Black Mesa Ranch
Snowflake, Arizona, USA
Artisan Cheese
Nubian Goats
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Cheese and
Candy Information and Online Ordering Page
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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
(available seasonally)
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:
August 07, 2008
© 2000-2008 Black Mesa Ranch Inc. All Rights Reserved
Arizona Grown!
Hams (I mean "goats")
Tuesday, October 01, 2002
D worked on Dairy Logo and label designs.
Did some electric work at south house. K did durabonding and patching.
Windy, sprinkles.
An early cheese logo design
Wednesday, October 02, 2002
Trimmed some hooves and weighed some goats: Trudy @135#, Angel @ 150#, Nutmeg @ 105#, Anise @ 112#, Poblano @ 50#. Measured for LR heater gas line extension.
Did pasteurizer and commercial water heater research. Rex at Danisco called about sour cream stabilizer and will send 1 kilo sample.
Made double batch of dog biscuits and pumpkin custard.
Harvested tomatoes, jalapenos, fresno chiles, onions, zucchini and one melon. (fell off, not quite ripe)
Thursday, October 03, 2002
D got ready for trip to Phoenix tomorrow.
Separated cream, made 4 gallon skim chevre and a test skim L’avec (needs work). Made sour cream and fresh tomato sauce.
Angel getting getter on milk stand. Almost able to milk 2 handed!
Light frost damage in garden. 38 degrees overnight with frost!
Friday, October 04, 2002
D visit's a Chandler AZ dairy with our future inspector
D to Phoenix: 11 bales straw, Home Depot, Sam’s, Meet with inspector "Dairy" Dan Vertz at Dept of Ag. Tour of Candler Dairy w/ him, John Deere for supplies, lunch, gas, and home. Left at 4:30 AM, back 5 PM. Danisco sour cream culture/stabilizer arrived via FedEx.
K made lotion and liquid soap and found two of the four lost goat collars!
Much smoke at BMR from a wild fire to the southwest! Frost damage in garden. Low of 37.
Saturday, October 05, 2002
Cleaned out goat barn (four tractor loads) and put down new straw. 2 bales to garden. Built protective box for dog crate in goat house to keep the goats from smashing it (as much). Brought a barrel of wheat and rocks over. Washed Guajillo.
Burned trash. Watered cane fruit and filled water tank at well. Generator sounded “funny” at first but then was OK.
Dug up the last carrots.
Heard from a neighbor about 3 dogs taking down a calf near here; 2 white and one black. Didn't think it could possible be our dogs, though the very rough description fit. Tried to reach rancher who lost the calves for better descriptions.
Sunday, October 06, 2002
Worked in garden: Pulling out plants to come inside for the winter. Worked the strawberry bed. Harvest the last of the rhubarb.
Plants come insider for the winter. One of the last harvests
Monday, October 07, 2002
Worked on building the battery box at power house.
Kira very sick – temp 105F, listless, drooling. Couldn’t get hold of the vet. By 10 PM temp at 102F and she seemed much better.
Tuesday, October 08, 2002
Kira temp normal (100.8) this AM.
To town: Kira to vet (probably allergic reaction to a bite or sting); PO, (got Danlac meso, Ph meter batteries, and package from CFH), 2 hardware stores, and solar place (nothing!).
Made skim ricotta and butter (3# from 4 quart cream).
Fantastic sunset tonight
Wednesday, October 09, 2002
Dried tomatoes, made dog b’s,
Finished building the battery box in power house. Finished winterizing at the well and goat house.
Kira is doing fine today!! Place on her nose is sloughing from bites?
Spoke to Larry Ratchliffe (the rancher in this valley) on the phone about dog attacks on his calf. It was a white pit bull so clearly not one of ours. Also talked to him about getting a cow-calf pair from him at $500-$550 including breed back.
Thursday, October 10, 2002
Called for LPG "New driver just up there, be there around 8th of next month". Generator failed to self start for exercise cycle. Battery probably dead again. We will be getting a solar trickle charger for it soon.
Worked on south house electric: Lots of new lighting/fan switches on upper floor. Much attic work.
Friday, October 11, 2002
Divided Danlac DL Mix culture and added dry milk to 12 g culture to make 66g in order to use 1g (1/2 tsp) per 4 gallon batch of cheese. Started 4 gallon chevre at 8 AM but it never set. Left overnight.
More electrical work on south house: new receptacles on upper floor and repair of some old ones. Rewired one phone jack and ran speaker wire for TV surround.
Saturday, October 12, 2002
Finished chèvre: added 5 drops rennet to get some set. Made L’Avec. Worked on organizing the lower level of the south house for starting renovation work down there. Made kidney dog b’s. Cloudy and calm.
Sunday, October 13, 2002
Filled water tank 7/8+, 3 bales from barn to girls. Truckload to dump and barn. Made more Dog b’s and a 2 gallon chèvre (at 2X orevioussss culture). K made some really nice soaps!
Some of K's goat milk soaps
Monday, October 14, 2002
Worked on south house: erected wall between bedroom and storeroom and built under stair closet with vent pass through. Relocated soda gun apparatus under stairs with gun near fridge. Started on storeroom door.
Tuesday, October 15, 2002
Email from AZ Dept of Health Services: They are not interested in regulating our dairy/candy business! Navajo County said same. Everybody defers to state ag dept. FDA limits are $500,000 or more in annual sales so we won't need to do a lot of the nutrition labeling etc for them. Still need to find USDA/USDFDA rules. Worked on south house: mostly electric work in master bed room. Nutmeg in heat BIG TIME!
Wednesday, October 16, 2002
DCH arm (shoulder) very sore. Took day off. Lots of dairy reading, planning, and discussing of dairy ideas and plans. Fixed under the trailer milking room where goats keep pulling out insulation. In rabbit pen filled in HUGE hole. Called Larry Ratcliff about cow/calf. Maybe get together tomorrow?
Thursday, October 17, 2002
Went to visit with Rancher Larry Ratcliff at his place (Yaqui, past the end of El Dorado) and talked about getting a cow/calf pair from him. He said he had a 7 year old cow and 6 month calf, would be good for us at $500. (once he finds them!) We discussed health, meds, branding, feed, fattening, etc. To town: Solar place (heater), PO, Napa (check generator battery: OK) Chinese lunch, Pepsi, Fox/Galbraith, Wal-Mart, Truck gas, propane tanks (filled 3 small ones). Made 4 gallon chèvre. – test #3. Saw perfect rainbow, end to end up close over our property. One ½ mile across - if that. Very cool. Showers.
Friday, October 18, 2002
Worked on house: finished rough electric in MBR. Built soda gun drain.
Sunday, October 20, 2002
"Poblano" helps with the drywall work
Did some gas piping for LR heater. Finished sheetrocking MBR ceiling and some of the walls. Made beef jerky for the dogs (decided the cow we butchered in February wasn’t good and the pooches would get a lot of it) Worked on animal compound expansion plans: Adobe??
Monday, October 21, 2002
Made chèvre, dog b’s, cornbread, baguettes, dog jerky. Cows back on property again. Finished sheet rock in MBR and set tape. Finished installing store room door. Nutmeg had bad poops. Showers and sun, overnight rain.
Tuesday, October 22, 2002
K durabonded MBR. D fixed fences at wash crossing. First skim coat over ½ of MBR. Trudy in standing heat: with Guajillo several times! (small cut on her teat). Poblano got cut on head (to go with notched ear?) Finished chèvre.
Found this nice shell fossil on a walk up the mesa
Wednesday, October 23, 2002
To Showlow: PO, Bank, window store, (24 X 24 MBR window), Foxworth/G, Sherwin Williams, Lunch (Wendy’s), Wal-Mart, and feed store. Got big dog house for Poblano (and Ford). Skimmed south house MBR and installed new window, corner beaded and durabonded. Did cattle brand research (picked up newsletter from Larry Ratcliff’s truck) and tried to get an open brands sheet faxed from AZ Dept of Ag – didn’t come through. They will send snail mail.
Thursday, October 24, 2002
Made doggie b’s. More skimming mud in south house MBR. Finished running gas lines for new room heaters. Hooked up and ran LR heater – NICE! Did some target shooting at dump, mostly with hand guns in preparation for Concealed-Carry Weapons (CCW) permit re-qualifying this weekend.
Friday, October 25, 2002
South house work: Finished mudding MBR. Paint primered all and first coat semi white on ceiling and closet. Installed heater in goat barn wash room. Moved a truckload of renovation tools and supplies to North house. Made chèvre.
Saturday, October 26, 2002
CCW renewal class, 7 AM in town.
Sunday, October 27, 2002
South house: Final coat MBR ceiling. Sponge painted MBR walls, lower level of south house. Brutal harvest and brought in plants for winter. Overnight rain.
Sponge painting in the MBR
Monday, October 28, 2002
Frost overnight – 31 degrees. Ice in the water buckets. Filled HUGE rabbit tunnel. Graded around buck gate and filled water tank. K cut in paint and top out electric in south house MBR. Cleaned and acid washed lower level concrete floor and paint prepped it.
Tuesday, October 29, 2002
36 degrees, frost. Painted most of MBR floor – looks like marble and we're very happy with it. Got all but closet and NE corner done (furniture piled there) STINKY! K to town for paint and pizza.
Wednesday, October 30, 2002
38 degrees. Kitchen day: mozzarella, dog B’s bread, red and green hot sauces, pickled jalapenos (fooled you), pepper relish.
Prepping the jalapenos for processing
UPS arrived with griddle and K’s soap stuff including 5 gallons of castor oil. K requested branding info from AZ dept of Ag, again.
Thursday, October 31, 2002
34 degrees. K made lotion, powder, and shampoo. D worked on web page all day and got pictures thru 10/30 put on CD. Sent emails to Mike & Nanette, and Esther about this year's toffee orders and holiday shipping deadlines.