First Day of Work

Today was my first day of goat farming.  In the morning I helped Hannah milk.  This involved letting in exactly 10 goats, sanitizing their udders and hooking them up to mechanical milking machines, waiting until they were dry, and letting them out again.  And repeat.  They were milking 66 girls today and it took about 2 hours to finish.  After that, I fed the goats that aren't being milked and the pigs.  The pigs are a sort of natural disposal system because they eat the whey (a byproduct of cheesemaking).  When I finished those chores, I helped Greg in the cheese house.  My jobs included flipping cheeses, wrapping cheeses, and washing everything in sight.  Especially my hands...I'd better get some good moisturizer.  

When I was done working for the morning, I baked some bread and made lunch.  It was really yummy.

Soba Noodles With Almond Sauce:

Soba noodles

Almond butter

Soy Sauce

Sesame Oil

Sesame Seeds

Cook soba noodles according to package directions.  Mix other ingredients in a separate bowl in proportions that seem right to you, and then mix into soba noodles and enjoy!

I realized after lunch that I had nothing to eat for dinner and that no one was going to provide it for me (an interesting notion) and then got in my car and drove to the Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op.  It's like Whole Foods, but way better because most things are locally grown and they really support small farms.  I was obviously in heaven and could have spent all day there but I had to get back to work.  I bought a tomato, and avocado, and some locally grown organic salad greens.

In the afternoon I gardened for a couple hours, planting tomatoes and broccoli and parsley.  Then I made myself a salad (I have no clue why I'm telling you my life story, here.  I hope no one is bored to tears reading this) and now I am writing this!