Tours And Cheese Class

Cheese Class 3-21-09

3-24-09 Tour Cowlitz County 1st Class Co-op

David showing a baby boar doe to a baby 3.18.09 Tour

Well I hope this blog finds you all well and enjoying Spring! I havent seen spring yet - but I know its around somewhere. This last Thur. our article came out about my cheese class. What a response to it. I was so surprised. My phone and email were going crazy with people wanting to get into my class. I ended up closing it at 45 people. That I discovered was to many people for that grange hall. Some people couldnt get close enough to see the demonstration. So I'v set another class for July 25 at Hope grange 10am -2pm with a tour of our farm after the class.

We had a tour on the 18th of the GHEA Academy from Federal Way, WA. this one had about 40 people. I want to thank all the parents - they helped with the tour alot. I cleaned the processing plant and cleaned the milking parlor.

20th - well its getting closer to the wire. I have to make my soup - about 9 gallons of soup. And get my last min. stuff together. I actually went over in the evening and took most of my class stuff to the grange. So in the morning I just need to take the rest of the stuff - or things I forgot.

I have to make a gallon of chevre for demonstration tonight so in class tomorrow I'll hang it. My girlfriend did have some jugs I could buy her and she had a couple of gallons of milk I could sell at my class too. I'll only take about 10 gallons over to the class if anyone wants more they can pick it up at the farm. Got my Processing plant cleaned and the processing plant cleaned too. We have had a few does kid. One of the guys that is coming to my class will be picking up six of the doe kids. David had a headache at market today so he didn't do very well. But it seems when his market isn't doing good the dairy is. So we balance out. The girls and I got the chores done and the goats settled in for the evening. I ordered pizza for dinner - to much to do and get ready no time to cook. David got home about 7:30pm and unloaded his stuff. He had taken our order to the Seattle Art Museum that morning. He loaded his cheese up again. Bed was at about 10pm.

21st - I was up at 4:30 getting cheese packaged for David for market. The girls are up at 6am to help get chores done. I left at 7:30 to haul stuff over to the grange and get set up. Needed to cut up samples of cheese and set out all the pans. While I was there the girls ate breakfast, got dressed and finished the milking. I was going to pick them up at 9am. I had two ladies show up at 8:45am. I was still setting up. I came home and got the girls and thier friend Katie came and helped with the class. While I took the class on the tour of the farm the girls were picking up and washing dishes at the grange. Then I went and picked the girsl up, loaded the van with everything, mopped and swept the floors, vaccumed the rugs and put the chairs away. By the time the class and tour was over --- oh my I was so tired. My legs hurt so bad from standing in flat shoes. I actually cleaned the parlor and then came inside and sat in a hot bathtub while the girls finished the chores. David got home about 7:30 and counted his bank. He didn't do great but he did do pretty good. I was in Bed by 9pm.

22nd - David went to market this morning left at about 6:30am. I got the girls up and we did chores, fed babies and then came in and ate breakfast and headed for church. We had gotten a call on Sat. afternoon that the Dockside Bistro wanted to order some cheese and needed it on Sunday. So after church we went to Subway and got lunch then headed for Olympia. Got the cheese delivered and then stopped at the stipmall in Centriala and bought some jewelry & books.

Then we had some stuff to pick up at Walmart in Chehalis. We got home about 3:45. Sat down for 15 min. then headed out to feed babies and start chores. David got home about 8pm not so good at market. Bed was at 10pm.

23 - Getting ready for our tour on Tue. I made Chevre in the morning and Grande Rosa and Pepper Rosa cheese in the afternoon. Have to get all the cleaning done in the Processing plant and the milking parlor. Cutting up samples and cleaning our bathroom too. The lady from the bank is coming to teach us how to use our visa machine. One more step to being a real business. David will be using the machine more than I will. We also got a manual one, so if I need it I can take that one and do all the transactions at home. David did running around to day, needed dog food, banking and store.

No babies born for the last few days. But we only have 14 on the farm that are bottle babies. And only one of those is for sale. I have standing orders for babies and I am thankful they are so far patient with my does who are holding out on me. We are milking 42 doe right now. We have put Cloe (female Anatolian shepard) in the barn with Bernie. We are hoping for puppie by May. Cloe had to be chained to a pole in the barn. She hasn't learned not to chase the goats. So we'll test her every few days to see if she is learning to behave herself. Bernie is uninterested in her. She wants to play so she is tormenting him all the time. Well I got a call from our tour that there will be 50 + people. Oh my gosh.... thier first count was 30- 40 possible. Its crazy.

24- We get up and do all the prep work... everything in order for the tour. We are trying to decide if we should get out the tractor and trailor for rides. Cause it raining on and off today. We end up getting it out. So David will take a group down to the field and I'll take the other ones through the cheese plant. There were about 23 cars and about 60 people. We had alot of people here. They stayed until about 6pm because they wanted to milk too. I think they had a good time. I think we also came up with the right number for our farm for tours - 30. Its just so crazy. Well that night we ordered Pizza for dinner and sat in front of the TV relaxing.

25- Today I got the girls up at 7am to do chores. Danyel had a late Biology class today. David did the running around. I do need to go to the store to get food for our house. I rehung my chevre that was hanging it was cold in the processing plant and that makes my chevre not drain right. It will be done by this evening. I also turned the rounds and put the weight back on them until tonight. I have emails and blogs and mail to catch up on. So that is it for today. Enjoy the pictures.