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further.“ And that’ s kind of how this business came about,” says Mikey.
We head over to the production area and pasteurizer room. On cheese production days, it means pulling on full protective gear, hair nets, beard nets … like entering a restricted lab. All for maximum purity. Mikey points to a goodsized steel tank.“ This is a pasteurizer. On the other side of the wall is a huge 500-gallon bulk tank. So the milk goes from the goats into the bulk tank.” Next he maneuvers a long pipe that connects the bulk tank with the 300-gallon pasteurizer where it’ ll fill up in minutes, heating to 180 degrees, then cooling to 151 degrees.“ Then we take it from the pasteurizer into the cheese bath. And this is where we add the rennet or the bacteria cultures— whatever we want. Next we
Mikey Stotz with new kids.
put the cheese in molds, flipping them every two hours and then sealing and packaging them— all by hand. This is highly controlled,” assures Mikey.
When Cherry Glen Goat Cheese Company shut down shortly after the pandemic, there was a palpable community sigh that another farm business, and the last of its kind in the Ag Reserve,
closed. Picking up from the Cherry Glen operation, Bluffing Goat Farm became the new and only producer of goat cheese products in Montgomery County. Mikey hired an experienced goat wrangler and manager of the day-to-day operations— a staff of one. Jointly they orchestrate the many moving parts of the farm. And there has also been assistance from a local goat lover with breeding expertise helping his herd grow. Plans are underway to expand the goat operation, product line and marketing reach.
The Bluffing Goat Farm team is committed to sustainable farming practices. With the average age of farmers in the US a year shy of 60, it’ s cause for celebration when the next generation enters the remarkably noble, challenging and deeply rewarding life of farming.
R
B Savage & Sons Farm, LLC
OPEN year Round
Thursday 12 pm- 6 pm Friday 12 pm- 6 pm Saturday 10 am- 4 pm
u Pasture Raised Beef, Pork, Chicken( our farm) u Goat meat( Thistle Thickets Farm) u Fresh Eggs, McCutcheon’ s Products, BBQ Sauce( Poolesville Pickers) u Long Looked For Apple Butter( Produced at Kingsbury’ s Orchard) u Hay( square / round bales), Straw( square / round bales), Deer Corn( shelled corn), Seasonal Produce, Seasonal Decorations, Hand Crafted Items, Goat Milk Soap( Thistle Thickets Farm) u Honey Effects Honey( Joe Long) u Home Baked Items
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Buddhist Relief
Providing Humanitarian Aid for Those In Need
Hunger Hurts...
... And there is something you can do about it! Become a Friend of KPC Buddhist Relief and join in a local effort that:
F Distributes more than 16,000 pounds of food each month to our nonprofit partners, filling in the gaps with items they cannot procure themselves
F Sources what our neighbors truly need— whether it’ s fresh produce, culturally specific foods, or essential spices
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Now offering: MANURE REMOVAL and ROLL-OFF SERVICES BULK MULCH, LEAFGRO, SAWDUST
23035 Mt. Ephraim Rd, Dickerson, MD u 301-370-7111
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