What to do with all that milk!

[frustratedearthmother]

Okay - ya'll talked me into it. What to do with all that milk?

I decided to go ahead and start this thread now because I have a new raw goat milk product to talk about. Clabber!

Wikipedia says:

Clabber is a food produced by allowing unpasteurized milk to turn sour at a specific humidity and temperature. Over time, the milk thickens or curdles into a yogurt-like substance with a strong, sour flavor.

In rural areas of the Southern United States, it was commonly eaten for breakfast with brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, or molasses added. Some people also eat it with fruit or black pepper and cream. Prior to the now-popular use of baking soda, clabber was used as a quick leavening agent in baking.[1] Due to its stability, clabbered milk has been popular in areas without access to steady refrigeration.[2]

I've got to admit that the thought of deliberately leaving milk out to sour doesn't seem to make sense on the surface, but clabber is good stuff. Just ask my dad! Years ago when I told him I had started milking goats he asked if I ever made clabber. I didn't even know what it was. He explained it to me and told me I had to get him some. And, I did, lol!

At my house clabber is usually produced when I forget to put away the product of the evenings milking which happened yesterday. I was searching high and low for lost baby goats and totally forgot to bring the milk in. Thankfully, I had capped the jars and it was nice and safe sitting in the milk room waiting for me this morning at 5:20am. I brought it in the house, strained it and poured it into a big pot and we will let it do it's thing.

It's good as a buttermilk substitute and can probably be used as a thin sour cream. I'm going to experiment with this batch. I've got some sour cream culture that I might stir in to a small portion of it and see what happens. I even saw a recipe for cottage cheese made from clabbered milk. I will definitely try this one. It'll be a couple days before I can experiment - but pictures if it turns out.

http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/02/cottage-cheese-made-from-sour-milk.html

Hope some other folks can come up with ideas for using all that milk that I haven't thought of.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I'm loving all the extra milk - and only mildly stressed that I've got so much! Think I'll try mozzarella tomorrow. Oh, and I made cottage cheese! So simple that I didn't even take pics. Let the milk set out overnight until it's kinda thick. Heat it up. One recipe said to go to 185 degrees another said 120. So, I warmed it to about 125-130. Turn the heat off and add a tablespoon of vinegar for 1/2 gallon of milk. Give it a couple minutes and then give it a stir to break up whatever curds are forming. Then I cover it and walk away. Come back in an hour or so and strain it. It's so good! I took some cream off the top of a couple other jars of milk and spooned it into the cottage cheese. OMG - it's so good and tastes so fresh.

Might try mozzarella tomorrow.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I made ice cream a couple times and it is deeeee lish!

Tonight I found another way to use the chevre. I took a log of it and sliced it into rounds - dusted em with four, dunked 'em in an egg wash and then pressed 'em into some flavored panko bread crumbs.....tossed those babies into a fryin' pan with a little olive oil and fried 'em up. Holy moly they were good dipped into some marinara sauce.

 

[samssimonsays]

I have a recipe for blue cheese but my stomach can not handle the idea. I don't actually like cheese.... yet I enjoy making it

I have made cheddar cheese, drunken goat cheese, mozzarella, feta, chevre, farmers (I do like the farmers with garlic and basil on crackers tho...!) I have over 34 recipes (different types of cheeses) and hubby made me a wonderful cheese press to help me try it. I will do Parm, manchego and a few others this year just building my stash for it. My coworkers LOVE IT.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Hmm no I don't care if people drink raw milk. I just don't. And yes it's primarily due to the resident 4 year old in my house! I do really hate the ultra pasteurized junk though, let's let something live huh?

Anyway, clabber sounds interesting. I can't say I've ever heard of it!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Had some of the garlic-rosemary chevre with slices of zucchini and some red pepper to smear it on. Light and tasty and yum!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Do you always use vegetable rennet?

It's all I've ever used. Not any kind of "statement" or anything, that's just what the first recipe I ever used called for so I've used it since then. I do use that site for my supplies only because I learned to make this from the Fiasco Farm website, and that's who they link to.

@baymule - it is so very simple to make and the pay off is absolutely delish! I'll try to remember to post a 'finished product' pic tomorrow. Or I might just eat it before I get the pic taken, lol!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Another batch of chevre is working....and...the Milk Liqueur is mixed up and hopefully starting its magic!! Just 10 days to go... Hope it works!

 

[Mini Horses]

So, today I began milking again. Yep, it has begun!!

See, I have 5 does in milk. Since they had kids nursing, big time, they have good production. 3 with twins, 2 with trips. I have used this to keep them producing while my own schedule calmed some. But, calm or not, yesterday was a good goat auction and I took 7 boys. ( 2 wouldn't/couldn't load with me alone and fighting others to stay IN the trailer. Had to leave.) Now, four of the five has one to nurse, fifth has twins to nurse....for a day or two. Separating the 2 bucklings tomorrow.

With that nice check in the bank, 7 head less to worry about, I let them out onto a fresh area of browse. They came back up to the barn area just stuffed & ready to chew cud. The boys had not been with them! One doe had not been nursed since daybreak. Let's just say -- she was READY to milk.

NONE of the 5 does has been milked before. Being the optimist I just put the collars on 3 without, got my equipment & a small fence panel. Led the first into the corner, hooked her to fence and had panel making triangle there. So full, I didn't offer feed.
She put up a little resistance for about a minute, until I squirted a little from each side & slid the cup on one side. That milk came pouring out. LOL She moved a tiny bit once. TADA!! Mini Nub, 1.5 QT. Let her out. Feeling really good -- I brought in one of the Saanens, Brat, and she was pretty much exactly the same. Another 1.5 qt and her doe had almost emptied one side already. Kids were nursing other 3 by then, so I let that be it for today.

NOW this thread needs more activity!!

I'll be moving the two boys tomorrow, then weaning the 4 doelings by end of week....soon as I get their shed re-arranged.
Then I will be in your shoes, FEM, with 5 does milking! We'll see how that goes as I might be overwhelmed. It may be that I leave doelings on for another week, separate at night only.
Then 4 can be 1X day...1 will be 2X.


HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY !! I LOVE GOAT MILK.

 

[Mini Horses]

That DOES sound good. I love cheese sticks like that. My DD & DgrD would even eat those I bet. You could probably use to stuff jalapenos....can prep & freeze for later.

FREE.

And those rascals are expensive in frozen food!

I'll get my mozzarella, ricotta & cheese logs all made up this Summer & Fall. I do not like to milk in freezing temps. So try to dry them off about Christmas. Jan & Feb can be pretty icy here. Wasn't this year but, normally our coldest time.

If this thread doesn't make you want a milk goat, nothing will.