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“I have my favourite goats,” says Marianne Hermes. “There’s Barbie, Bessie and, of course, my baby Sadie. You get to know them and their different personalities when you hand-rear them.”
We’re at Marianne’s farm, Foxenburg, in Wellington. The farm’s main output is a range of artisanal goats’-milk cheeses, but she also grows oyster mushrooms and olives, and produces certified organic olive oil.
Marianne is not only the owner, but also the cheese-maker, mushroom grower, and sometime midwife to her herd. She explains, “I bought the farm 10 years ago; before that I was a nursing sister. My medical background helps when I need to deliver the kids!”
Marianne talks easily about her farm and business, “Each dairy is different. The climate, pasture conditions, quality of the milk … all these factors affect recipe development. Each cheesery will have unique cheeses. It’s similar to how terroir affects the wine-making process and wine.”
Goats’-milk cheese has come a long way. In the past, producers were mixing it with cows’ milk, but still labelling it goats’-milk cheese. This caused a lot of confusion in the open market, and eventually prompted the formation of the Sheep and Goat Organisation (SAG). The organisation monitors the production of goats’-milk cheese, and most reputable farms have a certification from the organisation on their chevin labels.
As we’re chatting, Marianne leads me to the milking station. “Everything’s in miniature,” she says pointing to the equipment. “That’s why if you want to milk cows and goats, you need an entirely different set-up.”
Inside, dewy rounds of freshly made cheese stand on a drainer. They’re pure white – their colour will darken as they mature in the cold rooms.
And, of course, we taste some of the cheeses. Foxenburg’s flagship cheese is the Shepherd – a crumbly cheese that develops caramel overtones when mature.
“This cheese,” says Marianne, showing me the crottin, “is delicious finely grated over fresh hot pasta, with plum tomatoes and garlic.”
The dairy also produces delicious strawberry yogurt. Made from 100% goats’ milk and blended with strawberries, it’s a rich delectable take on Greek-style yoghurt.
Dairy work is hard work. The milking period can span up to eight months or more (as long as the milk keeps coming). Then there’s a drying off period of six weeks, and after that the kidding starts.
Finally, we’re off to meet the herd. Dodging the goat droppings littering the ground, we walk up a rocky hill. I remark that it’s a pity Marianne can’t use the manure for anything. “Oh, but we do,” she says, “It’s used as the compost for the olive grove. It’s called the Mediterranean mix. It’s done in places like Cyprus where goats and olive trees are the norm.”
The goats’ pens are positioned on a steep hill by the dam (there are bass in the dam too). We walk up a rocky outcrop to the first “house”, a whitewashed affair with a green roof and fresh golden hay lining the ground where the white Saanen goats are relaxing. There are purple mountains in the background, watched over by a blue sky. The setting is so dreamy and idyllic; it’s practically a cliché.
“Hello Barbie,” whispers Marianne to the white goat chewing happily on her sleeve. Releasing the goat’s grip, she directs me to the next house.
“I want to introduce you to my baby,” she says, just before she bellows, “Sadie!”
We hear anxious bleating from behind a fence near a thicket of trees. Sadie is distressed because she can’t get to us. We walk out of the enclosure and around the fence, and Sadie lopes towards us, all puppy-like charm.
“She was ill when she was born, and it was winter,” says Marianne. “We kept her in the kitchen with the dogs; she grew up thinking she was one of them.”
Farmer’s Weekly was recently on the farm and their photographers were so charmed by the amiable kid and the doting Marianne, that the two of them got the cover. I’m pretty charmed too, not only by the relationship between goat and farmer, but also by Marianne’s dedication to true artisanal farming in this small corner of Wellington.
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