Bread & Cheese

We had a cool spell today, thank goodness!

Lastnight after I milked Luci I took a gallon of milk and my last chevre culture packet and started a batch of my own creation: "whey Out Chevre". This morning I was pretty busy straining the whey out of the curd and putting my 'mix-ins' in before I scooped it out into molds to drain in the fridge until tomorrow, and a bit into a cheesecloth to drain for today. It always drains faster if it hangs in the cheesecloth.

So, of course if you make cheese, you must use the whey and make some bread, too! I made a simple french bread using the whey, some soft white wheat I ground the other day and put up in the freezer, some raw honey and sea salt with a plop of butter for good measure. It's baking now and smells divine.

I'm looking at a big beautiful bowl of dark red cherries on the counter and I realize I have all the makings of a perfect summer supper: cheese, bread, and fruit. Best of all, it's all local, made (or picked) by me, and fresh, tasty, and very healthy.

There are days when I am really tired of all the work involved in keeping the goats and sheep, but  then comes a day like today, where I am extremely grateful for them and what they give back to us, and I realize it's all worth it. But don't "kid" yourself (no pun intended) it is alot of work.  As I sit here on the computer, waiting for my last loaf of bread to bake, sipping on a lovely mocha latte made with fresh goat milk from this morning, I know that I am blessed.

Matthew 4:4

"But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."