May 18, 2011

Homestead Whipped Cream (From Goats!)


I never dreamed I'd have whipped cream from our goats milk. But I did, and we had just enough for our first picking of strawberries. Can you say "Strawberry Shortcake"?

You may recall that originally, Surprise's twins would only nurse from one side. I milked out the other side and it was from that milk that I got our first cream. I discovered that while there wasn't a lot, it separated easily, and was thick, almost solid. In fact, I was able to scoop it off with a slotted spoon. I saved it up until I had enough to whip, which it did beautifully.

The second thing I had to try, was my ...


Strawberry No-bake Yogurt Cheesecake

      2 cups homemade yogurt cheese
      1 cup cream, whipped stiff
      3/4 cup sugar
      1/2 to 2/3 cup fresh strawberries, slightly mashed

Blend yogurt cheese, sugar and mashed strawberries. Fold in whipped cream. Scoop into graham cracker crust and refrigerate.

This particular cheesecake turned out a bit soft because I didn't let the yogurt cheese drain long enough (can you say "impatient"?) That didn't make it any less tasty though.

Now the twins are old enough to be separated from their mother for the night. I get the morning milking, and they get the rest. I don't empty Surprise completely, I leave some for them. The richest part of the milk comes at the end of the milking, which means the twins get it, which of course is okay. We will continue this routine until they are about 2 months old. At that time their rumens will be developed enough to digest a solid diet of grass, hay, and browse.  We'll see what happens with the cream then. Maybe I should try my hand at butter next(?)

27 comments:

Michelle said...

WooHOO! What a way to be self-sufficient! Looks DIVINE.

Geodyne said...

That's living well indeed!

Well done. :)

Woolly Bits said...

hm, that looks tempting! I had tried sheeps milk before - and hated it! so I was rather reluctant to try goats milk, when I visited a friend - and found it surprising that I didn't really taste a difference in cows milk at all! she uses it for all kitchen purposes and never buys normal milk, so we did custard, bechamel sauce etc. - without any difference! which proves that there are a lot of silly stories about foodstuff all over - I was always told that goats milk tastes like goats smell:))(though I didn't mind the goats smell either - only the buck was a bit more intense:))

BrokenRoadFarm said...

Wow! Those look absolutely scrumptious!! Is it ok to have strawberry shortcake for breakfast?! ;-)

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

Wow, can that shortcake ship ? ;)

Sherri B. said...

This is good to know, I never even thought about goats milk and the cream, very interesting.

Bootzey said...

does it taste like whipped cream?

Leigh said...

Michelle, and it was. Every bite. :)

Tara thanks! Having dairy products to work with really adds a welcome and wonderful dimension to the homestead diet.

Bettina, I think you're describing the common concept about goats milk. It's true that some goat milk isn't very tasty. That could be due to the breed, the goat's diet, or even the presence of a buck. His scent, even if not very strong, can effect the taste of the milk, making it distinctly "goaty." The breeds with the highest butterfat content (cream) usually have the tastiest milk. I read recently that the Toggenburg was developed for cheese making, hence the strong flavor of the milk is desirable for that.

I agree that there are a lot of silly stories about foodstuffs. I knew someone who refused to eat produce fresh from the garden, and another who preferred "store butter" to "cow butter." I think that's partly because people like what they're used to. It took awhile of eating homemade bread and real cheeses, before my family rejected things like a McDonald's hamburger because the bun and cheese tasted "yucky."

BRF, strawberry shortcake for breakfast? You bet! So much tastier and more nutritious than a sweet roll. :)

Jane, LOL. That would be nice.

Sherri, goats don't produce as much cream so its considered a hassle to get enough to do anything with. I just happened to notice how thick and how much one day when I was pouring some for my coffee. I scooped it off and after several days had enough to use. I'm not getting as much now, but it's something to consider for the future.

Serenity, if I served it to you and didn't tell you, you wouldn't know the difference. It tastes exactly like bovine whipped cream and a zillion percent better than coolwhip!

Alicia@ eco friendly homemaking said...

Wow I am so impressed!! It looks awesome and I bet it tasted great!!

DebbieB said...

Priceless! I'd love to try goat's milk, but of course there isn't any around here in my suburb. Maybe I could buy a can of goat's milk - they do sell it in the supermarket, I presume for children who are allergic to cow's milk. I'm betting it won't hold a candle to your fresh milk, but might give me an idea of how it tastes.

trump said...

I bet that cream would taste pretty good on a warm slice of shoo-fly-pie. Richard from Lebanon county's Amish settlement.

Laura said...

I understand that butter is pretty easy - put it in a jar and shake it while watching tv. Pretty soon it's butter...

Understand that I haven't tried this, but that's what a friend with goats (Nigerian Dwarfs) does.

I just had breakfast, but both of those dishes look like more!!

Sarah said...

this makes me very happy because I had recently read that its nearly impossible to get cream from goat milk as it doesn't seperate and there isnt' that much of it to begin with! I was dissappointed, but you have renewed my hopes of all the things I want to do with goat milk, if or rather when I get my goats! And....that was so not nice of you to post that picture of Strawberry Shortcake! Don't do that again! Its cruel. Made my breakfast suddenly seem so insufficient!

Leigh said...

Alicia, it was absolutely the best strawberry shortcake and cheesecake I've ever tasted. :)

Debbie, I've seen canned goats milk at the store too, but have been leery to try it. Canned cows milk doesn't taste very good, so I doubt canning helps goats milk!

Mmm Richard. What a great idea. Must try to make one of those.

Laura, I used to have one of those glass hand crank butter churns. I can't tell you how many times I've kicked myself for getting rid of it. Of course, even that is probably too big for goats cream. Then there was the time I bought organic whipping cream at the grocery store. I set my mixer on high and let it have at it. All of a sudden I had butter! Unfortunately I had already added sugar, so that limited it's uses, LOL.

Sarah, sorry about that! ;) Sadly, our strawberry season appears to be done for the year.

Breed is key for cream I think. Some breeds, like the Nubians and Nigerian Dwarfs (see Laura's comment above) have high butterfat contents and are the best possibilities. It may depend somewhat on the individual too, but I'm not really sure. I don't have a lot of experience with various Nubians. The real question will be whether or not I can get cream from the Kinders!

Mama Pea said...

Leigh - Your own whipped cream! Now there's a homestead milestone. Don't you just feel like you've invented the wheel or something as wonderful? Through hard work, planning and diligence, you have your own cream now!

Debbie, don't bother trying canned goat's milk. It will taste NOTHING like fresh. :o\

Kari said...

Oh wow, both of those look sooooo good! I was another one who had no idea that goat milk contained cream. Thanks for educating me!

* Crystal * said...

Wow! That looks great!!!

Thanks for posting this, can't wait to try it!

You just got yourself a new blog follower ;-)

-Crystal
http://noodlevilleadventures.blogspot.com

denise/deBRAT said...

what an exciting new taste adventure for you! i have problems with dairy products but someone once offered me a gallon of goats milk saying most people do not have difficulties with goat's milk. i have never had the opportunity present itself again so I never found out. but i'd have tried that lovely shortcake with cream as it looked heavenly and well worth the "problems" later on.

Tonya Gunn said...

I love the idea of using yogurt cheese for this sweet dessert. I just made yogurt cheese with garlic and chives from the garden.
When it is strawberry picking time, this will be perfect.
Warm wishes, Tonya

Eliza Tilton said...

I'm getting more jealous by the day! You're living the dream!

PS. I'm giving out blog awards and your on the list! Come by and see!

bspinner said...

Yummm!!! You're making hungry. Bet butter would be great.

Anonymous said...

Looks so good! Even my 10 yr old daughter was drooling over the picture of your cheesecake!

Leigh said...

Mama Pea, I never dreamed I'd actually have whipped cream from my goats milk! Something I'm absolutely delighted with.

Kari, I'm not sure one can get cream from all goats, but I could from Surprise. Different breeds produce different amounts of butterfats, and probably individuals do as well. This is definitely a trait to try to cultivate in my Kinders.

Crystal, welcome! I'm on my way to return the blog visit. :)

Denise, actually I have problems digesting dairy too, but so far so good. Goat milk helps some, but not others. I reckon it would be a try it and see kind of thing.

Tonya, garlic and chives sounds like a great flavor too. That would be perfect for crackers or sandwiches. Actually, I love a yogurt cheese and jelly sandwich. Sometimes with strawberry jam!

Eliza Faith, aw, no need for that. We still have a long way to go. ;)

Thank you for the award! I'm honored.

Barb, I'm hoping to find out one of these days! Cheese too.

Renee, it is so tasty. And such a good way to get some good food into us. :)

Robin said...

Yum, that looks yummy! Call me silly, but for some reason it didn't occur to me that you could make cream from goats milk. :)

Anonymous said...

Goats milk from a can is so yucky, i'd take myenberg goats milk in the dairy section first if i didn't have my own goats. You are not going to like the canned.

Anonymous said...

This post title is misleading. I came here for the recipe of how to make shipped cream with goat milk, not how to make strawberry dessert. Do you have a recipe for the making of the whipped cream?

Leigh said...

Anonymous, the post title says nothing about "how to," so why would you assume that? But yes, I do have a recipe for how to make whipped cream from goat cream! You'll find it in my little eBook, How To Get Cream from Goats' Milk: make your own butter, whipped cream ice cream & more.