With little Nico only half-weaned, mamma goat Natalie is already giving we humans more than a quart-and-a-half of creamy, hint-of-molasses milk per day. So I felt we had enough supply to give a shot at some yogurt. This, of course, is a science experiment that involves intentionally cultivating the kind of microorganisms that refrigeration was invented to destroy. But I figured the worst that could happen (other than my E coli death as Official Taster since my sweetheart Amanda is nursing our son) was a pint or two of wasted milk. Ya know, in the name of local food science. Literal Home Economics. Who knows what we’d create? I mean, penicillin got invented this way. The recipe I used came from a link a friend I call my Fairy Goat Mother recommended and was amazingly simple — it amounted to elevating some goat milk to a steady 108 degrees for 8 hours, with a scoop of yogurt starter culture to get those billions of good bacteria going. I decided to use a Thermos and a candy thermometer. It worked out deliciously fantastic — I added vanilla, granola, some frozen, probably not local blueberries, and some local honey. It was truly the best yogurt I’ve ever eaten (but I have this reaction as a Dominoes raised kid whenever I eat real food not from a store). And despite the fact that I spilled the Thermos as first, tainting my “clean” surface, and probably went both over and under the recommended 108 degree cultivation temperature several times during the yogurt-making process, no negative parasites have invaded my intestines as of this Dispatch. So I presume that the yogurt is doing its job of fighting the floral fight, and I have just taken a few thousand carbon miles out of my diet (not to mention about $15/week in Ranch budget savings). Go acidophilus and my army of microscopic bacteriological warriors! And thank you, Natalie, for the milk that is the building block for my body’s weaponry of mass microbe health maintenance.
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12 Responses:
June 20th, 2008 at 4:58 am
Holding Quart…like it…ha, ha nothing better than a pun.
Congratulations on your improved intestinal health, family life and yogurt success.
June 20th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Ditto Lectric Lady. Nothing here about the birth of your baby?
Fill us in….we want details and lots and lots of photos of your precious new baby boy:)
Mazel Tov!!
June 20th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Guys-
So appreciate the interest, and I’m sure I’ll work family into these Dispatches as appropriate (or funny!), but I hope you understand there are certain parts of my life I prefer to keep private. I will say our son is healthy and happy and (shocker!) loves being outside amidst the duck and goat sounds.
June 21st, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Doug,
I just read “Farewell, My Subaru.” It was laugh out loud funny at several points. I guess I’m on your wavelength. I’m a 38 year old rural Ohioan who is now living in Michigan on the outskirts of Lansing. Lately, I’ve been reading Mother Earth News, Crunchy Cons, and a bunch of other organic, earthy, stuff. I guess the most recent near financial meltdown (Bear Stearns) brought us a lot closer to a Depression than many people realize.
I think its suicidal and dangerous to rely on others for your food security. It’s just as crazy as depending on foreign oil to power your economy I suppose.
I think a lot of people in our generation are getting it. This isn’t about liberal or conservative, this is about being independent and being able to get off the grid. It’s a fundamental, get back to basics rejection of consumerism and what the Baby Boomers have left us with.
Although I haven’t made a crazy leap of faith like you did (I have a risk-averse wife and 2 kids), I am breaking ground today on my organic garden. Furthermore, at the local farmers market, I just arranged for a supply of llama poop whenever I need a dose. Apparently, it’s not as harsh as other manure and makes raspberries grow like they’re going out of style. In addition to the composting my wife and I have done, we ought to be in good shape.
Keep on writing. I’ll keep tuning in. Maybe I’ll get around to building a breadbox water heater. I’ve thought about getting a zoning variance so I can put up a wind turbine (sun isn’t so great here in the winter).
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:13 am
Hi, Doug:
I finished your book last night and gave a shout out to it on my blog (www.homeschoolblogger.com/ohiohol). I have readership like you have organic egg profits, but I hope it will gain you some new readers nonetheless. I represent and interact largely with the audience you seem to take pleasure in alienating (Bush supporters), so you should consider this my cross-cultural mission act on your behalf.
Wishing you every future success!
Blessings, Holly
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Doug,
Like Holly, I just finished reading your book. You are an excellent writer even though I, like Holly, had to overlook your Bush bashing.
I’m on the leading edge of the baby boomers but was composting before you were born so I’ve been at this for a long time. Still waiting for that technical breakthrough that will make photo voltaics truly attractive.
I’ll sign up for your RSS so that I can keep up with your happenings.
Congratulations on the son!
God bless you and Amanda
June 24th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Holly and Buckeyboy44–
Thank you so much for your posts. I am so glad that I am luring people of all political viewpoints, and I certainly don’t believe people of one outlook have a monopoly on sustainable living (when I was living in Alaska, I first noticed you couldn’t tell which Carhartt-wearing bearded fellow was the “greenest” by his voting record).
I feel very gratified to have readers like you guys because a major goal of mine is NOT to preach only “to the converted.” As a Patriotic American, I certainly don’t “take pleasure” in criticizing key Bush Administration figures and their policies. I simply think basic journalism and world awareness reveals this to be the weakest and most corrupt executive branch in our nation’s history. It was also, by the way, the most corrupt legislative branch in our history under Republican control until the Democrats (who are IMHO doing a mediocre job so far, including proving unable to pass viable sustainable energy legislation) took over. Anyone unable to see this at this point (or by 2002, for crying out loud) is in my view simply choosing not to pay attention. It’s not about Democratic or Republican loyalties. It’s about (to give a laughably incomplete list): ignoring climate change (the rest of the world doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry), outing a CIA agent in the field (this is treason), lying to the citizenry to start a war (whether the war needed to be fought or not — I’m not a typical “progressive” in this regard), unprecedented lobbyist corruption (coordinated at the White House level), no-bid contracts for billions of YOUR dollars to the Vice President’s former company, attempting to allow unsustainable development on public lands, spying illegally on Americans, allowing millions of Americans to lack health care (turning us into a Third World nation in areas like infant mortality), ruining (hopefully temporarily) America’s standing in the world as a bastion of freedom (in other words, at times in our history, such as during World War Two, we were actually the good guys, to nearly everyone), making hate the basis of campaign strategy, or any one of a dozen other issues I could name.
I don’t wish to make these Dispatches a political blog, but I wanted to reply to Holly’s comment by pointing out that I only “take pleasure” in revealing the obvious to the degree that I try to take pleasure in anything I do. I am not, by the way, a registered Democrat. I’m in a “lesser of two evils” phase. I think the U.S. representative democracy as a whole needs a good deal of rebuilding (my congressman, hopefully not for long, doesn’t even reply to most media inquiries, let alone constituents). But if you care about sustainability, as you obviously do, you are voting against your cause when you vote Republican. They are trying to fool you by playing up abortion, which is a controversial issue, to be sure. But not worth destroying ALL the world’s children for. Voting for Republicans is voting against your interests. Unless you enjoy tax cuts only for the richest and like the way the economy is going as of mid-2008.
I want to finish by saying I so appreciate Holly’s lobbying for me with the “unconverted” audience of minivan drivers I am trying to reach. A critical mass of people voting on sustainability issues might help reconstruct the Republic and save the world. Almost never, in 2008, will voting for a Republican further this admirable goal.
June 27th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Doug,
Holy Molly! Wow GREAT! LOVE It! So glad you didn’t turn out to be that guy from “Into the Wild!” You’re awesome! Love your lifeforce. ROCK ON!
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:52 am
Doug,
I just finished your book and have to thank you for your inspiration. While our family still has a long way to go, it is nice to know that we don’t have to give up all those comforts we enjoy to live more sustainably. My skeptical husband is coming along-so far we have a hybrid Civic (getting 51.4 mpg), organic garden, and geothermal heating and cooling. Thanks to your information my husband is looking into switching over to a solar hot water heater. The electric one is just too inefficient, but we aren’t sure what we’ll do in the winter when the sunless days in Ohio sometimes stretch on for days.
Our family will keep checking in to see how things are progressing for you.
Good luck!
October 13th, 2008 at 3:05 am
They do may all glass container electric yogurt makers. You have to plug them in, and they are in glass (do not heat up plastics with food in them) and you get several pints. Never tried it myself, but have thought about it often. Also, in the winter if you use wood, you can use your own jars and set them on, under, whatever, to keep a good temp and wrap in towels, to insulate. That is if you still milk over the winter. you can can the milk as well. wont be fresh, but will be yours
Just a few thoughts from another NM goat milker.
October 13th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Hi, Doug — Just read your book the other day and wanted to say thanks for an entertaining and inspiring read. Also, mazel tov on the new young ones of various species, and on your first dairy adventures!
I bought an electric yogurt maker with 6 glass containers for yogurt (like Thea mentions, above), but found that it’s just as successful and lower-impact to put the glass jars into a large covered pot with some warm water and let the whole thing sit in my unlit gas stove overnight. (The heat from the pilot light keeps the temperature just right.)