Subnostr

Does anyone on here keep dairy sheep or eat/drink a lot of sheep dairy?

I’m particularly interested in knowing what it’s like to cook with sheep butter or cream. Does it taste “sheepy” when heated like goat milk tastes “goaty” when heated?

Butter is my main cooking fat and I also cook with cream close to daily. When we homestead, I’d rather not have to go to the store for something that’s so essential every day, especially when ruminants are so good for land health. But dairy cows, even miniature ones, produce SO much milk that I’m afraid it would be a lot of extra work just to avoid wasting it. After hearing a talk at the Homesteaders Of America conference, it sounds like dairy sheep make a more manageable amount, and their milk is also higher in the fats I want dairy for anyway.

I might get a chance to try sheep cream for myself this spring (it seems Amos Miller carries it then), but thought I’d #asknostr beforehand.

#homestead

#homesteading

#sheep

#cooking

#grownostr

Jac 2y ago

Excess milk is great for bolstering the diets of cats, dogs, pigs, etc. It is wonderful added to feedstock when fermented anaerobically. Bring on the A2 A2 miniature Jersey cows. ☺️

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Discussion

𝔼𝕣𝕪𝕟 𝔹𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕔𝕠 2y ago

Right, I kinda wanted to take it really slow with large animals though 😂 pigs are super useful for reducing waste but are definitely a stretch goal.

A mini Jersey was something I’d been considering at one point; I’d done some math and figured that between making butter, cream, and skyr, I could figure out how to use the milk per day from ONE … but just barely, and they also probably would need a friend…

Jac 2y ago

You know, we have one dexter cow, she’s alone with pig and goat friends and does fine. Pigs augment their diet by eating cow feces, it’s yet another large ruminants advantage. The only time she gets restless is when she’s in heat, a little more grain and time gets her through it.