Have You Herd about West County’s Redwood Hill? Delicious Kefir, Artisan Cheese, Yogurts, and Adorable Goats Await You

Pardon me while I finish my daily glass of Redwood Hill’s Blueberry Pomegranate Kefir…  This stuff is so tasty and creamy, it is hard to limit myself to one glass a day. My husband used it to make a peanut butter smoothie yesterday, and even he was raving about the taste. 

Who would have thought this girl who was raised on homogenized, pasteurized, Vitamin D cow’s milk would ever drink fermented goat’s milk?  The thanks for this dietary change goes to my health conscious mentor, Miss Teapot, who introduced me to Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions. 

While I’ve always devoured mass quantities of milk, cheese and yogurts, much of it did not sit well with my system.  I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say that my stomach -like the vast majority of today’s American population’s stomachs – did not digest milk well.  Sally Fallon revealed that the problem lies not with milk, but with how today’s milk is produced and processed.  Once I realized I could enjoy milk products if I selected raw, unprocessed milk from pasture fed animals of heritage breed, I began a mad search for local products. 

Luckily, here in Sonoma County we don’t have to search far!  I get weekly milk shares from the Leras Family’s Santa Rosa ranch () for my family’s daily milk consumption, and I purchase West County’s Redwood Hill Farm’s products such as Kefir and artisan cheeses.  Even my stomach agrees – I am in dairy heaven!

 

While the raw milk and the kefir’s natural probiotics help my digestion, there are other benefits from sourcing my dairy products from these local farms.  First and foremost, I enjoy knowing the cows, goats, land, and farmer’s who all contribute to the food on my plate. 

Redwood Hill’s goats are absolutely adorable, and they’d tell you they live the high life.  They live on the first humane certified goat farm in the United States, where the Bice family cares for the heard with a deep seated passion and skill for old fashioned animal husbandry. 

Redwood Hill goats put in their service for about 10 months a year, and then vacation in the Spring to raise their babies.  They give milk for our happy consumption for about 10 years, then they retire to graze in the fields until their days end.

Do you know Redwood Hill’s products?  Which are your favorites?  Ever met their sweet little goats?  Do tell by leaving a comment here!

Read more about this upstanding family farm, their lovable goats, and their upcoming events at the

Sonoma County Parenting Examiner.

(photos courtesy of Redwood Hill Farms via http://www.redwoodhill.com/)