August 16 - Dreamfarm News

Pick-Up Date: Thursday, August 16, 2012 (Week 6A)

Sites: Agrace HospiceCare, Cross Plains, Jackson, Middleton Hills, Monona, Nakoma, Oakridge, Parmenter-EOW, Parment-Standard, UW Hospital, Verona

Cheese of the Week: Fresh Cheese - PLAIN

Important Notes: WE NEED JARS........please return your empty, clean jars and lids when you are done enjoying the cheese. You get bonus points if you remove the Dreamfarm label on the lid as well. Thank you!

Welcome Back!
Welcome back to the infrequent Dreamfarm newsletter. There is always so much going on, but not always enough time to actually sit down and share it. The summer has busy, and we're not quite sure where June, July and half of August have gone!

The summer heat and drought has been a force for so many of us to reckon with. Gratefully, the pastures and hay fields are greening up again, thanks to the recent rains. Things were starting to look pretty bleak around the farm, with the pasture getting more bare each day. All farmers have been dealing with different outcomes of the hot and dry weather. At Dreamfarm, the main effects have been on the animals and the hay. The goats don't like the heat too much, and all that warm weather decreased their milk production significantly. The chickens suffered as well. On the feed side, the conditions were not optimal for hay production. The fields didn't grow as tall or robustly as usual for the second cutting in late July. The growth was too short to mow with the equipment on the farm. After renting newer equipment that could mow a shorter stand, we collected a measly 5 bales of hay in the second cutting. Compare that to an average 100 bales of hay off the second cutting. Thank goodness for the rain and the cooler temperatures! The fields are green again, and hopes are high for the third haying of the season. For Dreamfarm, hay is important. This is the forage our animals consume throughout the winter (alfalfa and mixed grasses) when their access to pasture is limited by snow and wet soils. It's our way of bringing the pasture to the herd!

Jen, the family cow, and one hay field in the distance.

Mint in the pasture. The walk smells good.

Adventures in the Barn
Life is, as always, goofy and unpredictable in the barn and in the fields. The barn swallows are abundant this year. Each year they return to their mud nests in the rafters of the barn and hatch out a few batches of young. The birds flutter through the barn, and land gracefully in the nests, bringing food for the four young birds peering out of each nest. Click on the pictures below for a better view! In other news, this week the rebel barn chickens were found perched on the backs of the goats, both parties enjoying the company. Gandalf, the Nigerian Dward Goat buck was found with his head stuck in the pasture gate. He's a smaller, white goat with a beard akin to Santa Claus, and he appeared as quite a site with his long Santa Clause beard hanging through the gate. The ducks are getting larger and braver by the day. Although the still move only as a unified gang, they now roam through a much larger section of the farm. Be sure to watch the very short video of the Jacob Sheep below. They are a heritage breed of sheep, and in the video you can see a ram, an ewe and a lamb. Look at those horns!

 

Milk & Cheese

As mentioned before, the goats can be sensitive to heat and this can change their milk too. The high temperatures caused a decrease in milk production, and the diminished quality of their drought-stricken pasture caused milk changes too. Milk production is down significantly, and will remain low for the rest of the year. Despite the unpredictable effects that temperature and forage quality can have on the goats and their milk, there are regular changes in the characteristics of the milk throughout the season as well. At this time of year, after the does have been producing milk for about five months, the milk will change naturally too. In case you haven't been out to the farm for a visit, here's s quick visual of the bulk milk tank. This is where the milk is collected and stays cool (actually cold!) between cheesemaking sessions. This past week we cut into the first wheels of Arthur, the raw milk cheese made from spring milk. All raw milk cheeses must be aged for at least 60 days, so it was thrilling to cut into the first wheels. They look and taste delicious, for photos click here to see them on the Dreamfarm Facebook page.

This is where milk hangs out before it turns into cheese.

Out in the Wooded Pasture

Last year, a new pasture was added to the farm. A wooded pasture, dense with multiflora rose and wild, old apples trees and a pond was fenced to provide new quarters for some farm inhabitants. Last fall the three steer were moved there. This spring the two bucks took up residence as well, along with the new batch of three young beef steer.. A few weeks back, the population grew again as 27 of the young bucks born on the farm this spring were moved their as well! On the first attempt, we tried to lure the young goats toward the pasture with grain. Only a few decided to join us. On the second attempt, we caught a few of the boys by their collars and 'walked' them down to the wooded pasture. Young goats are stubborn and strong (but who of us isn't?) and a few put up quite a fight headed down to the lush new pasture. This method didn't go too well either! On the third attempt, we lifted the young boys into the back of the pickup truck, drove them to the fence at the edge of the pasture, and lifted them over the fence to their new home. The sight and sound of a truck full of young goats is worth a smile indeed! Now that almost all the males on the farm are in one place, we sure hope that the older generations are teaching the young bucks how to be police gentlemen! At the very least, the goats are doing a tremendous job of clearing out brush and invasive species in their wooded pasture.

This used to be a multiflora rose bush!

An older buck and his new young friend!

Chicken Update
The chickens, of all the animals, took the hardest knocks with all the heat. Egg production dropped significantly, and they all just sat around panting. (Yes, chickens pant!) The girls were all just moved to fresh pasture, which means they are happy to have a fresh batch of grass and bugs to eat. 

The Pigs!
This year's six resident pigs seem to be growing by the day, if not by the hour. They are fenced in to a few acres of wooded pasture, with a few goat friends to keep them company. In the photos below they are enjoying some of the whey from the cheeserie, which they will happily squeal and fight for whenever possible. With their ever increasing size comes a steadily growing attitude! Don't get between the pigs and their trough (literally), or else you'll find yourself nosed over and pushed to the ground! And boy can they make a lot of noise! Because they are mostly left on their own, they associate human visitors with feed time! Here's a little snippet of the pig pandemonium to give a sense of the racquet they make when a human pays a visit.

  

Bike the Barns!
Last week we had some very special visitors, the Bike the Barns planning crew from the FairShare CSA Coalition. This year, the Bike the Barns tour on Sunday, September 16th will include a stop at Dreamfarm. This fantastic bike ride is both a fundraiser for FairShare CSA Coalition, an opportunity to eat delicious local food prepared by the Underground Food Collective, visit beautiful farms and enjoy a delightful (and hilly!) bike ride. If you want to take part in a fun-filled day that supports a great cause, click here to register or learn more.

Thanks for being a part of the farm, and thanks for reading. Enjoy these savory August weeks, and maybe we'll see you for Bike the Barns!

The goat pasture, and some bee hives in the distance!

Recipe - Goat Cheese Grits

As if you need any help eating all your fresh goat cheese, we'll be posting a few recipes from time to time. Please check back here for recipe updates from Dreamfarm cheese and eggs.

Here's a good one for this slightly cooler weather! Enjoy for breakfast or dinner.

Goat Cheese Grits
4 cups water
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (4 oz) Dreamfarm fresh goat cheese
2 teaspoon finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Gradually add grits and salt to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in cheese and remaining ingredients.

July 12 - Dreamfarm News

Pick-Up Date: Thursday, July 12, 2012

Sites: Baldwin, Baldwin-EOW, Crestwood, Farm, Hampshire, Just Coffee, Mason, Mt. Horeb, Orchard Ridge, Research Park, Seminole, Shorewood, West Lawn

Cheese of the Week: Fresh Cheese - Peppercorn

Important Notes: With last week off, we just want to make sure all you B Week folks know it's your turn to get cheese this week! Also, if you happen to have any empty glass cheese jars and lids hanging around your house, please scoop them up and bring 'em to your drop site for reuse. Bonus points if you peel the Dreamfarm sticker off the lid too. Thank you!

Title of Post/Topic

First things first! We just want to make sure that you all know this week is a B Week, and the above sites will be receiving cheese this week.

Well, in case you were on vacation all last week, you noticed that it was quite warm in Wisconsin. It would be fair to say the temperature was downright hot, and dry too. Of course, the unusually warm temperatures were exhausting for everyone, but the heat creates certain issues just for farmers. First off, with the lack of rain and moisture, things are getting pretty brown. This includes our pastures, the main food source for the goats and sheep during the summer months. They are nibbling everything green in sight, and I think they are hoping for rain too! Not to worry, they all get supplementary alfalfa and hay during these lean pasture times, so no one is going hungry. The goats really don't like to heat too much, and their milk production goes down during these hot spells. Less milk means less cheese, another reason to be glad things have cooled off a bit. The chickens aren't too comfortable in the heat either, and they protest by laying fewer eggs. To keep cool they cozy into their cool little dust baths and just pant. (Exactly like a dog, but just without the tongue sticking out). We can even feel the heat in the cheeserie, as all this warm dry air caused some of last week's cheeses to finish much drier than usual. We're all just glad to see the mercury drop a bit this week, although we look up at each cloud passing overhead in hopes it might drop a bit of rain on us.

The ducks. Just chattin' around the water cooler.

Have you met the Dreamfarm ducks yet? Now's your chance! This cute little brace of ducks (yup, a brace is the technical term for a group of ducks) is the newest addition at Dreamfarm. The baby ducks were ordered from Sand Hill Preservation Center early this spring and should start laying eggs in about a month or two. A mix of breeds were ordered, and we're sure to have Khaki Campbells, but we can't get ID on the other breed of duck. They are adorable, and stinky, ducklings were brooded in the same house as the baby chicks, and then moved out to pasture in their own, special duck house when temperatures were warm enough. The duck house was moved frequently to a fresh patch of grass, and recently the ducks got their own fenced run. The best part about the fence is that the holes are big enough for the ducks to walk through, so there are now ducks wandering around near the barn. So far the rebel chickens and escaped ducks get along, hopefully there will not be a Cross Plains version of West Side Pasture. The ducks were very, very shy when they arrived, but seem to be getting braver by the day. Scroll to the bottom of the page for a short duck video.

The ducks when they were a bit younger

In other farm news, as we mentioned in the last newsletter, we're keeping a lot of the kids (baby goats) from this spring and raising them out for meat. Because the main pasture is getting a bit thin, it was time to move some of young boys to the wooded pasture where the two bucks and six steer hang out. This is the pasture that was fenced last year, has delicious forage and browsing for goats, and could use more help getting cleared out. So there we were last Friday, in the heat, shaking a bucket of feed grain and trying to lure as many of the 17 young boys as possible to come with us toward the new pasture. In case you didn't know, goats don't seem to listen very well, and didn't seem motivated to answer our request. The grain helped a little, but I think they also have a short attention span. We had about seven takers who crossed through the first gate with us, and then had to be herded and picked up and carried through the second fence to their new, lusher home. At first they were hesitant, but it was no time at all until they were chomping on multiflora rose and ready to explore their new home. This afternoon we'll try to lure the remaining young goats down there too, so if you need a good laugh you can just imagine us hollering at goats, encouraging them to come with us and chasing them if need be!

Steer, goats and Diana in the lush wooded pasture!

Hope you enjoy your cheese this week, along with the cooler temperatures! And, as promised, if you want a little more duck action, below is a short video for you to enjoy.

June 21st Dreamfarm News

Pick-Up Date: Thursday, June 21

Sites: Research Park, Just Coffee, Baldwin, Baldwin EOW, Mt. Horeb, Orchard Ridge, Seminole, Crestwood, Hampshire, Shorewood, Mason, West Lawn, Farm

Cheese of the Week: Fresh Cheese - PLAIN

Important Notes: Just a reminder! Please return your clean jars and lids when you're done. Bonus points if you peel the Dreamfarm sticker off the lid too. Thank you!

Back in the Swing of Things

Your cheese CSA has been in action for a few weeks now, but we're just getting back to a weekly newsletter to accompany your share. As usual, the farm is a bustle of activity which keeps everyone busy. Most notably, this year the farm decided to keep the majority of the kids (baby goats) that arrived in the spring. This means more time feeding and caring for all these adorable little troublemakers who are roving the pastures and getting their small heads and horns stuck in fences (ok, just one little troublemaker). There is nothing to make you feel as special as a swarm of adolescent goats running toward you and making noise from all parts of the pasture come feed time. This year is an experiment in raising these young goats for meat, and we'll let you know how it goes now that there are almost 70 goats enjoying life on the farm!

We're again raising pigs this year. They started as six adorable young ones, a cross of a variety of heritage breeds. They are spending this season in the very lush and shady wooded pasture that the bucks lived in last year. They happily gulp their whey, left over from the cheesemaking, and root around for delicacies in the pasture. Three new calves joined the farm too, and they just moved out to the big wooded pasture with the older steers and the bucks to graze and make whatever kind of trouble they can get into. The Jacob sheep graze the large pasture with the younger goats and seem, as always, content.

And, of course, there are the milking does. This year there are 27 girls on the line, including two Nigerian Dwarf goats that joined the farm last fall. Their milk is touted as being exceptionally rich and creamy. They are much, much smaller than the other goats, and they are talkative too! They are so much smaller that Rebecca and Story (the two Nigerians) have taken to lounging in the hay manger while eating, with the other goats and sheep standing around them and eating. All the girls spend their days at pasture, and we are always so grateful for the milk they give for cheese.

That's the latest from the farm. Thanks for joining us as a CSA member this year, we're so glad to have you! If you're a Facebook kind of person, you can join our page by clicking here. We're posting semi-regular picture from the farm, updates of what you'll see at the Saturday Farmer's Market, recipes and more.

And here's one last snippet of Dreamfarm life to help you through the end of your week. There is a renegade gang of chickens who hang around the barn all day with the cats and dog, and here is a short video of their, um, pursuits! Looks like everyone here is good at sharing. Enjoy.

Recipe: Warm Potato & Goat Cheese Salad

Enough said! The perfect picnic dish for this wonderful outdoor weather.
Enjoy!

Warm Potato & Goat Cheese Salad
2 1/2 pounds cubed, peeled Yukon gold potatoes
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped, fresh flat lead parsley
1 cup Dreamfarm fresh goat cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic

Place potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until tender; drain. Combine warm potatoes, wine, salt and pepper in a large bowl; toss gently. Add onion and parsley. Combine goat cheese and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add cheese mixture to potato mixture; toss gently to coat.

Week of May 7 - (A Week)

Pick-Up Date: May 10, 2012

Sites: Dreamfarm, Baldwin, Crestwood, Cross Plains, Vermont Valley Farm, Hampshire, HospiceCare, Jackson, Just Coffee, Mason, Middleton Hills, Monona, Mt. Horeb, Nakoma, Oakridge, Orchard Ridge, Parmenter EOW and Standard (together), Seminole, Shorewood, UW-Hospital, Verona, West Lawn

Cheese of the Week: Chive! Fresh Cheese

Important Notes: A kind reminder about the glass jars. Please rinse and clean your jar and lid and return them to your pick-up...AND it would help us out A LOT if you could please remove the label from the lid before returning it. Thank you in advance!

Back in the Cheese - Spring Cheese CSA!

The second (and last) delivery for the Spring Share is this Thursday, May 10. We harvested young chive and garlic chive to add to your cheese. This brings a nice fresh spring flare to the cheese. Let us know how you like it. Your feedback is helpful.

Summer shares will begin in June. We will notify our summer shareholders when your first pickup begins.

It has been a very busy spring on Dreamfarm. We had over 65 kids (baby goats) born from March 1 through April 22. We decided to raise all the kids this year. In past years, we sold most of the babies when they were about 2 weeks old. So this means many mouths to feed, and they are all getting milk, every day. We start out by bottle feeding each individual baby. After a couple of days, we teach them to drink from a "nipple bucket". The nipple bucket can feed 10 kids at a time.Most of the kids catch on to this fast and learn that the faster they drink, the more they can get. They are on milk for about 12 weeks, which means we are getting ready to wean some of the older kids. They are eating some grain and pasture, the transition should go well.

We had 11 students from the University of Wisconsin Rural Sociology class come and help on the farm on April 29. They were a bunch of hard workers as they helped us move chickens to new pasture, they cleared brush from our pig pasture and helped remove old fencing. It is great to talk with these students and hear about their goals. 

Six pigs joined our menagerie on April 20.They will be raised on a new, large pasture this season and fed all the whey from our cheesemaking. 


There is so much happening on the farm. We will update you soon. Please enjoy your cheese share, and please help us by returning your jar and cover, and please peel off the label first, the would be a great help.

Recipes - Goat Cheese in Olive Oil Marinade

Delicious as an appetizer, and you can be as creative as you like!

Goat Cheese in Olive Oil Marinade
Warm 1/4 cup olive oil in a small cast iron pan or heavy-bottom pan. Add the chopped onion, garlic, dry tomato or your favorite herbs. Try different combinations depending on what is in season! When softened, add and additional 1/2 cup of olive oil and warm. Take a 7 oz. tub of Dreamfarm fresh goat cheese and invert it into a shallow bowl. Pour the olive oil mixture over the cheese. The cheese will warm and soften. Serve with chewy bread - make sure there's plenty to soak up the delicious oil!

Dreamfarm on Facebook

We've taken the leap into the world of social media! You can now find Dreamfarm on Facebook by clicking this link or going to Facebook and searching for "Dreamfarm". When you get to the page, be sure to "Like" it (that little button that says "Like" in the upper right hand of the page) to bring farm updates to you, along with adorable kid photos like this one...

...along with updates about what we're bringing to the market and what's going on at the farm.

We Have Babies!

We Have Babies!


March came in like a lion on our farm. It started on March 1st, with a set of triplet goat kids. We had a one day break, then on March 3rd we had a set of twins, and on March 4th we had two sets of quadruplets, which is extremely rare. In all our years of raising goats we had only one set of quadruplets, and then we had two sets born in one day, and they were born of a mother and daughter pair. Now every day more kids are born.
  
At Dreamfarm, we have 30 mother goats (does) expected to kid. Usually we estimate to double that in kids, so we plan to have about 60 kids. But if we continue with these multiples, we will have many more than expected. When the doe kids, she starts her milk production. All their milk is bottle-fed back to the kids at the start. The kids are fed 3 times a day until they are about one week old, then we feed them twice a day. All this interaction causes the baby goats to bond with us and they become so friendly!


By the end of March, we hope to have most of the kids on a schedule. We should have extra milk by then, and we will start the cheesemaking. If you have not signed up for a Dreamfarm Goat Cheese Share, we still have shares available. Please go to our website: www.dreamfarm.biz and print off an order form. We would love to have you join us again for the 2012 season!

We're all enjoying this wonderful spring weather, animals included. Just yesterday our yard was full of snow, now it's all melted and a fresh spring smell is in the air! Warm weather is ideal for birthing season and we all have a severe case of spring fever.


Dreamfarm will hold their Farm Day Open House on June 24. More details will be posted at a later date. Please plan to join us! We'd love to meet you and you're sure to have a good time meeting   all the animals!


Farm picture photo credit: Sam Evans