Goat Milk

A huge part of being self-sufficient is producing your own milk from goats or cows. We have recently changed over to the cow, and I will post more on that later. Goats are relatively easy to keep and not as costly as a cow. I will post on the differences between goats and cows for milk in an upcoming post. I don't want to step on all my goat lover friends, but I have to say, I'm really enjoying the cows! While cow milk is more versatile, there's alot you can do with the goat milk. One thing is soft cheeses. Here's my recipe for an easy and delicious soft goat cheese:



16 c. raw milk
1/2 c. vinegar

Heat the milk in a stainless steel pot until bubbles form around the edges and it's steaming. Remove it from the heat and pour in the vinegar. Stir until curds appear, which will be very quick. Drain this in a strainer and let it sit for 10 minutes. Transfer the cheese into a container and refrigerate or freeze it. You can blend this if you want it creamy, such as using it for pasta dishes, or leave it in small curds and use as a dip. Experiment with adding things to it. The photo above is one I made for a spaghetti topping and on top of garlic bread. I added salt, garlic, and fresh basil. You can add pineapple with nuts, garlic with crushed red pepper, dill, minced marinated olives with garlic, etc. Have fun and enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Turkey Jerky

I meant to post this right after Thanksgiving, but alas! Here's what I do with extra turkey. I buy more than one turkey during the Thanksgiving season because they are so cheap. I cook one in the oven and just enjoy it. If it's too big for your family to eat two meals from it, use the leftovers for sandwiches or casseroles. With another turkey I cut the breast in nugget sizes and freeze this in pound sized containers or baggies and for future turkey nuggets (cooked just like chicken nuggets), and I freeze the dark meat for casseroles. Then with another turkey I make turkey jerky, which is the picture above. Here's the recipe:

(My measurements are general since I don't really measure - it'll come out just fine no matter what you do):

Cut strips of turkey meat into 1'4" strips (slightly frozen is easier to cut). Make enough of the juice to barely cover the top of the meat in your bowl. To make the juice, mix:

2 c. soy sauce or teriyaki sauce (if you use teriyaki sauce, add some salt)
1/2 c. salad oil
1 c. vinegar (you can also use 1/2 c. lemon juice instead)
1 c . water
2 t. liquid smoke
1 c. brown sugar or honey

Marinade for several hours then put in your dehydrator using the meat setting and as long as your machine tells you to. I always sprinkle each tray of meat with something different. Here's some ideas: garlic powder, pepper (red or Slap Yo Mama), ginger powder, onion powder and crushed red peppers.

Note: I use the Excalibur Dehydrator, which I love. Store the jerky in a breathable container to increase the shelf life.

Enjoy!