We've realized it's time to share. We've been trying to keep up, but we've officially made more ice cream than we can eat on our own.
As many grand island adventures, this one began as a post on the Orcas island Buy-Sell-Trade facebook page. We suddenly found ourselves in possession of a commercial ice cream maker. It was kind of an accident - we got a good deal on a display freezer if we also got the ice cream maker.
Islanders may recognize this as the former Enzo's Ice Cream Maker. Shout out to Katie and David Gaible, owners of Tidepool Coffee and Salish Sea Yarn Co., who inadvertently sent us on this adventure by convincing us that we should buy this piece of equipment.
We figured we'd make a few batches of ice cream for ourselves just for the fun of it, and then sell the ice cream maker to a restaurant supply resale store. Making ice cream out of goats milk was going to be a culinary challenge, and Crystal was intrigued. Turns out, the ice cream was very tasty. VERY tasty.
A few short months later....
We are now officially a WSDA certified goats milk ice cream maker!! (the only one in the state, as a matter of fact) We think we have something special. For one thing, the ice cream is made from the freshest of ingredients: the goats milk, eggs and cheese come straight from the farm. The milk gets made into ice cream within a day or two of milking.
Here's a little science:
Goats milk contains less lactose and a slightly different protein structure, so it is more easily digestible. It also is less prone to cause allergic reactions in folks who struggle with cow milk.
Goats milk is naturally homogenized, and the milk and cream doesn't separate. This is where Crystal worked her magic, finding the right balance with our chevre to make it extra smooth and creamy. We would call it a secret ingredient, except that we want you all to know that our very own chevre is in there too!
Amy and Crystal have been diligently working on flavors. Currently, we have Chocolate, Vanilla and Coffee. Still in the perfecting process are Cajeta Swirl, Strawberry, Blackberry and whatever else may strike our fancy.
Mandy has been working on creating labels and packaging. We decided to feature a goat from our dairy herd for each flavor, as they are the heart of what is making this venture special! We had a great time running through all our goat personalities and connecting them with flavors that seemed to have the right ring to it.
Mandy reached deep in the annuls of her brain to her art school days, and the time when she was a pet portrait artist. Her daughters taught her how to use the new technology for sketching on an ipad, so she got to practice her old skills while learning some new tricks.
The first batch of labels is ordered, and Mandy is working on a couple more portraits for additional flavors. We think they turned out beautifully!
In the meantime, we are using some simpler labels, as we don't want to wait any longer to share! As you can see, we have a bit of a full freezer! (A freezer overflowing with ice cream? Now THAT is a problem to have!!)
In order to get a few photos to help spread the news, Crystal, Mandy and Amy went to eat ice cream and pose with goats. Tough job, eh? (Poor Eric was off island making a feed run). The goats were much more hopeful about the buckets we were using as seats, but at least Hazel was curious enough to give it a try:
And Green Kate proved herself to be the queen of photobombing.
Don't worry Green Kate. You and Red Kate are on the label for our Coffee Ice Cream.
Did you know that in addition to being National Pride Month, June is National Dairy Month? Not only that, but July is National Ice Cream Month! We are so excited about all the ways we have been renovating and improving our dairy, and are bursting to share it with you! Really. We’re bursting. We’ve done a LOT of product testing.
To order our Lum Farm Goat's Milk Ice Cream, visit our Online Ordering page, or stop by the farmstand. We are extending our hours, and are currently open Thursdays through Saturdays, 12pm-6pm.
As always, we appreciate each and every one of you for being with us on this crazy island-family-farming journey!
The Lum Farm Crew
