Spring at The Salty Goat: Kidding Season, Cheese, and a Big Year Ahead!

Spring is in the air, and with it comes one of the most exciting times of the year at The Salty Goat—kidding season! Also, arguably, the most stressful time of year. The barn is filling with the sweet sounds of new life as we welcome our first kids of the season. There’s nothing quite like the anticipation of seeing who these little ones will grow into—what kind of personalities they’ll develop, who will be the mischievous troublemakers, and who will become the steadfast leaders of our herd. Every year brings a mix of familiar lines and new surprises, and we can’t wait to introduce them to you as they drop. 

As the nursery fills up, along comes the milk, which means it’s almost officially cheese season! This year marks a huge milestone for us—we’re gearing up for our first full season at farmers markets. Every week, we’ll be bringing fresh, handmade cheese to our local community, starting with our tried-and-true favorite chèvre flavors and our feta and marinated feta's. These cheeses have been a staple of The Salty Goat from the very beginning, and we love their versatility and crowd-pleasing flavors. But that’s just the beginning! As the season progresses, we’ll be adding bries, butters, and aged cheeses to the mix. One of our big goals this year is to start experimenting with aged cheeses made from skimmed milk from butter making—think aged parmesan-style wheels and, maybe, eventually mimolette? a cheese that's sparked a mission to master: If not for it's odd, almost perfectly round shape, but it's deep orange color and incredibly charming flavor... and, of course, CHEESE MITES! more on that later. 

And as if all of that weren’t enough to keep us busy, April is set to be an absolutely wild month. In addition to settling into our new weekly routine of cheese makes and farmers markets, we will also be preparing for The Oregon Cheese Festival on April 26th and 27th. This event is a huge opportunity for us to introduce The Salty Goat to an even bigger audience, connect with fellow cheesemakers, and share what we’ve been working so hard and so many years to build. We’re pouring every ounce of energy into making sure we show up ready—with beautiful cheeses, a dialed-in setup, and plenty of enthusiasm (even if we’ll be running on fumes by the end of it).

With so much happening, we'd like to bring you along for the ride. We’re starting a newsletter to share behind-the-scenes updates, stories from the farm, and details on new cheeses as they hit the market. Whether you’re here for the goats, the cheese, or a little of both, we’d love to hear from you—what would you like to see in our newsletter? Recipes? Pairing ideas? Deep dives into our cheesemaking process? All things goat? Let us know what excites you most! by commenting below, sending us a direct message through the contact form or via instagram @the.salty.goat. 

Thank you for being part of our journey—we can’t wait to share this season with you. Stay tuned for more goat antics, cheese adventures, and all the unexpected twists that come with farm life.

Here’s to a new season & exciting new chapter for The Salty Goat!
— Erin