Episode 110: Milking Dairy & Meat Sheep with Rachel & Kyle Hester, Part 1

In this episode, Brandon chats with sheep homesteaders Rachel & Kyle Hester about Romanian placinta cake, how the Hesters got into raw milk for health, sheep breeds for milking, how to start milking a meat sheep, what a milking session looks like, drinking the delicious milk, and making sheep cheeses.

Timestamps/Topics for Episode 110:

0:00 Intro

3:13 Romanian placinta cake

5:49 How the Hesters got into homesteading with sheep

13:39 Milking meat sheep breeds during lockdown

16:50 Brandon asked about how to start milking his meat sheep

28:12 Herd culture and family groups

34:21 What a milking session looks like

38:00 Teat placement and selecting for good milkers

44:27 Sitting behind the sheep when milking

47:19 Milking just once a day & milk as the main product for a while

53:58 Making sheep cheese

59:46 Experimental cheese making

Links for Episode 110:

• Whoopsy Daisy Farm https://www.whoopsydaisyfarm.com/
• The Guide to Homestead Dairy Sheep by Rachel Hester https://sawdustpublishing.com/product/the-guide-to-homestead-dairy-sheep/?v=0b3b97fa6688
• Placinta cake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pl%C4%83cint%C4%83
• Weston A Price Foundation - https://www.westonaprice.org
• Joel Salatin https://polyfacefarms.com/
• Babraham Institute https://www.babraham.ac.uk/
• David Asher https://www.milklab.ca/
• Natural Sheep Care by Pat Coleby https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1302660.Natural_Sheep_Care
• Much Ado About Mutton by Bob Kennard https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21814351-much-ado-about-mutton
• The Nordic Cookbook by Magnus Nilsson https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25208269-the-nordic-cookbook
• The Eco Flock: Small-Scale Shepherding for Uncertain Times by N S Rose https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/102016416-the-eco-flock

Looking for more Meatsmith knowledge? Join our online membership or come to an in-person class:

• Hands-On Harvest Classes - Come to one of our harvest classes on our homestead in Oklahoma. We offer classes on harvesting pork, beef, lamb, and poultry in the Spring and Fall. Spots are limited to just eight students per class to maintain an undiluted hands-on experience. Jump on this chance and sign up today! Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/upcoming-classes/
• Meatsmith Membership - We created an online community and resource for homesteaders and farmers. It serves all those who want to cook and eat well. We offer the fruits of our labor (and our kitchen) from more than fifteen years of experience, and our Membership community of over six hundred is an invaluable digital resource. The only one of its kind in the country, Meatsmith Membership provides an earnest and winsome approach to domestic livestock raising, slaughter, butchery, curing, cookery, and charcuterie. Join us today and partner in growing your home around the harvest. Monthly memberships are $17.49 per month, plus a one-time sign-up fee of $29.99. Or purchase an Annual membership for $189.49 per year with no sign-up fee, saving you $50.38. Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/membership/