We (or should I say, Shelly) are milking three Nubian goats. Originally, we had planned on putting together a homemade milker (which we still plan to finish assembling at some point). But, after receiving advice over the last year or two from at least two or three other people that have milked goats on a small scale, we decided to milk by hand. It seems the general recommendation out there is that if you have more than 4-6 goats to milk then you will want to consider the purchase of some milking equipment. If you have less than that, it may be less time consuming to milk by hand when considering the time it takes to clean all of the milking equipment parts and tubes.
So, we discovered this quick tip. Purchase stainless steel tea infusers (like these ones) and separate them into two half-spheres, or cups. These cups act like a strainer or filter. Find some half gallon mason jars (here is an Amazon link for reference, but generally these can be found for half that price at a local store). Place one half of the tea infuser onto the top of the mason jar and use the mason jar lid ring and screw it on to hold down the tea infuser.
Put this jar under your goat in place of the milking bucket and milk straight into the jar. You will be left with filtered raw milk, all in one step! Once you get in the house, unscrew the ring and toss the "filter" and ring into the dishwasher or sink. Put a clean ring and lid on the jar and place the jar in the fridge! Easy, right? No need to constantly purchase disposable cheese cloth or other filters. This is a great sustainable solution, after all, that is part of the reason we have and milk goats, right? Sustainability..
So, what to do with all of that milk? Here are two uses that have come in pretty handy, first off, homemade yogurt!
Quick Homemade Yogurt
Pour a half gallon of milk into a pot.
Heat to at least 162 degrees F (no more than 180 deg F) to kill off any bacteria in the milk that could interfere with the yogurt cultures.
Once to temp, turn off heat, set aside to cool to around 110-120 degrees F.
Once the temperature is in the 110-120 deg F range, grab two 1-quart mason jars.
Scoop two to three tablespoons of the plain yogurt of your choice (must have live and active cultures) into one of the jars. We used some plain Greek yogurt as our starter.
Pour a little of the warm milk into the jar.
Mix well, then pour this starter mixture back into the pot of warm milk.
Stir well again, then pour evenly into two 1-quart jars.
Seal with lid and ring (band).
Find a cooler and two hand towels.
Place the two jars in the cooler and wrap tightly with towels.
Let the cooler sit at room temperature for 8-12 hours (overnight works best for me and my schedule). After the wait, you will have yourself a half gallon of some of your own creamy yogurt! Store in the fridge after this point and use it as you would any other yogurt!
Overnight Oats
Need some ideas to use up that yogurt (and milk)? Recently we discovered overnight oats! Game-changer! So easy to put together and saves yourself so much time during a rushed and hectic morning! Prep in the evening, ready in the morning, no cooking involved. It tastes great and is much healthy, cheaper, and satisfying than shopping in the cereal isle at your local grocer.
-Jeremy
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