I was born and raised in Skagit Valley which is in NW Washington state.
I was the typical horse crazy girl, as my parents discovered and it was a love I would never outgrow. At one point I had 7!
My farm (Give Me Faith Farm LLC) is only 2 and 1/2 acres, but my husband and I have a garden, orchard, free range chickens, ducks, geese and goats.
Our goal is to produce most, if not all, of our food.
My first goat (my gateway goat?) was a wether named Elmer I brought home from a stable I worked at.
He lived into his 20’s – the oldest goat my vet had ever seen when she came to put him down since his arthritis had become unbearable.
After he passed, I took on a pair of rescue goats and shortly after that, I met my soon to be best friend who has since “gifted” me with multiple bottle babies and I was hooked!
The Nubian buckling I purchased is going to be the breeding buck for both our herds, as she has dairy does and also a large herd of goats that she hauls to people’s properties to take down blackberries and brush.
I currently have 8 goats. One is the original rescue who just hangs out. There are also the new buck and his bestie who will always be with him so he’s not lonely when it’s not breeding season, 2 dairy does and a daughter who will become a dairy doe next year, and a giant wether who is my 250 pound lapdog.
I am down to 2 horses, though. And 8 cats. My parents just roll their eyes at this point.
I thought it would be great to learn to make my own cheese for many years, but I worked in an oil refinery and between that and raising a special needs son, I never got around to it.
Then, in 2015, I got hurt and put on temporary disability while I was sent back to college for retraining. Of the choices I was given, the culinary program sounded like a good fit. So, I began learning all about restaurant food production.
After I graduated from culinary school, I got a job at a tiny local bakery that produces strictly gluten free foods.
I had a blast working there but, in December of 2019, I was diagnosed with Lyme disease and later, fibromyalgia. It completely took me out of the game and I was forced to quit.
I believe the fibro is a symptom of the Lyme. I was never sick the way others are but when I overdo it (physically) I hurt extra bad the next several days. Mornings are the worst, it takes hours for the aches and pains to subside. Once they do, I’m pretty well able to do whatever I did, but I run out of energy super fast.
I still have a great relationship with my former boss and she is selling some of my homemade soaps at the bakery. The soap making was a way to fill time, but I had enough people tell me I ought to be selling it, so I formed an LLC and started making more! I’m hoping to sell them soon from my website.
The cheese making desire was still on a back burner, although in my classes I was exposed to all kinds of interesting cheeses I had never even heard of. The 2 year program required an internship in a food related industry and I got super lucky to be able to intern with a local cheese maker at her tiny, but amazing, dairy.
It was unique in that the La Mancha goats were milked literally 30 feet from where their milk was turned into cheese! I learned a great deal over the summer that I was interning, including dairy sanitation, what cultures and techniques produced what cheeses, and even how to hand milk a goat.
After the internship, I found a gal online selling all her cheese making supplies so I bought them all. The cheese press was (of course) a New England Cheesemaking press.
She also had a bunch of different molds and followers, wax and drying mats.
My first homemade cheese ever was a garlic/dill gouda. I made it with raw cow’s milk bought from our local co-op. Somehow, we managed not to break into it and it actually aged for almost a year. It was a bit garlicky but nobody complained.
To date, I’ve made 7 batches of chevre, several of which I’ve used to then make cheesecakes, 2 Colbys, 3 Goudas, 5 cheddars, 2 Parmesans, and a triple cream. Cheddar still kinda kicks my butt but I keep at it, trying to get the curds to knit together perfectly without becoming brittle.
Soon, my kids will all be weaned and then I’ll be cranking out cheese as fast as I can squeeze the milk out of my goats! I really want to make feta and Brie as well as learn to wax my hard cheeses. Currently, I use Foodsaver bags to seal them and I have a mini fridge to act as a cheese cave.
I have chronic fatigue so I try to set daily goals that are attainable. Sometimes that means cleaning goat stalls or making a batch of soap, or making cheese and resting most of the day. It’s therapeutic to sit on a stool stirring curds.
The kids will be weaned soon so I can increase the amount of milk I freeze for soap making this winter and, of course, start making as much cheese as I can. I want to completely eliminate store bought. I guess you could say that my “job” has become figuring out ways for this farm to pay for itself.
My son is a computer genius (unlike his mom) and he has put together the website for my little farm. I don’t really have any idea how to run a business so this is a major learning process for me.
Advice for beginners:
I consider myself pretty much a newbie still at cheese making so I’m not sure what the best advice would be. When I can turn out a perfect melty cheddar, then maybe I’ll be “experienced.”
I would say the best way to learn is just do it! YouTube has tons of wonderful cheese making videos, Gavin Webber being a great one for different recipes.
Start with simple recipes – fresh cheeses like chevre or paneer are easy and don’t require much equipment. Obviously New England Cheesemaking Supply (cheesemaking.com) is a great source of information and recipes, too! I printed out quite a few when I first began.
Don’t give up if a cheese doesn’t turn out right. It’s easy to make mistakes when heating curds or over-stirring or even using too much rennet. I had one cheddar develop mold inside the freezer bag. I just scraped it off and enjoyed the perfectly delicious cheese underneath!
Corrine Richey says
I’m in Arlington, so not far from you. Your story resonated with me as we have much in common including desire to master cheddar. My desire is often greater than my energy most days and I don’t finish what I start, but thankfully life is still very good here. I am learning to adjust and enjoy the seasons as they come.
Gina says
Desire versus energy is such a good way to phrase that! Good luck with cheddar efforts, eventually we’ll perfect it.
Oh I wish I had been able to read this article before August 14, 2021. I just spent a week in the Concrete, WA area with friends that live in Bird’s View. I would truly love to meet you, see your farm and greet your wonderful animals. We will be in your area again next year, probably the 2nd-3rd week of August, as we love going to Cascade Days. My husband graduated from Concrete High School (1960) and we get together with several alumni each year.
Your article is inspiring and we hope your health can improve each day forward. New England Cheesemaking Company has been one of my go-to places for supplies. I usually only make fresh mozzarella but have been thinking of expanding to a few other types of cheeses, too. Thanks for your love for the Skagit Valley, home and animals and for keeping the homemade way alive and well! Good luck on all your endeavors. I’ll try to locate you when we get there again next year.
msjoytitus@gmail.com
Joy, I would be thrilled to meet you!
Hi Gina,
You had me in stitches with gateway goat😂. I too have had a goat addiction. I now love an ex-dairy cow.
I loved to see your farm is so productive, it is this can do attitude that i love so much.
I too love to just keep going, i have a favourite song i listen to for inspiration, it is sung by an Australian band called The Waifs and is called Gillian. It can be found on music apps, have a listen in your down time and you will see what i mean.
Thank you for sharing your story, i loved reading it.
That is a terrific song! Thank you! I hope my son appreciates me that way someday, lol!
Gina, I loved reading about your milking and cheesemaking. But what I love most about your story is your rescue efforts and animal husbandry. You obviously treat all of your animals as members of your family based on their affection for you and each other and their incredible longevity. Along with your beautiful soaps, I wish that you could bottle up your secret to their longevity and sell it too. Also, love the name of your LLC; so apropos. Thank you for sharing your story and journey.
Thank you so much for your kind words. My animals are my children, even those who will eventually be used for our food. I can’t do it any other way.
Ciao Gina,piacere di conoscerti. Sei come me , e ti capisco bene . Anch’io da mattina a sera sempre in piedi ,con mille cose da sbrigare.
Mia casa come barca di Noa . Tra tutti animali diversi razze ,una 70 .
E con tutto ciò, lavoro con altra attivita. Ma ,mi piace fare formaggio ,e cominciato fare da questa primavera , diversi tipi . Sono d’accordo con te e noi con marito cerchiamo di produrre quasi tuti cibi per noi ,e non solo. Ma quando faccio formaggio ,mi ricarico di energia.
Magari un altro tempo ti chiederò qualche consiglio ,come trattare formaggi durante stagionatura, ti auguro tutto il meglio. Irene
Irene, bless your heart! I ran your comments through an online translator so I hope you’re able to do the same. I get recharged working on my farm, too, even when I’m exhausted! I think it’s a spiritual boost.
Gina, love your goats!! I have yet to get my hands on some fresh raw goat’s milk. I drive 180 miles to get my fresh, raw cow’s milk suitable for cheese making f FR rom a trusted farm in South Carolina.
Raised my children in Vancouver, WA, and vacationed backpacking on Mt Rainier many times. I got relatively lost up on Rainier once in an early October snow, losing the trail in the snow. Made it out using my map and compass!
May your farm and goats yield many cheeses and blessings! Your perseverance is admirable! Chronic fatigue can be a bear to live by!
Best to you, sister! Much peace and love!
Thank you! I’m kinda in love with my state, lol! We have such a variety of climate, you never have to drive far to go from rainforest to high desert!
What a wonderful story. The biggest lesson here is no matter what comes your way, just don’t give up.
I agree, and to stay positive!
Hi Gina, so glad to virtually meet you, I want to thank you for sharing your story with our cheese making family. You are steeped in many wonder-filled activities, Your place sounds exciting and many of your goals are what others only dream of. I wish you all the best with your new ventures and your latest expansions. Keep in touch and many blessings for a bright future.
In Peace, Love and Cheese, Ricki
Thank you, Ricki 🥰
What an inspirational story! Through so much adversity you’ve kept such a positive, “can-do” attitude. Congrats and have fun as you continue perfecting your cheesemaking craft (and kiss those goats for me)!
I’ll give everybody a kiss but the buck, lol, he stinks to high heaven right now!