My First Soap

I think I’m really going to like this soap making.  I must say, after reading a little bit from the books I bought, I found a much better way to prepare my soap than the gallon jugs, pop bottles, and gallon Ziploc bags.  I confess, that’s how I store milk for bottle kids.  My new way of preparing milk for the freezer is so easy.

Now why can’t I say I had this brilliant idea all on my own?

Once they are frozen, it takes just a bit of hot water on the the back and a fork along the edge, and they just pop out!

The milk is so much easier to measure this way.

If I need a part of a milk cube, they are pretty easy to cut with a knife on the cutting board.  Not too dangerous for me!

On to the results.  I made a batch that was just plain goat milk soap–no color, scents or botanicals added.  I figured I should just try it to start with.  I think I mixed it longer than it needed because it didn’t take hardly any time with the small batch and the stick blender.  That was definitely a good idea!  I did some in a box mold that I cut into bars.  It looks almost exactly like my mozzarella cheese!

Then I used the cute goat mold that Pam sent to me.  Here it is still in the mold.

Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with the results.

I need to work on the edges where I cut the bars and I need to get the back on the fancy molds a lot smoother, but I figure I’ll keep learning and doing better.  I’ve already made a second batch, so we’ll see how that turns out!  I used a different recipe, so I can experiment and find the one or two that I like the best.

I’m looking forward to making a wooden mold with Dad.  I’m just not sure what the best design is.  I read that you don’t want to pour your milk soap very thick, so I was thinking long and thin.  What dimensions work well for you?

Bulk Bin

Since I first started collecting farm animals about ten years ago, I’ve been going to feed stores and buying fifty pound bags of feed.  That is not always convenient.  I have to make frequent trips, and it’s hard to store very much.  The last couple of years, my mom has gone and picked it up for me because it’s cheaper at the elevator.  I just can’t make it there during the day when I work.

For several years, Jeremy has been talking about bringing me a bulk bin.  I could get a larger quantity for a cheaper price, and they would deliver it to me.  In October, when we poured concrete, we put a patch to hold the bulk bin.  Since Jeremy is done tiling for the winter, he was going to bring it out a couple of weeks ago.  Unfortunately, it had been filled.  They can’t move it full of corn.  He went and got a different one, but when my dad saw it, he said it was junk.  Well, Dad did some checking and a friend of his had one I could have.

Dad and his friend, PB, loaded the bin onto that handy trailer and hauled it to the shop where they could work on it.  Then they brought it out to my place.

Nephews Jeremy and Christopher came out to help unload the bin.  There’s that slab of concrete, just waiting to be used.  You might notice the wet concrete, mud and shorts on one nephew.  We had unseasonably warm temperatures today.

Now the trick was getting it off the trailer!  Jeremy and Chris got on the trailer and started tipping it.

Dad and PB were on the ground to help lower it slowly.

Does he not looked pleased with himself?

Now that it was down, they all took a leg and got it turned so that the top could open easily to allow it to be filled up.

Next, Jeremy got out his drill and put holes in the concrete in the spaces provided at the bottom of the legs.

Dad had the bolts to fasten the bin to the concrete.  That way, it won’t blow over in a wind.  Of course, PB’s suggestion was to lash a goat to each leg if the wind started blowing too hard.  He’s so helpful!

Yeah!  It’s up and ready to go.  I have a delivery of shelled corn scheduled for Monday.

Before, this one came to me, Dad and Jeremy checked on the price of a new one.  Jeremy’s dad said the last one they  bought cost $300 new.  Now the price is about $1200.  This one just needed a new sliding door on the bottom.  Cost:  about $150.  It holds 120 bushels, and I figure the bulk price will cut my feed bills by about a third.  I am so excited!

The New Year

I must say, 2010 will go down as a banner year for me.  I’ve done so much in the last twelve months it’s hard to keep track of it all.  I’ll just name a few of the high points:  starting my blog (and helping Millie with hers), buying the farm, getting it cleaned up enough to plant my first crop and harvesting it, canning, milking and making soap for the first time.  With all of these things in mind, I think next year will be even better!

I’m not making any resolutions (I already gave up most everything that’s bad for me, but I refuse to quit chocolate or coffee), but here are some things I’d like to accomplish with my farm in 2011.  I admit, some of these were on my list for this past year, but it really was a bad year to get things done with all the rain we had.  This coming year, I’d really like to see the farm continue as well as making the first step into agri-tourism.

Obviously, we are going to plant crops (beans this year), and I would like to expand hay production.  That shouldn’t be too difficult with all the work we did tiling in the pasture.  We can get to the back hill with all the equipment now.

I’d like to rebuild my little love shack for the goats and also put up an new building that would have several birthing pens.  With keeping so many kids the last three years, I really need more private spaces for those March babies.  I have up to ten girls that might have babies in March this year, and it’s going to be a tight squeeze to get everyone a private birthing suite.

I have to replace the fence along the western border where my goats don’t realize it’s a fence.  Honestly, if they realized it was a fence, they wouldn’t go through.  Yeah, right!  While we are building fence, I’d like to put a real fence around the front hill where I have planted the orchard/vineyard.  This are is also going to be expanded to plant pumpkins.

I really want to finish tearing down the old trailer and cougar cages and get rid of all the concrete that is useless.  This is the area I would eventually like to use as a building site for an events center and farm market.  This year, though, cleaning is about as far as I will get toward an events center.  I do want to clean up and repair the building that is staying, so I have a temporary place to sell my farm produce.

I’d like to expand my garden and sell produce from it in my building that has to be cleaned out.  We’re going to try to do a big patch of sweet corn again this year.  I’d also like to expand my canning of jams and jellies to sell.  I’ve made strawberry, strawberry-rhubarb, cherry jam, cherry jelly, raspberry and tomato preserves to sell.  I’d also like to make lots of goat milk soap to sell.  Since I just made my first ever batch of soap this week, I’d better get to practicing and being creative!  Of course, I can get back into making candles and bath salts and lip balm as well.

I’d like to make my pumpkin patch big enough to open to the public for pick-your-own pumpkins this fall.  Obviously, it will be a slow business to build up, but we can have hay rides back to the pumpkin patch.  There will be fall squash and gourds and Indian corn.  We will also have some items to sell from my building I’m cleaning out.  If we have a good year for apples, we might even have apple cider.  I could set up a petting zoo also.

I have such big plans running around in my brain for this coming year.  It’s so exciting to see the progress we’ve already made and know that it’s just going to get better!  I can even see where I want to be for 2012 from where I’m at.  I’m sorry to ramble, but I get so excited at the prospect of making this farm my full-time livelihood.

I hope you all have a Happy New Year and may 2011 see all your dreams come true.  This week at Jenny Matlock’s Alphabe-Thursday is all about the New Year.  Be sure to visit for more posts on the new year.