Delurking and Hi!

[anarch]

Hello,

I'm Sarah, live in New Mexico on the CO border.  I've been reading this forum and articles from here for years during my cheesemaking adventures, but thought I should finally join.

I've been making cheese for oh, 5 years or so, at home on a 2-3 gallon batch scale.  I've made my version of cheddars, some camembert style cheeses, jack, and innumerable fresh cheeses.  Cow and goat milks. 

I have a small flock of sheep, which were originally all for fiber and meat, but just this year, I bought a few ewes that are dairy sheep!  So, going to hopefully start milking this summer and learn that side of things.

I currently have a day job as does my DH, but I would eventually like to move into small scale farming-growing-dairying as a job/lifestyle over the next decade or so.  Money seems to be the main object at this point. 

So, hello! 

[Cheese Head]

Hi Sarah, great you've joined and great aspiration! Not many here working with sheep milk, have fun . . . John.

[anarch]

Thanks!

Yep, I'm hoping to get into the sheep milk as soon as it is feasible, hopefully starting milking this summer.  But til then I've been using lots of raw cow and goat milk (I'm lucky, I pick anywhere between 3-7 gallons a week from a neighbor, for only $4 a gallon!) and trying different things.  I have tried lots of hard cheeses and soft ones, a few camemberts, and other dairy products (make yogurt, butter, sour cream).

I need to order a few more things and try some washed rind cheeses next .

[Priestman]

Welcome, Sarah. There are a handful of folks on the forum doing sheep's milk.  I have a little sheep operation up in the other corner of the country.  I have benefited from the kind advice of others, and always glad to pass along what I've learned--though it sounds like you've got quite a few cheeses under your belt already.  Best of luck.

Paul
THE BIG FARM Creamery
http://www.thebigfarmcreamery.com/index.htm

[Helen]

I am soooooo jealous right now. All this nice sheep milk!

Welcome aboard!

[anarch]

Hi Paul, good to see others sucessfully milking sheep!  I have yet to...actually milk anything.  I'm sure I'm going to have a huge learning curve on this one and will be asking for advice in a few months. 

Yep, started with the cheesemaking a while back, so I figure that part I can just keep evolving with, but the milking is all new.

Hi helen!

[Boofer]

Welcome to the forum, anarch.

Looking forward to hearing of your first Manchego. I believe that iratherfly may have some classic Manchego basket molds available. 

-Boofer-