We were looking for a unique way to spend Mother's Day, and Mystery Bay Farm turned out to be *perfect*. Our mom is a former outdoor educator and lifelong outdoorswoman, and we're all foodies and fans of goat cheese. None of us are farmers, and although my mom and I have a healthy respect for ecology and botany, I wouldn't say either of us were interested in the kind of undertaking the owners of the farm have done. Nonetheless, their tour was fascinating and easy to understand. They let us direct the level of interest and depth of education, and it was inspiring for all of us to see the success they've made of the goat farm and garden, using pre-1940's holistic/cooperative techniques and humane approaches. Plus, we got to cuddle with baby dairy goats!
This farm is clearly a lot of labor (on top of running the business side of things, making goat dairy products, raising children, and running a house), and I'm so glad they also conduct these tours because we had a blast. The end of the tour included tasting some delicious goat cheese, goat yogurt (less to our taste), and cajeta- a rare treat to be savored! Their ricotta is the first I've ever had that wasn't gritty, and I've had baked ricotta on sourdough toast every morning this week for breakfast (so good with a little cinnamon sugar, or a tiny bit of lemon zest!). The lemon chevre and chive chevre is also amazing. The cajeta....well, I could just eat it with a spoon, but I think I'll have to find a few special dishes to drizzle it over.
Going on this tour gave our family something fun and fascinating to talk about for the rest of the day, and a few "hey, we should own a family goat farm" pipe dreams (the goat *are* truly adorable, and very affectionate). It's absolutely worth every penny, especially if you're interested in sustainable farming practices and boutique animal husbandry. read more