. Who am I?
Moved to the country in 2002
Currently milk 12 to 18 goats year round
Almost all Nigerian dwarf
Have milked la manchas and minis
Produce 100% of our own cheese,
buttermilk, and yogurt
Have also milked our cows and sheep

3. Why do people do this?
 Health
 Safety
 Ethics
 Quality & taste
 Variety
 It’s fun!

4. Why am I talking about this?
 I wish I would not have had to learn
everything through trial and error
 Commercial dairies take babies
away from their mothers at birth
and feed them with a bottle or
bucket so the dairy can have all of
the milk
 Misconception that cows, goats,
and sheep must be bottle-fed to be
friendly enough to milk as adults

5. Advantages of dam raising
 Kids know they’re kids (or calves or
lambs)
 Have animal instincts
 Not overly friendly
 Respect fences more
 Babies keep up milk supply while you
learn to milk
 More milk
 Less risk of mastitis
 Antibodies in mother’s milk make
healthier babies
 Provides more flexibility for humans

6. Getting started
You need a goat, sheep, or
cow – or two or three
Choosing which species
Size
Milk
Quantity
Taste

7. Buying a dairy animal
 You get what you pay for
 Buy from a milking herd
 Udder pictures
 Milk records
 Test for diseases before purchase
 At least one of you should have
some experience milking
 Great idea to milk an animal that is
nursing a baby if you’re new to
milking

8. Working with milkers
Mammals make milk for their
babies
Separate moms and babies
overnight
An extremely good milker may
make more milk than her babies
can consume, but not usually
No hard rules about when to
start or how often to milk
Watch the baby (or babies)

9. Equipment for cheese
making
 Mozzarella
 1-gallon pot and spoon
 Queso blanco or feta
 Cheese cloth
 Chevre
 Molds (optional)
 Mold-ripened cheeses (brie)
 Molds
 Aged cheese (cheddar, gouda, parmesan)
 Press with pressure gauge
 Cave (place to age)

10. Ingredients for cheese
Milk
Something to ripen cheese
Acid (vinegar or citric acid)
Culture (mesophilic or thermophilic)
Rennet
Mold (white, blue, red)

11. Queso blanco or ricotta
 1 gallon milk
 ¼ cup vinegar
 Heat milk to 180 degrees
 Add vinegar
 Drain hot for queso blanco
 Drain room temperature for ricotta

12. Making soap -- equipment

13. Making soap -- ingredients
 Oil  Optional:
 Frozen milk
 Lye
 Essential oils
 Fragrance oils
 Herbs and botanicals
 Clay
 Pumice or egg shells

14. Making soap – step by step
 Melt oils or heat to 110 to 120 degrees F.
 Add lye to frozen milk.

15. Making soap – step by step
Add lye mixture to oils.
Both should be less
than 120 degrees.

16. Making soap – step by step
 Blend.
 Pour into mold
at “trace.”
 Cover.
 Insulate?

17. Making soap – step by step
Let soap sit for 24 hours to saponify.
Slice.
Place on a wire rack for three or four
weeks before using.

18. Castile soap recipe
24 ounces olive oil
8 ounces palm oil
8 ounces coconut oil
4 ounces sweet almond oil
13 ounces milk (frozen)
6 ounces lye
2 ounces essential oil (optional)
Makes twelve 5-ounce bars of soap

19. Resources
 www.homegrownandhandmadethebook.com
 http://nigeriandwarfgoats.ning.com
 Facebook.com/
homegrownandhandmade.com
 Homegrown and Handmade
 Supplies
 Cheesemaking.com
 Dairyconnection.com