The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: katietop on June 25, 2011, 08:35:47 am

Title: Goats Milk
Post by: katietop on June 25, 2011, 08:35:47 am
Hello,
 I am just wondering if anyone can give me some general advice. I have two nanny goats that have kidded earlier this year and we have started to wean the kids from the nannies. We have started to milk the nannies in berween. I am planning to make some ice cream and soft goats cheese. Is it possible to and should I pasturise the goats milk before I use it? Also how long will the unpasturised goats milk keep for in the fridge?

Thank You. x :goat:
Title: Re: Goats Milk
Post by: Skirza on June 25, 2011, 10:07:25 am
I always use my milk raw. If you're making any kind of cheese with raw milk then you must be particularly careful with sterilising all the equipment and be careful to strain the milk thoroughly or your curd will go spongy and have to be thrown away. This is just my own personal taste, I am sure there are others on here who swear by pasteurising. Our milk would probably keep for around 4 days if it got the chance :D
Title: Re: Goats Milk
Post by: Crofter on June 25, 2011, 12:09:03 pm
We usually pasteurise the milk for making soft cheese as we find off flavourd develop quicker in the cheese if not. The milk for drinking though we use raw. It will keep 5 or 6 days if your fridge is cold enough. We've just invested in a "dairy" fridge to put in the larder. A second hand one off freecycle which holds our milk, cheese and yogurt, freeing up space in the house fridge which was getting seriously challenged! It is seldom opened and so stays so much colder.

Dave
Title: Re: Goats Milk
Post by: plumseverywhere on June 25, 2011, 01:48:37 pm
I used to pasteurise the milk for the fromage frais I made from our goats but I don't pasteurise what goes into the soap, that's raw.
Title: Re: Goats Milk
Post by: little blue on June 25, 2011, 04:04:00 pm
I pasturise for drinking  ... but if for cheese / yogurt / ice cream then I do it immediately before, IE heat it up, let it cool to the correct temperature for adding the culture, then continue the processes.

It only lasts a couple days at the most here anyway, if there looks to be a fridge-full then I start making yogurt etc!
Title: Re: Goats Milk
Post by: ambriel on June 25, 2011, 07:43:00 pm

Am I right in thinking goats' milk can be frozen?
Title: Re: Goats Milk
Post by: little blue on June 25, 2011, 08:40:48 pm
yes.
though I've found it separates on de-frosting, so better for cooking than using as just milk
Title: Re: Goats Milk
Post by: jinglejoys on June 25, 2011, 09:08:43 pm
Goat keepers have been freezing the milk for years and for the cottager, pasturising is comparitively new.
To my mind goats milk should only be drunk cold in a wine glass...too good for anything else ;D
Title: Re: Goats Milk
Post by: Anke on June 25, 2011, 10:54:02 pm
I have so far NEVER pasteurised my goats milk, and make all sorts of cheeses (mainly soft and semi soft), no goaty taste ever! If the last bit of yoghurt gets left a bit long it will become quite sharp, but that's about it.

Having said that if you a) live in a bovine TB area and/or b) have very young children/older people or anyone with a "compromised" immune system around, I would pasteurise.

Other than scalding I do not specially sterilise my kitchen equipment either.
Title: Re: Goats Milk
Post by: Roxy on June 26, 2011, 12:42:20 am
I have drunk our goats milk unpasteurised for probably 35 years - until TB came all round us, and on the advice of the DEFRA vet, I reluctantly now pasteurise the milk.
 
I would say it should keep 4 days or maybe more, if its been got right, and cooled right :)
Title: Re: Goats Milk
Post by: katietop on July 02, 2011, 02:15:54 pm
Thank you very much for your advice, I have had acouple of attempts at making some lemon cheese and soft cheese - but it seems to be going wrong. I have folowed a recipe that i got in a booklet from a cheese making kit and have also watched some videos on you tube. The curds do not seem to coagulate enough - I am not sure where I am going wrong. ??? :goat:
Title: Re: Goats Milk
Post by: jaykay on July 02, 2011, 02:42:30 pm
I don't pasteurise either and make both soft and hard cheese successfully.

Hard to know what's going wrong without hearing your method. What sort of rennet are you using? I don't think the veggie stuff is as effective as the animal one so you need more. What temperature are you sitting the curds at? I do mine at about 22C, which in my kitchen is the countertop next to the Aga.

Tell us what you do and I'm sure someone will be able to help  :)
Title: Re: Goats Milk
Post by: jinglejoys on July 02, 2011, 07:46:33 pm
If they're using the receipe I know then there is no rennet needed that's the ploint of it you just use lemon or vinegar.SorryI have nno answer to your question as sometimes I have the same problem.I don't know if tts an  incorrect temperature or the time of kidding.
Title: Re: Goats Milk
Post by: katietop on July 03, 2011, 01:52:35 pm
Yes, I have been following a basic recipe using lemon juice or cider vinegar, I did manage to get one lot to split yesterday but it took an awful lot of cider vinegar and as a result the cheese was too vinegary, will keep trying, I am not beaten yet :) :goat:
Title: Re: Goats Milk
Post by: seldomseen on July 06, 2011, 02:42:07 pm
I always use my milk raw, get the temp to 28 deg (just above room temp)add the butter milk and choose your method of making it.
I have tried nettle, lemon and rennit but the other...... lemon and nettle take for ever or not at all for me so Rennet is my way.

(This is non-rennet method.)

This soft cheese can be made with vinegar, lime or lemon juice.
1 gallon of fresh strained goat milk
1/4 cup vinegar, or lime or lemon juice.
 stirring frequently heat milk to a simmer, which should be about 230?F. Add vinegar, lime or lemon juice, and stir briefly. Wait 10 minutes and strain through a cheesecloth-lined colander, or hang to drip until its the texture you want.
Again I dont get the milk to that sort of temp as to me its using gas when you could make it using the heat from the sun lol, if you do it at 9 in the morning the sun over here is not too hot so we are lucky lol