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| Good Goat Farm / Frequently Asked Questions |
How long does the milk last and what is our guarantee?
Pasteurized goat milk can last 21 days and raw goat milk can last up 15 days if kept properly. We guarantee our milk is fresh when delivered and will stay fresh if kept at 4 degrees C for at least 5 days or we will replace it free of charge. Many people do not realize thier refrigerator is not reaching the required 4 degrees C so our guarentee is for 5 days. No guarantee for milk not stored properly.
Do we add anything to our milk to make it last longer.
No, our milk is 100% pure fresh goat's milk. I have heard some people say other farms are adding something to make the milk last longer but in fact if stored properly this should not be necessary. We doubt other farms add anything, they probably heat treat the milk to make it last longer. If you really want the milk to last longer, freeze it, it is still good when thawed.
How do you take the milk, can you drink too much?
You can drink it straight from the bottle because it has already been filtered and you can drink as much as you like.
Should you mix the milk?
For best flavor turn the bottle upside down a few times before pouring or drinking, don't shake vigorously or it will get foamy. This will mix in the cream which can have a stronger flavor, don't drink the cream straight off the top unless you decide you like it that way. Older milk may have to be heated to break up the cream layer.
Why don't we supply raw milk to stores?
We do not supply raw milk to stores because we feel the refrigeration may not be adequate and our product image would suffer. We do not supply milk directly from our farm at this time because of poor road conditions.
What is our delivery area?
We do not deliver outside of KK area, our farthest deliveries are in King Fisher, Menggatal, and Kinarut ... customers farther away arrange to meet in KK area.
What languages do we speak?
Malay, English, Chinese, and Kadazan.
Can I get a discount?
Yes, if you order 3 or more bottles per delivery. Our price is RM 12 / 500 ml bottle if you order less than 3 bottles per delivery. Bottom line fixed price is RM10/500ml if you buy 3 or more bottles per delivery.
Is our goat's milk inexpensive?
Yes! We have compared and found goat's milk for sale between RM 9 and RM 20 / 500ml. Even at the best price our milk is only RM 1 higher per 500ml than the best price we've seen and we feel our milk is fresher and better tasting and more than worth the extra RM 1. In addition we deliver our milk directly to our customers.";
What makes some milk taste goaty?
Oxidation of natural non-smelly fat in the goat cream layer. Excess mixing of milk with air causes some of the fat in the cream layer to break down and become oxidized and this will be concentrated at the top in the cream layer. Keep the milk container closed to keep out oxygen, cold so it doesn't break down, and don't shake it excessively. The air is always at the top of the bottle and so is the fat layer which is why the top becomes oxidized and be more "goaty" that the rest of the bottle. Of course fresh milk we sell hasn't yet had a chance to become oxidized.
Is powdered milk or pasteurized milk as good as fresh milk?
No, it is not as good. When milk is made into powder all the liquid portion is removed and many of the proteins and antibodies (a type of protein important for disease immunity) are denatured (broken), just like an egg that turns white after cooking. Pasteurized milk is probably better than powerdered milk, freezing probably doesn't hurt the milk much but of course fresh raw milk is the best tasting and best for your health! In order powdered milk is worst, then pasteurized, then frozen, and fresh raw milk is best.
Is goat milk better than cow milk?
It depends on who you talk to but it certainly is better for those people with lactose intolerance because it has lower lactose than cow's milk. The fat globules of goat's milk are smaller and have different proteins on the surface so they don't stick to the arterial walls, cow's milk has agglutin which makes it sticky, the main cause of heart, stroke, atherosclerosis, and other circulatory disorders. You can see this when you make Mozzarella because cow's milk Mozzarella sticks together during streching but goat's milk Mozzarella just breaks. Goat's milk is also better for those who are allergic or even mildly allergic to cow products and seems to counteract auto-immune diseases and allergic reactions which are the cause asthma, arthritis, migranes, lupus, and auto-immunue gastro-intestinal upset. Alot of people who suffer from "gastric" swear by goat's milk as the best natural cure. If goat's milk can counteract auto-immune and allergic reactions it could be good for almost anything because there are more than 100 different auto-immune disorders affect different parts of the body. Also, goat's milk is easily absorbed by the body and has fewer waste products relieving stress from the liver (which converts absorbed food into safe nutrients for the bloodstream) and kidneys (which clean the blood). This is why goat's mlik is used as a natural remedy to treat babies with weak kidneys / jaundice ( also known as yellow skin disease / kulit kuning ). Goat's milk is highly nutritous, high in vitamins, high in minerals like calcium necessary for strong bone development and this is probably the reason some people say it can increase fertility and libido. Goat's milk is high in natural oils which makes it an excellent skin moisturiser and beauty agent, we even know one lady who bought several liters for a goat milk facial!
How clean is our raw milk?
We and our children drink our own goat's milk fresh without heating directly from the bottles we supply.
All containers and implements are steam treated before every milking. We do not use any aluminum or plastic products to treat our milk, we do use plastic bottles for sales. We clean our goats before every milking and take a test sample of milk to check for any abnormalities before collection. If the milk is okay it is collected and filtered to remove any sediments which may affect the flavor of the milk. The milk is taste tested, bottled, and refrigerated at 4 degrees C less than 30 min after milking. This milk if kept at the proper temperature can last for 15 days without spoiling and will still taste as fresh as the day it was milked! You can freeze your milk if you want to keep it fresher longer.
What is pasturization?
In addition to the steps above the milk is heat treated for 30 min then chilled and bottled. This milk tastes almost the same as raw milk and can last much longer in less than optimal storage conditions.
Is our product organic?
This is a complicated question. To qualify as organic you can not even have anyone using non-organic fertilizers within 500 meters of your farm boundary so it is very difficult to qualify as organic, so no we do not offically qualify as organic. We do not have any pigs, chickens, or dogs on our farm. Everything we feed to our goats is organic so until recently I was wondering what the "organic" question means in regards to goats. Goats must go undergo routine administration of drugs to prevent diseases, these are not organic but we tag all our goats under medication and follow the recommended withdrawl periods plus 3 days extra just to be sure. Most of these compounds are de-worming agents which would not be harmful to humans anyway. We normally do not de-worm milking goats (usually we de-worm in the dry period before breeding or during early stages of pregnancy) but, if we must, we dose them and discard the milk from the group under medication until the withdrawl period has passed plus 3 days extra.
What do you do with old milk?
Milk that is more than 24 hours old is put into the freezer. This frozen milk is still very fresh because milk can last up to 3 months in the freezer without any change in flavor. This frozen milk is then either sold as frozen milk for those who request it frozen (at the same price as fresh milk) or made into yogurt or cheese.
What is the white layer at the top of the bottle?
It's cream, the best part of the milk but please mix it before drinking! Mix it in before drinking because if you drink the cream straight off the top the milk might have a slightly stronger flavor, up to 30 times stronger because goat milk is 3% butterfat. If cold, or recently thawed, the white layer may be thick and chunky and you may need to warm and mix the milk properly before drinking.
What kind of milk containers do we use?
We use all stainless steel milking containers and implements for all steps of milk collection and treatment, bottles are plastic, no aluminum containers or implements come into contact with any of our milk products.
How to heat treat raw milk?
All milk contains low levels of harmless bacteria, we and our children drink our own goat's milk without heating directly from the bottles we supply. If you wish to heat treat your milk use a double boiler and heat it to 70 degrees C for 5 minutes or to boiling for 1 minute. Milk may develop a burnt taste if you don't use a double boiler. When we pasteurize for making cheese or yogurt we use a shortcut and put it into a pressure cooker and pressure cook it for 15 minutes, it's easier to just put it in and forget about it for 15 min. Please note we put the milk in a stainless steel container on a rack in water and the container immersed in water inside the pressure cooker, essentially a double boiler. If you buy our pasteurized goat milk this is already done for you and you do not need to heat the milk again.
How can you be sure it's not cow's milk?
We don't have any cows on our farm. If you really want to test you can leave the milk till it gets really old (not properly refrigerated) and it will start to develop a 'goaty' smell.
How do customers know our milk is not a powdered subsititute?
We have a reputation to maintain and do not sell powdered milk. We have never taste tested powdered goats milk and don't have any on the farm. The only powdered milk we have on the farm is calf milk replacer. We have calf milk replacer for our goat kids if the mother doesn't produce enough milk but in fact we never use it because we can use fresh goat milk from another doe instead.
What kind of crackers do you use for putting cheese?
You can use any cracker you like but plain crackers without alot of salt brings out the cheese flavor. The best is to use rye crackers, if you go to the food section of Ikea in Singapore buy the big round brown colored rye cracker with the hole in the middle, it's inexpensive and tastes great, must store in an air tight container. If there are no rye crackers available I use Jacob's high fibre low salt as this allows you to taste the cheese without added cracker flavors. Sometimes I also use "Hwa Tai Mini Crackers Perisa Keju".
Can you freeze cheese?
Yes, you can freeze cheese to make it last longer. In general goat milk cheeses freeze well but cow milk cheese does not. It also depends on what type of cheese. Don't freeze Feta because it is preserved with salt water and gets better with age. As a note Queso Blanco freezes well but Queso Fresco does not. We have not noticed any change in flavor or consistency when cheese is frozen and thawed again and it won't get moldy in the freezer but wrap it tightly to prevent freezer smells getting into the cheese.
Your Feta cheese has mold on top of the salt water, what do you do?
It is ok to eat, just scoop off the mold without spreading it around too much and the Feta below is ok to eat and probably tastes better than before! Store the Feta in the brine as when you bought it, don't throw the brine away till the Feta is gone otherwise it will develop mold quickly.
What do our goats eat?
Grass, grass, leaves, and more grass!
What kind of goat shed do you have?
Our goats are kept in sheds with a raised slatted wooden floor out of the sun and rain. Our goats also have an outside exercise and play area. We do not put our goats outside when the ground is wet.
Are we eco-friendly?
Yes, we use renewable energy on the farm when possible, exception is our grass chopper and vehicles. Our location is remote with poor road conditions and no public power supply and we have been using renewable energy since 2004. We use solar panels, a hydro turbine, and a backup generator for electrical power. We are considering using goat waste to generate methane for cooking and power.
Where is our farm located?
Our farm is located 1000 ft above sea level near the ranger station overlooking Kg. Limbanak and the South China Sea in Penampang (near Donggongon). Due to elevation our farm is a few degrees cooler than average for Kota Kinabalu area. From our farm we can see Yayasan Sabah and Kota Kinabalu to the north, Peak Nam Toong, Penampang Bypass, KK Airport, Tanjong Aru, Putatan, and Mt. Kinabalu to the north east.
Do we allow visitors to our farm?
No, we have a strictly closed herd policy, no new goats and no visitors. We have been recommended by Jabatan Haiwan not to permit visitors to our farm to decrease the spread of drug resistant strains of pathogens.
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