What tastes great, can be made at home ”“ and you can eat the animal that helped produce it when all is said and done?
If you answered, “goat,” you win the brass ring. Female goat”™s milk is highly prized for making cheese and its meat is another delectable gaining popularity in Hudson Valley restaurants.
Talitha Thurau and her partner, Dan Jones, are in the process of turning Edgwick Farm in Orange County”™s town of Cornwall into a micro-dairy, receiving the blessing of the town”™s planning board in early December.
Thurau owns the property, which was designated for agriculture when she bought it.
“I originally had two goats I bought in 2005, as that was the limit allowed; two goats per acre,” she said. “I grew up on a farm in Vermont where we always had fresh milk, meat and vegetables. I wanted to provide the same for my own family.”
When the opportunity came up to buy an additional parcel and have her property become part of an agricultural district in 2007, she sought the help of the Cornell Cooperative Extension to make it happen. Now, Edgwick Farm”™s nearly nine acres is home to more than 20 female and two male goats, several ducks, chickens and a donkey, who keeps neighborhood dogs and coyotes from attacking the herd.
“The donkey works a lot better than having dogs guard the goats,” Thurau said. “If we had dogs, they”™d be chasing all over the neighborhood. The donkey stays with the herd, so they are protected and is much less nuisance to our neighbors.”
Thurau and Jones will be renovating a 100-year-old barn, building a milking parlor, cheese processing plant and walk-in cooler, much of it done with sweat equity. “We have the renovation out for bids,” Thurau said. “We purchased about $30,000 worth of used equipment for the cheese making process and we expect to spend another $75,000 to $100,000 renovating the barn.” Thurau said she and Jones are self-funding the endeavor. “Once we become operational, we can apply for grants.”
The couple put up a 20 by 60-foot movable “hoop house” in the fall for the goats to live in during the winter within a stone”™s throw of the new milking and cheese-processing barn that will soon be operational. Thurau and Jones hope to be selling cheese at farmers”™ markets and to private restaurants by early next summer.
“They”™re hardy animals,” she said. “If you stop breeding them at age 10, they can live as long as 17 years. The males are prized for their meat ”“ the females for their milk. As long as they are kept out of the wind and snow, they do just fine.”
An enclosed fence at the back of the hoop house gives the four-legged milk processors ”“ who are all pregnant now ”“ access to the outdoors during the day; a hefty pile of logs have been placed inside its perimeter for the goats to climb on, culled from land cleared over the summer to prepare for the full-fledged farming operation.
A small guest cottage on the property will remain as is ”“ for now.
“We really do not want to open a store,” Thurau said. “This is strictly a micro-dairy. If we wanted to include a retail store, we”™d have had to wait several more months to get the project approved. There are considerations for where we are located ”“ this is a highly populated area ”“ including noise and traffic concerns. There is a clause allowing us to ask for a small store in the future, but it is really not in our plans. We want to keep this micro-dairy targeted to sell directly to farmers”™ markets and restaurants.”
Five types of cheese ”“ from fresh brie and feta to aged wheel cheese ”“ will be processed at Edgwick.
“We”™re working closely with Cornell Cooperative Extension and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets ”“ they”™ve been wonderfully supportive,” she said. “I”™m especially thrilled that Governor Paterson signed an Executive Order on December 15 promoting sustainable local farming. I”™m glad farming is being recognized as an important economic generator that also keeps the land healthy and gets people thinking about what they”™re eating. Too much our food is processed, and nobody knows where it came from.”
One thing Thurau is sure of: “There will be no mistaking how good our cheeses are once people taste them ”“ so we are very optimistic, especially since I believe we are the only farm making goat cheese in the area.”
Congrats Tee and Dan! Can’t wait to see how the creamery looks when the renovations are done.