How I Spent my Mother's Day Weekend

Pure Luck Dairy in Dripping Springs holds cheesemaking workshops twice a year, and Lindsey asked if I would like to go for Mother's Day.

Would I!

We had been planning a mother-daughter weekend and decided to include the workshop in my visit. It takes place over three days and includes lessons on goat-raising and cheesemaking. Yes, they let you make your own cheese. We made four Pure Luck orginals: basket-molded fresh chevre, feta, an ashed Ste. Maure, and a goat's milk Camembert called Del Cielo.

Naturally, these cheeses travelled back to Sarasota with me. The Ste. Maure and Del Cielo are still ripening in my refrigerator. What great trip souvenirs!

We arrived in Dripping Springs full of questions about the goats and cheesemaking. Amelia (left), who is in charge of production, and her sister, Gitana (right), are wonderful. They were generous with information and praise for our cheesemaking efforts.

We all donned hairnets, aprons, and rubber soled shoes for the class, which was held in the suprisingly small Pure Luck cheese room.

Making cheese is really a science experiment - with a magical, delicious conclusion.

Later, we learned about goat care. Here Gitana holds the bucket while I give milking a try.
(This is not the best camera angle for the goats or me.)

This is their other end . . . The goats eat while being milked twice a day. Talk about multi-tasking!

These are two curious members of the herd. The goats have distinct personalities and were happy to have our attention. Dogs herd them and keep them safe at night. There is a strong working relationship between the caretakers, dogs, and goats. Everyone has a job.

I loved my goat cheese weekend. What's next?