Got (Goat) Milk? Here’s our favorite ways to use goat milk…

When our goats became pregnant, I’m not sure which I was more excited about – new baby goats or fresh goat milk!

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I’m not a milk drinker… I may have cow’s milk in my cereal or to dip a cookie in, but I’ve never enjoyed just drinking a glass of milk like my children do. They easily go through a gallon of milk in one day! But me? I don’t care for the taste, so I knew I probably wouldn’t like drinking goat’s milk either.

However, goat’s milk is a good source of protein, contains less sugar and a lot more vitamin B-6, calcium, vitamin A and potassium than cow’s milk and is easier to digest. While cow’s milk is slightly acidic, goat milk is alkaline and if you know anything about my family and me then you know that we strive to keep our bodies as alkaline as possible. So goat’s milk really did sound like a good win for us!

While it took my kids some time to adjust to the taste of goat milk, we jumped right into it’s other uses – cheese and soap! This is where Pinterest came in handy… I had to teach myself how to make goat cheese and goat milk soap.

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I decided to try my hand at making chevre and was surprised with how simple it is. Goat cheese is made by a process known as acid/heat coagulation. Lemon juice and vinegar break apart the protein structure when it reaches a certain temperature, making it easy to separate the whey.  I used 1 quart of goat milk, 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice (I sent the kids out back to pick some lemons from our tree), 2 Tbsp of white vinegar, 1/2 tsp of salt, and some dried herbs. After heating the milk until it reached about 180’F while stirring frequently, I removed it from the heat and added the lemon juice. Once mixed, I added the vinegar then let it sit for about 30 minutes. I put a few layers of cheesecloth over a strainer and ladled the mixture into the cheesecloth before adding the salt and mixing gently. Gathering the ends of the cheesecloth and tying with a string, I then hung the cloth and allowed it to drip for about an hour. I was then able to shape the cheese on a plate, sprinkle it with herbs and refrigerate until ready to serve. It was the easiest thing ever, and taste SO good!

Plus, I saved all the whey that drained from the cloth and substituted it for baking recipes that called for water or milk, to soak grains to make them more digestible, and also added some to my shakes and fruit smoothies and used it in ice cream. I’ve heard that you can also use the whey as a shampoo substitute but I’ve yet to try this. Maybe next time!

While we enjoyed our homemade goat cheese, I researched how to make goat milk soap and totally fell in love with Bramble Berry. I ordered their Lots of Lather Quick Mix of oils (Coconut, Palm Oil, Canola Oil, Olive Oil, Castor Oil and Vitamin E) and some lye, dried lavender and rose petals, and some silicone molds. When my box of goodies arrived, I had already frozen goat milk in ice cube trays. I used the 33 oz of Lots of Lather Quick Mix, 4.7 oz of lye and 11 oz of raw goat milk. I also added in Lavender Essence Oil (affiliate link & the oils my fam uses) and the dried lavender and rose petals into the mold. It had to cure for about 6 weeks, but it was well worth the wait! I cute these cute bars and placed them at our kitchen and bathroom sinks and even in our showers.

I loved how soft it made my skin, while my kids loved how bubbly and thick the lather was. Even my babysitter texted me one night saying she wants to carry some of my goat milk soap around with her instead of using the soaps in public restrooms because my soap feels so much better on her skin.

Since then, I’ve experimented with several other goat milk soap recipes and highly recommend making your own. Download the Bramble Berry app to use their lye calculator and check out all their recipes! Just make sure if you have kids and/or animals to store your lye in a place they’ll never find it!

So the upside to having goat milk, aside from the adorable baby goats – homemade cheese and goat milk soap! What are you waiting for?!?! Go get you some goat milk and get to it! Feel free to share your fav recipes in the comments below, or pin this to your fav Pinterest board for later!