During the trip I had a couple of instances where I ordered something at a restaurant with cheese from this particular goat farm. It was delish! and so that made me want to go here even more.
So on our last day, with several hours to kill, we trekked into the hills of the island to the Surfing Goat Dairy.
The goat farm is owned and operated by a German couple who came to Maui a little over a decade ago after deciding they needed a new twist in their lives.
When we arrived, it didn't look like much more than a few pens and a small sheds where they sold cheese. There was a one hour "chores" tour at 3:30 and I was told this included being able to milk a goat. Sold.
Our adorable guide for the tour (I wish I could remember her name!) had worked on the farm for a year and a half, moving from the east cost after hurricane Sandy. You could tell she *loved* her job.
We visited the older babies and then another pen of moms who were being considered for the milking crew. We learned that they all had names and their own baby book! Adorable!
This is Pumpkin Pie!
We saw where they made their cheese products; they also made cheesecake and truffles (of course I had to buy some of them).
Then it was time to milk! The goats get to chow while they are being milked so they all scamper to the milking line. Watching them line up and get into position was hilarious. They are actually super smart and like routines.
On a conventional milking apparatus (is that what they are called?) it only takes 2-3 minutes to milk a goat, but if you wanted, you cld milk one by hand. After all the kids went first (I guess I had to let them go first or something...) I finally got to milk my goat!
After the tour commenced, we bought some cheese and truffles to bring home as well as my, what seemed like 17th, homemade lemonade of the day.
As I was walking out I overheard the tour guide telling one of the little girls that she could see the brand new baby goats....soon there were 2 little (one not so little) girls on her tour.
Just 5 days old!
There are actually over 100 female goats and 3 bucks that live on the farm. There had already been over 100 babies born at the farm this year - the 3 bucks apparently take care of all of those ladies!
Other fun facts: during a goat's first pregnancy, she will only produce one baby, subsequent pregnancies 2-3, with twins and triplets being very common. Labor and delivery only last 30 minutes for them, but before you get too jealous...their babies are born with teeth! Happy nursing!!
Seriously...if you ever get the change to visit Maui, you should make the trip up to the Surfing Goat Dairy. It was a great tour with lots of interesting information...it almost made me want to stay and work there!
This looked like it was so much fun to visit!! Reminds me of my cow milking summer at my uncle's. :-) Love the goat standing on the surfboard, too funny!
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