A few weeks back my sheep tending neighbor and I were letting our children play around her farm. We started talking about the merits of raising goats versus sheep. Now that the wee one is getting older, the thought of adding in some animals to our property is seeming more possible. Still a far off hope, but still much more do-able, at least in my mind. Sensing my interest, Cindy asked if maybe I wouldn’t want to share in her East Friesian sheep-keeping by learning how to milk them. Sign us up!, I said and a few mornings later my middle son and I were riding our bikes down the street to learn how to milk sheep.
An enjoyable hour later, we rode back down the street with a gallon of sheep’s milk and a bit of chevre culture and rennant. Fresh sheep milk, if you are as curious as I was, tastes quite similar to cows milk. We all enjoyed the taste. It quickly however, thanks to this recipe, became fresh chévre. Delicious! What an incredible experience, and hopefully not our last.
Oh what fun that must have been. You have such interesting experiences. Thanks for sharing!
That sounds amazing! I am actually looking into dairy goats myself and am curious how the conversation went on reading goats versus sheep…I hadn’t considered milking sheep but it sounds great also.
I meant raising.
We have an east friesian cross here at the farm and we bought her specifically to make cheese from her milk this spring. The only thing is her teats are quite small compared to the goats we milk – so it will be tricky hand milking I think!
What a great experience for you and your son.
How amazing!! I hope that you get to do it again and enjoy making and eating the cheeses! xx
This sounds like a very fun day 🙂 I’ve always been curious about sheep’s milk + the taste. Glad to hear it was a pleasant experience!