Milking Missy And Meryl

 This is Bobbie Daniels.

And these are her goats......Missy and Meryl

 Meryl is on the left, and Missy is on the right.

Missy and Meryl are just 2 of the animals that Bobbie has on her farm. That's right, there is a farm in Sitka, Alaska.....with real animals and everything! Up until now the farm has not been located in one central location. The animals have been housed in many different small locations while Bobbie's been working relentlessly to get a suitable location for everything. In the meantime she's been raising ducks, goats, quail, rabbits and chickens, and milk, eggs and meat have been being processed. It's really quite an exciting thing for Sitkans, especially for Sitkans who have never had any exposure to farming.

Recently, Bobbie asked me if I would like to milk Missy and Meryl a couple of times a week and keep the milk. Of course I said yes! (never mind that I had no experience milking animals) How often do you get that kind of opportunity in Sitka? So, Mr. Adams, who has vast experience milking cows in his youth, came with me and taught me the ways of milking. The goats were near the end of their productive cycle and would soon be drying up....but we were still able to get a pint of milk from each goat at each milking. I guess when they are really fresh they can produce more than quart a piece!

The milk is VERY good. It tastes almost exactly like cows milk with only a subtle difference. We drank it straight, used it on cereal, cooked with it.....

 And even made Ricotta cheese!

All in all, although I never completely mastered the art of milking, it was a great experience! Thanks, Bobbie! And good luck as you move to your new location at the Sawmill Industrial Park!!!!