Chevre

"Our chevre had little resemblance to the goat cheese one finds in a store.  Mass-produced chevre, wrapped in plastic or vacuum sealed, often comes from previously frozen curds or even powdered milk -- and the milk is always pasteurized.  Our chevre had as much in common with store-bought as a sun-ripened tomato plucked from a vine in August resembles one grown under lights in February.  No supermarket can get around the simple truth, says cheese expert Patrick Rance, 'that goat cheese is a seasonal joy.'"
From Brad Kessler's Goat Song

Okay, first off, the word chevre should actually have a little French apostrophe-thingy over the first e, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to get Blogger to put one there, so please forgive my inaccuracy.

Chevre, pronounced shev-ruh, is actually the French word for she-goat and has become interchangeable with "goat cheese."

Yesterday, I made our season's first cheese.  Here's a pic of it straining through my new butter muslin (thanks again to my amazing husband for ALL my very thoughtful birthday presents!).

And, here's the finished product -- a gorgeous chevre ball, salted and rolled in herbs-- just waiting for some crusty bread or cracker to happen along.

Speaking of gorgeous, how about that opening pic of Razz?  It seems she's going for some kind of Most Photogenic Award or something.  Add these to the list of words I'd never have dreamed I'd utter, but I just love that goat  . . . and the amazing milk, cheese, and more that she provides us.