Photo Gallery: On the Homestead's making goat milk soap - National Post (blog)

Peppermint, our only Saanen goat, rests with two of her triplets. The triplets were born on a cold April 6, 2011.

Now and then we come across individuals who are intrigued that we make goat milk soap at our farm. Usually with their intrigue come questions regarding the making of the soap. Some even go so far as requesting that the next time we are whipping up a batch to give them a call so they can come and learn.

Well, we are all about sharing and learning together. That’s part of our hope for the Hill, to be a learning farm. So, let us give you a bit of an idea about how we make our soap. Read the full story here.
 Diane Doiron

Our doelings are kept safe behind a sturdy fence at the Hill.

Diane Doiron

Peanut, our oldest doe, hits the salad bar in one of the fields that we rotate so the goats always have fresh grasses to graze on.

Diane Doiron

Walnut, one of our past bucks shows his best moves as we play. Though we don't have a live-in buck, we hire bucks from other farms close by to breed our does. With a little luck and some goat romance, we will have kids in five months.

Diane Doiron

A one-month-old kid taste tests everything in sight. The kids will stay with their moms for about three months. When they're weaned, we can milk the does for our own use.

Diane Doiron

Bruno, a Willing Worker on Organic Farms from France, milks Peppermint while Nicole, a worker from Toronto, keeps her distracted with oats for munching. We milk the goats twice a day, freezing the excess milk for soap making.

Diane Doiron

Wearing our safety ear protectors, we prepare all the ingredients to make a batch of Honey & Oats goat milk soap.

Diane Doiron

Once the soap has set for 24 hours in the wooden moulds, the soap loaf is pulled out and cut into bars. Then it will cure for four to six weeks before it's ready for use.

Diane Doiron

Here we cut the soap loaf into bars.

Diane Doiron

The soaps are complete after more than a year, from the birth of the kids to curing the soap by the wood stove over winter.

Diane Doiron

The best for last! We always take time to play with our animals in the barn over the winter.

Posted in: Homes  Tags: goat milk soap, goats, highland grove, Magnificent Hill, wwoof

blog comments powered by