VERY INTERESTING NUMBER 117: GOATS CHEESE

Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about 

FACTS ABOUT GOAT CHEESE

-Fresh goat cheese has about half the fat, cholesterol and calories of commercial cream cheese made from cow`s milk, which it sometimes resembles in texture. It has about 60 percent of the fat, cholesterol and calories of cow`s milk cheddar.

- Goat cheese takes about three days to make. It changes in appearance and becomes stronger-tasting as time goes by.

- Goats normally produce milk for 4 to 5 years, although some are productive longer.

- Goats start giving milk at about 2 years old and will produce 12 to 16 pounds of milk a day, or 1 1/2 to 2 gallons, about 10 percent of what cows produce.

- It takes about 100 pounds of goat milk to make 16 to 25 pounds of cheese, depending on when during their producing cycle the milk is drawn. The later in the cycle, the thinner the milk and the more it takes.

- Unlike cows, goats are browsers rather than grazers and eat a variety of grasses, weeds and shrubbery. The taste of the cheese often depends on the diet of the goats, so different parts of the country will produce different-tasting goat cheeses.

- Despite the advances in modern packaging, locally produced fresh goat cheeses have a distinct advantage over imported brands or even those mass produced because they reach the consumer faster.

- Goats are more independent than cows and respond to personal care more than their bovine cousins.

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking