Well what are you waiting for!?  If you've got a milk order, you can now do pickup at the shop - through the front door, in the fridge.  We're still working on the milk barn, but now we're also using it for business!

For the rest of January 2016, come stock up on Mozzarella Cheese. It's 25% off, up to 4 pounds per order.  

If you would like to make your own, it takes about 1 gallon of whole raw milk to make 1 pound of cheese.  If you send me an e-mail, I'd be happy to share with you a recipe and how we make it here at the Diamond S.  Do you have any favorite cheese or milk-product recipes? Please share your ideas with us, and let's make something delightful together!

​Here is what we did today for a snack - made with fresh Mozzarella Cheese on a toasted kefir biscuit with ham and last summer's tomatoes dehydrated for winter use (at left). At right, Mae shared with us what she and Dusty had for supper using Diamond S Mozzarella.  

What kind of culinary fun have you had with Diamond S Delights? 

​Now look at that picture of Miss Bessy again.  Look at her udder! Now, let's take bets on how much milk production she will work up to.  

Keep in mind -on the 16th, she let us have 3 cups, and this morning was 1 1/2 gallons - but in a couple more days we hope Bessy will be adjusted to her new home without her calf.

The closest estimate to the actual production on Wednesday, January 20th, will win a pint jar of marinated feta! 

To place your bet:  Send me an e-mail or add a comment on our Facebook Page with your answer.  Let's see how many we can get to try and guess what Miss Bessy can do.  Pass her picture to your friends and family and have them send in their answers too!  We'll announce the winner Thursday the 21st.

​Good luck!

We finally moved Miss Daisy and Miss Hannah down to their new home yesterday!  And your milk pickup will now be thru the front door in the frig right there in our little ranch store, at Diamond S Delights.   We're still doing a lot of shuffling, but we are now officially milking there.  

Somehow, in the midst of all this activity, we managed to purchase a new milk cow! But really, is there ever a good time to purchase a milk cow???  I've asked myself that so many times I can't count.  We need milk if we want cheese though, and she is a sweet cow, for the most part, with what looks to be lots of milk. 

However that could take a few days...  Last night she let us have 3 cups, this morning 1 1/2 gallons,  but in a couple more days we hope Bessy will be adjusted to her new home without her calf.  

Thankfully this morning before daylight Gene went to check to see if the heat was still on at church and all three girls were almost to the corner of Cold Springs and Alkali roads, Miss Bessy was leading the pack...

I do love creating something wonderful with Miss Daisy and Miss Hannah's milk. One day you have fresh sweet milk the next you might have a special cheese, sweet cream or cultured cream butter, sour cream, yogurt, kefir, or so many other products.  But the difference between "Raw" milk and the stuff you buy at the grocery is if you leave raw milk on the counter you create another even more healthy product; if you leave the grocery milk on the counter you just have rotten yuk!

You know we milked cows for lots of years while we raised our kids in Jackson.  We also ate sour dough hot cakes every morning for at least 20 years. Didn't know at that time either of them were what we'd be doing again 20+ years later. 

Gene's mom gave me a fresh start of sour dough at least once a week for the first year we were married as I couldn't seem to remember to save what was needed for the next day, or I'd use whole grain that I'd just ground and for some reason when you are feeding the start you just can't use those better-for-you flours.   Learning all about the wonders of sourdough will be next on my list after getting a few more kinds of cheeses figured out.  Yes indeed I want to sprout the flour, dry it and then grind it. That sounds daunting but think very doable.  All of these traditional foods just take time.  Some of you are yards ahead of me on so many of these healthy things we can do for ourselves, but here again all we can do is learn to take those baby steps again...

Let's talk a little bit about the girls.  Miss Daisy is the brown swiss, who is dry now and due to calve in April.  Miss Hannah is who I am milking at the moment.  Can you believe how much cream is on top of her milk?  She is Brown Swiss and Holstein we were told...  Anyway she is a wonderful nurse cow, raising three calves, and now since Gene has weaned his babies, she has come to love the sound of the milk machine.  When it is plugged in just wait a couple seconds and the milk starts running out.  You have to hurry or some gets wasted!!

What I woke up last night thinking about (okay with a little prompting from my cousin) is creating a part time share holder agreement for all of you that only get product from us once in a while, maybe stopping into our cheese shop (2016??) and ordering a frozen yogurt or ice cream or picking up some aged cheddar, or having me send you a case of Marinated Feta for Christmas gifts for your brothers and sisters!  Whatever the case we'll be working on that real soon and I'll send you a link when it is ready for you to down load and print off and sign and send to me.  That way if anyone ever questions either of us the paperwork will be in the office close to your cow, and we are all legal for raw milk sales in Wyoming as long as you own part of the cow!

So what we have here at the Diamond S Ranch this week is:  
Been making Kefir by the gallon for some of the dairy share folks, so have extra this week: 16 oz for $1.50 ea.  
Also just finished another batch of Marinated Feta -  we have
 8- 8 oz jars for $8 ea, 
1- 16 oz for $12 and 
1- 32 oz $20 this week. 

Coming soon, we want to have a little group gathering at the HCC and have a little You Tube meeting then share ideas that we are working on.  I've been thinking about this for months, but waiting for the HCC to be signed off on to get started.  If that darn project doesn't come to an end soon I may not have enough of a mind left to do anything else...  Patience is a virtue, my mother used to tell me!!

I know I've missed some folks that have shown interest in our product, if you know someone please just share if you like or send me their e-mail address. 

Make it a wonderful day and thanks so much-

Kris