GOAT CHEESE LUNCH

Lunch today was an affair to remember! Mary Harley Kruter invited me to join an extended list of girlfriends to lunch at Celebrity Dairy of Siler City NC. http://www.celebritydairy.com/

Celebrity sells goat cheese to the area restaurants and upscale food markets in the Triangle. My DH discovered the cheese soon after we moved here but we had not the opportunity to actually see the operation. What began several years ago with a couple of goats is now a full scale farm herd milking about twenty goats [twice a day!], selling cheese and the occasional special event at the farm. The Inn offers eight bedrooms and breakfast served in the Atrium. The atrium is really the space between the early 19th-century cabin and the modern inn added at the front. The space is used for dining and features a large stone fireplace and room for long buffet serving tables.

Mary [left] welcomes arriving guests in the dining room. Nineteen of us [right] enjoyed a prix fix luncheon consisting of fresh goat cheese served with a focaccia bread made with spelt grain for the first course. Lasagna made with spinach and goat cheese was the main dish.


The most marvelous 'goat milk' ice cream over a warm, oozing melted chocolate brownie finished the meal. Never had ice cream made with goat's milk before but it was subtle, refined, smooth and way above average.

After lunch one of the staff girls [a milker], gave us a tour of the barns and gave us some goat facts. The number of new-born kids now totals about fifty but the season is not over yet. Early milking begins at 06:00 a.m., after which the cheese making process begins. Late milking at 6:00 p.m. is followed by clean-out, wash-up and ready for the next day.

Currently getting about 45 pounds of milk per day, the yield is about 60 pounds of cheese. As February is birthing time for the mothers that proportion of milk to cheese will diminish as the milk yield subsides over the coming months.

Little kids are getting extra milk from a multi-nippled drink source. Two of the older goats vie for the drinking fountain [right]. Cats are scampering here and there about the barn and off to the side no less than five female peacocks are noted.



Mary Harley [right] and friend talk to a young 'kid' in the barn. Besides goats the farm includes a large chicken coop with all colors of fowl. All five female peacocks were poking about. Mister Peacock, resplendent with a huge tale feathers, was sunning on the opposite side of the house [away from the women].

The inn offers some very cozy accommodations, many of the rooms sporting vintage quilts that I would not have missed. Anyone with a camera would would not have missed photographing when viewing this colorful 'crazy quilt' pattern. Just admiring all the collectibles and vintage wares was pre-lunch entertainment.

This evening:
DH and I just celebrated our 'first date' anniversary: February 4, 1984.
We met at The Pear Tree in Rumson NJ, where he offered me a glass of champagne. I thought to myself "humm...champagne...my kind of guy." Tonight we had a champagne toast to the next 26 years. bbf