Bailey and Babs, our lovely LaMancha
does, enjoying a late summer grassy
snack.
Mule foot hogs to help deal with excess whey.
Evergreen Lane Farm and Creamery is located in
picturesque southwest Michigan. Our creamery is in
production year round; we make goat cheeses
during our milking season (March through
November), and also make cheese year-round with
gorgeous Jersey cow's milk from Moonique Dairy in
Vandalia, Michigan.
We are especially proud of our herd of La Mancha
and Alpine goats. These beautiful ladies have
distinct personalities, preferences, and behavior
patterns. Mothers and daughters often bond for life,
and snuggle in the barn on chilly mornings. Goats
have played a vital role in the development of human
herding cultures around the world. These small,
efficient ruminants turn scrubby forage into delicious,
wholesome, and highly digestible milk. (For a
wonderful introduction to the history, mythology, and
even linguistics of the human-goat relationship,
check out Goat Song by Brad Kessler)
Last season, we experimented with grazing the
goats in a section of the orchard-they really seem to
enjoy some extra green in their diet. (Have you ever
seen a goat climb a tree? We have!) We've made a
difficult decision to give up on our apple orchard in
favor of providing more space for our does. We
thank those of you who have supported us through
the years.
Four mule foot hogs (a heritage breed of pig) joined
our farm this season, too. We feed them vegetable
scraps and excess whey, and enjoyed watching
them grow through the spring and summer. It's an
exciting challenge to figure out how to close as many
loops as possible, decide how to turn waste into a
resource, and minimize our farm's ecological impact.
Please come and enjoy our cheese-the selection of
which change seasonally -- and meet the animals.
We have a great variety of cheeses available for
winter. Thank you for supporting your local economy
and sustainable agriculture!
Artisan cheese made by the season.
Evergreen Lane
Fennville, Michigan
Farm & Creamery