Welcome!

I hope you enjoy reading this blog. I will never claim to be an expert on cheese making, goat milking or farming (everyday I learn something new). However, I have learned so much from others who have generously shared their experience in books and on the web and hope to use this blog to pass it on to folks considering goats. I am completely enchanted by these creatures and how they have enriched our life. The amount I have learned since we got our first two goats has been exponential. Now our herd of 21 Nigerian Dwarf Goats is a big part of our daily life and I can't imagine it any other way. This blog will chart the seasons of milking and cheese making as a record for myself and a resource to others who are looking for a window into what it is like to own these adorable mini dairy goats.
For more information about our farm, please look us up on: Our Farm Website
Or LIKE us on FACEBOOK and check often for creamery updates: http://www.facebook.com/sunflowerfarmcreamery

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Long Overview News!


The tricky part about a cheese making blog is when you are really busy making cheese, there is no time to keep it updated. Hopefully this fall I will do a better job, for now, this a sweeping overview. It has been an exciting summer! This summer we are milking 8 goats by hand, finished our cheese kitchen and had a great visit with the new state dairy inspector which was followed by our dairy license! We are the 70th of the licensed cheese makers in the state of Maine! We hope all our readers will have a chance to visit the farm. We are very proud of the kitchen, our girls and the product!

We also got excellent test results back from the state lab! Our cheese is super clean! Feta, Chevre and Cajeta (caramel) all tested at ZERO coliform. Our milk has 5.29% butterfat content (which means we can make more cheese from every quart of milk than milk from most other goat breeds) and 4.23% protein (average protein of goat milk according to The University of Delaware Extension is 3.4 percent-so we are high in protein!) All great confirmation that our hard work at making healthy and delicious cheese is now a tested reality!

You can now find our Cheese at Bow Street Market in Freeport, the Walnut Hill Market (across from Ames Farm & Feed) in N. Yarmouth, Sweetser Apple Barrel in Cumberland and at Orchard Hill Farm in Cumberland.  Or e mail or call and come stop by the farm. Our production will be limited in our first year, about 100 cheeses a week.

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FALL Schedule of Sunflower Farm Events

Sunday, September 16, 2012
Eco Appetito
Cinque Terre, Portland, Maine
Noon-3pm
Sunflower Farm Cheese will be featured at Eco Appetito in September. Eat, drink & mingle for a good cause!
Executive Chef Lee Skawinski and his staff at Vignola Cinque Terre will highlight the best food and drink Maine has to offer:local meats and seafood • area artisan cheeses • locally grown veggies • desserts • hand-crafted beers • area wines
Event also includes: Silent auction • Door prizes • Live entertainment
Tickets are $40 in advance (available online at http://ecoappetito.org/ and $50 at the door. All proceeds will benefit Ferry Beach Ecology School and its Food for Thought program which teaches healthy food and sustainable living choices to children and adults throughout New England.

Sunday, October 7, 2012
Open Creamery Day & Sunflower Farm Opening Party for Friends & Family
FREE
Farm and kitchen will be open from 11-3 for the general public with an opening party for friends and family to follow from 6-8. If you are interested in also visiting other cheese makers around the state, see more info on The Maine Cheese Guild Website.

Saturday October 20, 2012
Womens' Cheese Happy Hour
4:00-6:00 pm
$30.00
Come visit in the cheese kitchen, cook up a few goat cheese appetizers to enjoy together and get creative mixing your own herbs in spices in to plain chevre to take home. A delicious chance to get a taste of cheese making and to visit with other fun women!
Call 829-8347, E mail hope.hall@thorntonacademy.org or message me on our Sunflower Farm Page to reserve your spot.