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TOPIC: [ncchoicesnews] Goat Husbandry & Cheesemaking Workshop‏

apcowboy

Founder of The Meat Cutter's Club

Status: Offline

Posts: 5562

Date: Jan 8, 2013

[ncchoicesnews] Goat Husbandry & Cheesemaking Workshop‏	Permalink

Prodigal Farm Workshops: Beginning Cheesemaking, and Basic Goat Husbandry We’ve often been asked, “Do you offer cheesemaking classes?” And many, many people express interest in learning more about goat care, something we view as a very important responsibility. We are now excited to offer two workshops to share our knowledge: a Basic Cheesemaking Workshop, and a Basic Goat Husbandry Workshop. We love to share our experiences and our farm, which is in Rougemont, in northern Durham County. This Beginning Cheesemaking Workshop – obviously with a focus on goat milk cheese styles – will be held on Sunday, January 20, 2013, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. This is the Sunday before Martin Luther King day; our hope is that this will fit well into many folks’ long weekend. We will also be offering a Basic Goat Husbandry Workshop, on March 30, 2013, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. We are one of two goat dairies in North Carolina which bear the Animal Welfare Approved third party certification. As of right now, we have 160 goats on our farm; we expect approximately 150 kids to be born on-farm this spring. We expect a handful will be born prior to the start of this workshop, which will enable us to cover a broader range of topics. Depending on the whim of our does, who do seem to have a sense of theater, perhaps we’ll see a live birth during the workshop. Each workshop is limited to 12 participants; if there is more demand, we will consider scheduling a second workshop. To register for the workshop, please email kat@prodigalfarm.com; payment is required at that time. You can also pay via paypal at www.prodigalfarm.com. Cost for each workshop is $110. Beginning Cheesemaking Workshop: While we’ll hold the class in our commercial dairy (and if the class as a whole is interested in spending a part of the time on learning more about that we can review some of the aspects that are distinct to the commercial dairy side), we will be teaching "stovetop" techniques for the home cheesemaker. We’ll have handouts for you to take home, but also bring a notebook. During the class, we’ll make chevre and feta, and maybe one other cheese, depending in timing and interest. We’ll cover foundational topics such as: · sanitation of utensils & equipment · Milk composition and sourcing · Pasteurization · basic equipment and supplies needs and sourcing · use of rennets & cultures for beginners, including a discussion of the basic scientific principles at work during cheesemaking · principles of molding, draining, and aging · troubleshooting Basic Goat Husbandry Workshop: We are entirely pasture-based. If it’s pouring rain that day, we’ll reschedule for the same day/time the following week. If it is just sprinkling, the show will go on. Bring a lunch – it’s a long day! We’ll have handouts for you to take home, but also bring a notebook. · assessing your goatkeeping goals · preparing for your goat: shelter, fencing, considering other animals · finding and selecting your goats · essential and handy equipment and where to find it or how to make it · nutritional requirements and supplements · vaccinations, parasite control, and discussion of common health issues · hoof trimming · assessing health and illness · finding a good veterinarian and when to consult · basic breeding and kidding · disbudding of horns and castration · milking __________________ Leon Wildberger Executive Director

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