Milkin it for all it's Worth

Thanks to Emily Boutein for these Bovine photos of our June 15th Family Cow workshop!
We tried our hand at milking a Local Farm jersey cow named Pumpkin...

 First we brushed her to get rid of loose hair and dirt so it wouldn't fall in the milk and to help us all relax. A relaxed and happy cow will give MOOre milk!

 We learned where to rest our head so we can keep a cow from kicking the bucket.

In anticipation of getting her own cow, Lynn is VERY MOOtivated!

 Milk comes from the cow at about 100 degrees... the perfect  temperature for making yogurt. Simply mix a little starter from a previous batch into the warm milk, pour into jars and keep warm for 6-10 hours. We set our jars in a cooler filled with warm water.

  The cream rises to the top of whole raw milk that has set over night. One can lower a ladle into the cream and let it slip over the lip of the ladle filling its bowl. Pour the cream into a jar and shake it up.

Vigorously shaking the cream disturbs the surface tension of individual fat globules and join together to make...

 BUTTER!

We learned that only raw milk will make simple "magic" cheese. Heat the milk until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan and stir in vinegar until the mix "magically" separates into curds and whey. Strain away the whey...

 and CHEESE!, There you have it!

Top off a MOOrvalous day with  creme de la creme: hand-cranked ice-cream!