To help get through the dark and dreary winter months we’re starting up our popular goat milk workshops at Kricklewood Farm. The next will be a goat milk soapmaking session scheduled for Sunday January 29th. The workshop begins at 1:00 pm with an introduction to the goats and a lesson in hand milking so bring along your rubber boots! Classes are small and limited to 12. Cost is $25 and participants will leave with a bag of course related goodies. To register for this session or learn about all of our workshops, visit our workshops page.
It’s a blustery afternoon here in eastern Ontario and at this time it helps to focus on Spring and all the good things to come. For me, Spring is all about new life: hatching chickens and ducks, sprouting seeds and my favourite: baby goats! The baby goats should start arriving at the end of March and soon after we’ll have hens and ducks sitting on eggs too.
We have a lot planned for 2012. Our big project is (knock wood) our production of cold-pressed Sunflower Oil. There are a lot of things to sort out but we have a field ready to go in May with oil to follow in the Fall. We are sourcing an oil press and looking into all the other aspects beginning with planting and ending with ‘tastes like sunshine’ oil in a bottle.
We’re also planning to set up a couple of beehives for honey and wax production. This will be a joint effort with some friends of ours from town. We’re thinking to expand our workshop program too to include goat and chicken keeping 101. And of course we’re always thinking of new varieties of goat milk soap and new flavours of goat milk fudge. So, check back often to see what we’re up to or sign up for our email newsletter to get regular updates from Kricklewood Farm. All the best for 2012 from us to you!
Wishing everyone the best of the holiday season! Even the goats get a special Christmas treat. Here we have Avigail, Lucy, Marcie, Tova, Emily, Devora, Patty, Lily and Reese enjoying some branches I brought from a neighbour’s felled pine tree. They seem to enjoy it judging by Lucy’s and Tova’s little wagging tails.
We’ve introduced three delicious new flavours of Goat Milk Fudge just for Christmas: Rum Raisin, Cranberry Spice and Peppermint. Six bite sized pieces packaged in festive red and gold boxes – the perfect size for stuffing into stockings or leaving on the mantle for old Saint Nick! We also have new beeswax candle tea lights and would be happy to make up gift baskets with our goat milk soap, fudge and candles to help celebrate Christmas in the country!
That seemed to be the theme of the afternoon this past Sunday at our goat milk cheesemaking workshop. That is, after we had a chance to milk the goats – some for the very first time and give Pitou the pot-bellied pig some scratches on his belly. He somehow managed to sneak into the group photo in the barn, showing his less attractive side unfortunately.
Thanks to all who attended and hope everyone learned a bit about chevre, feta and tuma, farmstead goat cheeses that are easy to make at home for you and your family to enjoy. Start with step 1 and get yourself a few goats. Aside from the milk, as everyone saw, the Nubians are the friendliest and cutest goats in the world!
We woke up this morning to more than a light dusting of snow. They had predicted rainfall mixed with snow so I guess it was on the negative side of zero. It’s always fun to watch the reaction of the animals. For the chickens and ducks hatched out earlier this year it’s a whole new experience. Pitou prefers to stay inside and it takes a little while for the goats to step out and realize that they won’t melt. Buddy is not too pleased either. Only 5 months until Spring…
Ah, the life of a buck. For most of the year of the year he spends his time with other bucks and gets to look at the does through the fence. For a few weeks in the Fall he has many opportunities to be intimate with many does. I guess you could say he gets to make up for lost time.
We don’t keep bucks and luckily our friend Judy does. She sends one over for a few weeks in the Fall so we can breed our does. Last year it was Silver, this year it is the buck known as Blacky (until he gets his real name). Yesterday was his first day meeting the does he’ll be spending the next little while with.
See the rest of the pics in the photo album. Be sure to pay particular attention to the last one in the series. It shows Blacky getting himself gussied up to be more attractive for the ladies. If anyone warns you not to pet a buck (no matter how friendly they are), this is the reason.
Thanks to everyone who attended the goat milk soap making workshop this past Sunday. I think everyone had a good time and learned a little about making soap too. Above, Mel and Donna are getting ready to milk Reese. Photo Album
We’re now pleased to be offering workshops at Kricklewood Farm. The first will be Goat Milk Soap Making to be held on October 23rd at 1:00 pm and run about 4 hours. The session will begin with a lesson in hand milking so bring along your rubber boots! Classes are small and limited to 12. Cost is $25 and participants will leave with a bag of course related goodies. For the first workshop, participants will learn the cold process method of soap making and see how combining goat milk, a variety of fats, lye, herbs and essential oils will give a high quality all natural bar of soap.
Other workshops in the planning stages include Goat Milk Fudge Making and Goat Milk Cheese Making. For more information on any of the workshops, visit our workshops page or email info@kricklewoodfarm.com
