I am not sure if there was a thread on this topic already, but I couldn't find anything with a search, so....

I am looking for some fresh goat's milk, either raw or pastuerized, as I would like to try my hand at making some fresh (and possibly aged) goat cheese. I have been doing a bit of research and it seems fairly easy to do (famous last words..) and I am a huge goat cheese fan.

Has anyone tried doing this at home or in a commercial kitchen? Any help is appreciated.

Whole Foods in Arlington used to sell goat's milk -- maybe they still do -- I just haven't looked for it recently.

ESPN! I just picked some up at the Old Town WF. It's pasturized and homogenized. I hope to make goat cheese with lavender. Paging Zora, paging Zora....

Claire, from Clear Springs Creamery (at the Dupont Market) told me about a woman she knows who keeps goats, who she says I can get fresh, unpasteurized goat milk from. I haven't pursued it yet. Obviously, I can't say anything more about this contact, because it is illegal to sell unpasteurized milk commercially.

I have been making fresh chevre and other fresh cheeses for several years now. I get my chevre culture and other supplies from New England Cheesemaking Supply Co. in Ashfield, Massachusetts. They sell good instruction books, as well.

http://www.cheesemaking.com

I use the pasteurized goat milk (I think it is called Albert's, from PA) that is available at some Whole Foods stores. Don't bother trying to use Meyenberg ultra-pasteurized goat milk, which is more widely available. Ultra pasteurized milk cannot be used for cheesemaking. While I would prefer to have unpasteurized milk, obviously, I have been very happy with the results when I use Albert's goat milk.

Zora, you are correct that, in this area, it is illegal to sell unpasteurized milk commercially. However, in Pennsylvania, it is legal for farmers to sell unpasteurized milk (goat and cow) directly to consumers on the farm. IMO, it is worth the trouble to obtain it, whether one locates a farmer and goes to the farm or joins a buying club locally through which one may purchase directly from a designated farmer.

The milk is very clean and fresh, and generally the farmers submit to regular testing in order to hold their permits to sell. The politics are complicated, however, and even law-abiding farmers who do hold permits are at risk for harassment from local agriculture authorities, fueled, I believe, by the larger commercial concerns who do not like to see farmers selling directly to consumers (and making a better profit than if they sold wholesale). So often secrecy enfolds such enterprises and one must know someone and sign an oath of confidentiality in order to partake.

Anyone who is interested in unpasteurized milk, whether goat or cow, would do well to join the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund, or at least peruse their site.

Still, IMO, well worth it.