On November 27, Troop 246 ventured to Heron Hollow Farm. We were introduced to the goats in their yard, where we admired and petted them. Because of the rainy weather, Will told us he would bring each goat into the shed for milking. We waited by the milking stand for each one to arrive.
Liz, with her newborn baby strapped in her carrier, demonstrated the proper milking procedure. I was the first one to touch the warm udders of Fizzy. The jar of milk was filling up nicely until Fizzy kicked it over. This was a reminder of how quick and smooth your actions must be when milking a goat. We each took turns as the wet goats were led to the stand. Our leader, Mrs. Linda Richardson, met her goat twin as she milked Linda.
After the milking was completed, we were escorted to the chicken coop, where we spied a couple of fresh eggs!
Now it was time to dry off. We went into the home where we were shown how to make goat cheese. We joined Will, Liz, and baby Ava around the kitchen table, enjoying the different organic products that Heron Hollow had to offer and discussing with Will and Liz the importance of local, fresh food. We listened closely as Will and Liz explained organic farming. We grabbed as much of the delicious goat cheese as possible before leaving the rural serenity.
Meagan said of the experience, “It was really cool to meet people who farm for a living, and learn how what I buy affects their life. I also was overwhelmed by the information I learned in a short amount of time.”
Patricia also had a positive review of this trip, saying she “learned lots about goat cheese and the cheese tastes very very good.”
Personally, I loved visiting Heron Hollow! I had a great time and now I feel that I can connect to local food not only through the spectacular people I met, but also through the wonderful memories that I will always remember. Instead of the boring greetings of “Hello” or “Hi”, I now approach everyone and ask, “So…have you ever milked a goat?”
