Goat milk is naturally homogenized so the cream does not rise to the top like it does with fresh cow milk. If I want to get some cream out of my goat milk, I have to let the milk set in the fridge, undisturbed, for four or more days. Some of the cream will rise to the top, but it's usually only a couple of tablespoons worth per half gallon jar. I'll skim that little bit off the top & put it into a container in the freezer for using in recipes like Creamed Lambs Quarters. At one point I had eventually accumulated enough to make butter, but it didn't turn out. Not sure why, all I know is that I wasted a bunch of cream.
Technically, there is a mechanical device called a cream separator which would allow my milk to be relieved of it's cream, but there's no way I could justify spending upwards of $300 on a contraption like that. Even at today's high butter prices, I would have to make one hundred pounds of butter to get our money out of it. Not only that, but cleaning it is a huge pain in the behind. I know this because we did have a manual cream separator years ago; I could never get it to work properly and everything had to be taken apart and cleaned after each use. Which would be ok except there were like a million pieces to clean....and put back together each time.
So even though Paul has mentioned the possibility of getting a family milk cow one day (yes dear, you did say that), I am still without the means to acquire any significant amount of cream from my current dairy animals. Whenever Julie over at Mooberry Farm posts pictures of Matilda, I break out in hives with envy.
I want so desperately make sour cream, cream cheese and butter and ice cream.
Well, I think I may the answer to two of the above problems; Yogurt!
 |
| Yogurt cream cheese spread on homemade toast. |
I did the same thing with a very tart batch of yogurt, but instead of adding stevia, I added a drop of lemon juice. Pseudo-sour cream!
 |
| Goat cheese, beef and onion stuffed Enchilada topped with more goat cheese (hey, we got a lot of cheese around here) and a couple hearty dollops of my pseudo sour cream! |
Another two items to scratch off my grocery list!
Funny, I saw an old cream chrun at a junk store today for $25.00, I think. Not too many parts. Have you tried eBay for an old, simple one? Or a food processor?
ReplyDeleteGood for you, Carolyn.... I think your goodies look fantastic. We haven't had supper yet and boy does that enchilada look yummy!
ReplyDeleteI *do* feel rather spoiled to have Matilda and the goats. :)
I had no idea about the differences from getting the cream from cow's milk, always learning something from you! The other goodies looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteI have *pondered* a cream separator myself but always balked at the price. After your description of cleaning the silly thing, I think I'll pass altogether! :)
ReplyDeleteI would like to make sour cream though and I really like your pseudo sour cream idea! Thanks!!
I don't much cream with my Willow either. I know she withholds it because once for some reason she totally let down I got almost a quart of cream from one milking.....that was a first and a last.
ReplyDeleteI guess I will wait until my Jersey heifer gets bred and calves....over a year from now. That's called counting your chickens......etc.