Not much going on here today. I worked and Hubby put his motorcycle back together. (Don't get me started) It rained here ALL day. So after work me and Hubby went to Tractor Supply to get chicken feed. I also ended up with more canning jars. $10.99 for a dozen. Canning is not as cheep as it use to be.
Anyway, at work this week,I started talking to people about how me and Hubby are trying to be more self reliant. I talked about our garden, about canning, and about how I want to get a milk cow and goat sometime down the road. I was surprised of all the positive feedback I got. In fact, I had about 50% of my clients say they would love to do the same thing if they had the room. They also told me that when my garden starts to produce they would like to buy some of the veggies if I have any extras. A few of them said they would love to buy some of the cheese and butter I want to make. They said the cost doesn't matter. They just want good organic food. Now the question...Is this something to look into? Should I start thinking about selling my produce? And what about getting a milk cow or goat? I want to get one eventually, but, should I look into getting one sooner? Would I be getting in over my head way too fast? If so, how could I start it on a smaller scale?
Just something to think about. Me and Hubby both love farming and raising our garden and raising our grass fed beef. We are slowly getting a following for our cattle. Should we try to sell some of our garden produce too?
Oh, and one more question,(like you haven't been asked enough already) can a beef cow work as a milk cow? I know they don't produce a lot of milk, but, we don't drink gallons and gallons of milk. I was wondering about butter and cheeses and a small amount to drink. Guess I'll have to look into it some more.
So for now, I'll blog you later....
Small Farm Girl, question asker er.( Okay I know that's not a word)
4 comments:
Healthy food is a medicine and strength for life. Jeeees go on!
We've had some luck with a market garden so we over planted this year to sell more, I'll keep you informed how it goes, but I say go for it. It's more work but not really more money and if you can't sell the extra you can can it or freeze it. It's a win win either way.
If you have extra this time, sell it and see how it goes. If all is well and you think it would be worth doing, then next year you could expand your garden. Do you have a Farmer's Market in your area? I know at ours the same vendors keep coming back, so they must be doing well. I'd have to say go for it! If it's something you enjoy doing, anyway, then why not? Like Snowbound Farms said, if you can't sell it you can preserve it.
Irish Dexters are a dual purpose breed, both meat as well as dairy. Their cream content is supposed to be as high in butter fat as a Jersey. This is one reason we decided on this breed. They don't give as much milk as aJersey, but plenty for a family of two or three. They don't get as big as angus and their meat is very lean if grass fed. I can try to answer any questions you may have or direct you to the right answers abotu Dexters.
Have a restful Sabbath, maybe that evil bird will take pity and let you sleep in, LOL!
As you know we have our retired Jersey and I thought I'd never find a cow as sweet as she is, but you know what Addy( our Dexter cow) and Button her yearling calf are also sweet and loveable.
I made farmers cheese, cottage cheese yogurt, ice cream and of course butter. I did try hard cheese once, it was a lengthy process and it didn't turn out*sigh*, so we ruined 2 gallons of milk. I would suggest working with someone who already make cheese first.
Have a restful Sunday, maybe that bird will take pity and let you sleep in, LOL!
Post a Comment