Black Mesa Ranch
Snowflake, Arizona, USA
Artisan Cheese
Nubian Goats
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Updated!
6/07: We have revamped our Ranch Workshop Packages!
In addition to our one and three-day cheese making and goat management workshops learn about our free open- house days and lodging accommodations.
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Award Winning Artisan Goat Cheeses
4 Awards 2005 ADGA National Competition
3 Awards 2004 ADGA National Competition
2 Awards 2005 ADGA National Competition
2 Awards 2004 ADGA National Competition
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Click here to read the online version of Kathryn's booklet
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This site last updated:
March 29, 2008
© 2000-2008 Black Mesa Ranch Inc. All Rights Reserved
Arizona Grown!
Wethers "Cayenne" and "Bajo" on their goat-ze-bo
Monday, August 05, 2002
A fierce monsoon storm cell sat over us and the mesa for about 30 minutes this afternoon, dumping a huge amount of rain in a very short time. The water falls off the mesa rocks were beautiful to watch until we realized that all that water was quickly funneling down the washes in tremendous volume. In no-time flat the torrents had reached the compound.
Flood water runs through the compound, filling the retention pond
Fortunately most of the grading work paid off and the powerful little rivers swirled harmlessly past the buildings. One exception to the good fortune was the veggie garden which took major damage. In addition to the damage by the fast-flowing water, over a foot of thick mud and debris was deposited on top of all my little plants. It's probably all a write-off this year but we'll get out there tomorrow (weather permitting) and see if we can salvage anything.
The veggie garden with just a few plants sticking up out of the mud flow.
Friday, August 09, 2002
To Showlow and Town: Bank, Mex lunch, PO, Return old pump control box, Wal-Mart, payless shoes, feed store. Bought 30# of green chiles at Wal-Mart and had them roasted. Peeled the bunch once we were home and froze most of it in QT bags.
Skimmed 4 gal milk and started a lactic cheese.
Garden: Worked on removing flood mud from another strawberry row. One more row to go.
Several copies of Anatolian Times with D's article on Kira and Blue arrived from the publisher– Everything looked good.
Blue takes his fame in stride
Saturday, August 10, 2002
Made chile rellenos for freezer and a batch of Green Pork Chile.
Makin' rellenos
Lactic Cheese formed curd. Made butter: 1 gal cream =~3#
Burned trash. Uncovered last strawberry bed of the flood mud. Tried to network computers – need “hub”.
Sunday, August 11, 2002
Dug out pepper and tomato beds of flood mud.
Demo-ed bath and LR walls at the house for renovation.
Demo work in the house
Decided to get wireless network equip form Dell - tried to order.
Fryer rabbits to "Redroom".
Monday, August 12, 2002
Made Mozzarella cheese.
2 doe rabbits to red room. 2 buck rabbits out together. Butchered 14 fryer rabbits.
Fried 5 rabbits for dinner and the freezer. Fried a gallon of zucchini. Made goat cheese Danish.
Tried to order wireless network stuff again from Dell but couldn’t reach the guy.
Ran generator 2 hours. Worked copying photo files and disks to CDRW.
Got K new email address: Cybergoat@wmonline.com and she sighed up on yahoo for groups.
Tuesday, August 13, 2002
Put screens in house ( way overdue). Filled H2O tank (~half empty). UPS brought dell hinge, repaired KLH laptop.
Reworked rabbits: does out to general population, Paul to Red Rm, Bucky to newly fenced off section to west of hen house and small inside section off red room.
Wednesday, August 14, 2002
K made lotions for presents (C & her mother & Janet).
Kathryn's soaps and lotions
Spend most of the day working in the garden, continuing to dig out from the flood.
Thursday, August 15, 2002
Made Cheddar cheese.
Worked in garden digging out more mud. Harvested first tomatoes (Beautiful!), and first corn (pathetic – not well pollinated, worms, small ears). Harvested when tassels fell off when touched. Tomatoes SWEET and good. Corn – off cob – OK.
UPS brought Dell wireless network cards and installed. Works good so far.
Friday, August 16, 2002
Les and Jane Brown picked up Paul.
Garden watering.
To town: Mex lunch, PO (mailed lotions), Feed store and hardware store.
Cheddar to storeroom to dry.
Saturday, August 17, 2002
Started Cayenne on Safeguard for possible lung worm. (Later found out that we don’t have lung worm here – don’t know what it was).
Tractored at north house and barn. Ten bales of hay to goat barns. Removed 3 mangers for repairs.
K did major cleaning of goat barn and bug bombed.
Garden: dug mud and debris out of the herb beds.
Sunday, August 18, 2002
Made cheddar cheese Waxed 2 other cheddars, cleaned cheese cooler. Made a rhubarb pie.
K investigating Grade “A” dairy possibilities.
CFH called PM with info on family genealogy: Dad had 2 wives before our Mom!!? There's a surprise.
Monday, August 19, 2002
K: Grade A dairy research, D: genealogy research.
Prepped flatbed trailer for travel: pumped tires, repaired side rails and back gate.
Repaired 3 hay mangers: New bottom on one and beefed-up rails on the other. Reinstalled mangers.
8/18 cheddar to fridge for waxing.
Tuesday, August 20, 2002
Harvested all remaining red potatoes and onions – got a gallon or so of each - some very small. The mud slide/flood was not kind to them.
Made 2 gal soft goat cheese. Waxed 8/18 cheddar.
Rain in forecast so postponed Phoenix trip until tomorrow.
Many cows in the area – 20 or 30 on property, some pretty close. The goats were not happy about it so Blue was not happy about it.
Wednesday, August 21, 2002
D to Phoenix: Left 4:45 AM, back 5:15 PM: Picked up repaired Coleman Vertex generator, bought a bunch of metal product for projects (new free standing mangers & garden gates), bought 44 bales of hay ($280) and did Home Depot shopping. Good trip, no problems.
A load of hay from The Valley
K pulled nails from demo’d 2 X 4’s for projects.
Some stuff from AZ dept of Agriculture on Dairy regulations arrived in the mail. Now the real home work starts.
K made lotions: Healing Blend, Foot Powder, Lemon Tree II.
Thursday, August 22, 2002
Moved 7 old bales to goat barns and moved trailer with 44 blaes into shop/barn. Installed 2 security screen doors with closers ant the south house. K assembled base dcaninet for utility room. K did lots of reading of ADA Dairy regulations 0 very interesting in deed! Tried new fresh goat cheese for lunch: EXCELLENT! CFH B’day we sent stamping stuff and several KLH made lotions – very well received. K worked on repairs to goat house screens. Made distribution copes of Anatolian Article.
Friday, August 23, 2002
Kitchen day: Beef stew, mozzarella, quiche, 2 gal Fried zucchini.
Garden: Transplanted 6 chive and divided and transplanted thyme. Dug out rhubarb from the mud, Watered broccoli, tom, onions, peppers. Harvested some broccoli.
Saturday, August 24, 2002
Checked out 5/3 skim jack cheese – stinky (threw away)!
Renovation work: Installed beam to replace the wall between the living room and former upstairs bedroom, patched floors, sheetrocked, ran new phone, cable, and electric for TV center. Opened wall for CD/DVD cabinet.
Nutmeg bloaty – gave GasX.
Sunday, August 25, 2002
Made skim Feta. Ford has gouge between toes LR foot. Made a caramel tart.
Finishing touches to the Caramel Tart
Monday, August 26, 2002
Cayenne (60#) still has a bad cough. 1.2cc Tramisol for lung worm. Poblano’s ball’s fell off from castration bands (finally).
Renovation work: Framed linen closet and A/V closet opened attic access from Bathroom.
To town: Look for UPS guy, geed store, Basha’s PO, bank, Mex lunch. Didn’t find UPS guy, but he came out later.
Smoke on the western horizon from wild fires
UPS came with Caprine Supply order – wormer, hayhook, Dairy cleaners.
Tuesday, August 27, 2002
Cayenne still coughing.
Amazingly, some of the garden is coming back very strong after the mudslide and flooding 3 weeks ago. Harvested some tomatoes today and noticed several pumpkins looking a bit small but otherwise fine.
The garden makes a come-back
D worked on linen closet and A/V closets at house sheetrocking. K researched LP heaters, fireplaces/cast iron stoves etc for heating options for the house.
Wednesday, August 28, 2002
Cayenne still coughing – maybe less??
D demo’ed downstairs walls at the house.
Separated cream, made skim ricotta
Made manicotti, shells, reground beef for meat sauce.
Grain distributed to goat house, chicken and rabbit pen. Lots of grain bugs in Goat Chow. Trudy hanging with buck all day. Hmmm, what ever could she want?
Thursday, August 29, 2002
2 year anniversary of buying the ranch!
Wormed all goats (except Cayenne) with Tramisol. K called to get more info on opening a legal Goat Dairy here.
We discussed best way to fence cows then got west side of property fence repaired including new sections across big wash and at the old gateway. Cows have been run off property and they stayed off all night.
Nutmeg hurt LR leg in a tumble when all goats were racing in a pack to chase the truck back from fence work.
Friday, August 30, 2002
Nutmeg leg still hurt: won’t put weight on it or jump on milk stand but will lie on either side.
Worked fencing south side wash crossing – finished, good job.
Saturday, August 31, 2002
LGD’s took off after something and goat herd stopped, watched them, then fussed until they came back. Many coyotes in valley but dogs keeping them away.
Harvested ONE strawberry: Excellent!
9 PM walked up to sandstone ledge to watch fireworks. Saw 10 half bursts, heard nothing, came home.
Initialized transfer of web hosting to Yahoo.