Goat Cheese? Yes! Please.

This weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting "El Camino de las Cabras" Goat Dairy, which translates to "the way of the goats," or as I like to call it... the best experience I've had in Texas!

I have always been the outgoing type, so when some of my friends informed me that they were going on a trip that included horseback-riding, wine-tasting, and a visit to a goat farm, I knew I was going to finally break the series of some-what rather uneventful weekends in Texas. After learning how to two-step and buying a pair of cowboy boots, my weekends have become rather monotonous. Horseback-riding and wine-tasting were also a blast, but my favorite part of the day was definitely the dairy!

We arrived at the dairy and were greeted by the owner who promptly directed to put booties on over our shoes to keep the cheese making area free from contaminants. She then taught us about the process of cheese making and gave us a sample goat milk! At first, we were a bit leery after she warned that many of the goats had been eating a lot of weeds since recently the rain had sprouted up little patches of green in the desert... not really knowing what to expect, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the milk was very fresh and clean tasting. She also brought out two trays of goat cheese; one tray was filled with mild flavors and the second was filled with spicier selections that included hot peppers and spices. The goat cheese was very flavorful as expected and we knew that we had found a nice addition to our wine tasting later in the day!

The overall favorite cheese with most in our group was, of course, the feta. "Rosemary Garlic" and "Pistachio Thyme" were my two personal favorites, which I have been eating daily since purchasing. (Luckily, the products from this dairy are sold at the larger liquor stores in the area, so when I run out I will be able to get more easily!)

We also learned about the milking process and met some of the goats as they were being milked. Another interesting tidbit learned at the dairy was that many goat farmers also raise llamas which help protect the goats from predators as they assimilate into the herd and protect their smaller counterparts.

I really enjoyed petting the baby goats. I guess they heard about how much milk we had been drinking though, because as you can see, they tried to get revenge by nibbling on my pants and backpack straps! 

If you ever have the chance, I suggest you visit a goat dairy! It turned out to be both a very memorable and educational adventure. Many dairies also make other products that utilize goat milk including soaps that tend to be very moisturizing due to the cream content of the milk.