Farm-Fresh Zucchini Lasagna: Making the Most of Summer Abundance

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By August, zucchini is less of a vegetable around here and more of a recurring houseguest. Just when I think I have picked everything, I find another one hiding under a leaf, and the plants are still happily producing blossoms.

When the Zucchini Just Keeps Coming

We eat plenty of zucchini fresh all summer. I also shred and freeze some for winter, when a bag of summer garden vegetables feels especially welcome. Some goes into jars as pickles, too. Still, a productive garden always encourages a little creativity, which is how this farm-fresh zucchini lasagna landed on our table.

farm-fresh zucchini lasagna

Turning Garden Zucchini Into Lasagna

I started with Downshiftology’s zucchini lasagna recipe, which replaces traditional noodles with thin slices of zucchini. Since our garden was supplying the zucchini and the goats were supplying plenty of milk, I decided to make the recipe fit what we already had on hand.

Making It With What We Have on the Farm

First, I made the meat sauce so it could cook for a while and let the flavors come together. I browned ground beef, then added fresh tomatoes cut into pieces along with a small can of tomato sauce. Instead of relying on a jar of pasta sauce, the fresh tomatoes became the heart of the sauce.

Then came my favorite change: the cheese. I used our fresh goat milk mozzarella along with homemade goat milk cottage cheese in place of the ricotta. Those two ingredients made this feel less like a recipe I happened to find online and more like dinner that belonged here on the farm.

After that, I layered everything with slices of fresh zucchini and followed the basic method from the original recipe. The result was rich, cheesy, full of fresh tomato flavor, and an excellent way to use several zucchini without making yet another loaf of zucchini bread.

The Freezer Test That Never Happened

I had actually planned to freeze one serving of this farm-fresh zucchini lasagna to see how our version handled the freezer. That experiment failed for the best possible reason: there wasn’t any left.

Fortunately, the garden is giving me another chance. The zucchini plants are still blossoming, so I fully intend to make another pan while the ingredients are coming straight from the garden and barn.

Next Problem: Yellow Squash

Now I just need some recipes for the abundance of yellow squash the garden is providing. Any suggestions?

Categories: Farm Life From the Garden

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Why Goats Work for Our Family and Our Milk Supply

Land was only part of our decision to keep dairy goats instead of a cow. We also had to think about milk, animal size, daily work, and what our family would actually use.
That is why choosing a dairy animal is about much more than deciding which animal gives the “best” milk.
For us, goats fit the scale of what we need.

The Right Amount of Milk Matters

A good dairy cow can produce an impressive amount of milk. That can be wonderful if you have a large family, make a great deal of cheese, or have another good use for all that milk. For us, that amount could quickly become too much. Our goats give us enough milk to do quite a lot without moving our entire life into the dairy. We drink it, cook with it, and turn it into chèvre, mozzarella, cottage cheese, ricotta, cajeta, and other foods. Their production also gives us enough extra milk to support a small number of herd shares.
That scale works for us.

Why Goat Milk?

Goat and cow milk are more alike than some internet claims suggest. However, goat milk does have differences in its fat and protein structure. Research also shows that goat milk contains relatively high amounts of short- and medium-chain fatty acids. A review available through the National Institutes of Health explains several of these differences. Some people find goat milk easier to digest. Still, it contains lactose, and people with a true cow-milk protein allergy should not assume goat milk is a safe substitute. The National Library of Medicine notes the high degree of cross-reactivity between cow and goat milk proteins.

For us, the attraction is much simpler.
We like it. Fresh, properly handled goat milk tastes mild and works beautifully for the foods I want to make. I also like following the milk from the animal, to the bucket, to the kitchen, and finally to whatever happens to be bubbling, draining, or setting on the counter that day.

Smaller Does Not Mean Easier

I would never recommend goats simply because someone heard they were an “easy” alternative to cattle. Goats apparently missed the meeting where that was decided. They need strong fencing, good nutrition, hoof care, shelter, health monitoring, and parasite management. During lactation, dairy goats also need regular milking. Their smaller size makes some jobs easier for us, but they are still a daily responsibility.

That is why choosing a dairy animal should include an honest look at your household as well as your pasture. Think about how much milk you will use, how much animal you can safely handle, and how the daily chores will fit your life. The best dairy animal is not the biggest producer or the one that looks most like a traditional homestead. It is the one that fits.
For us, that is a goat.

And, admittedly, quite a lot of cheese.

Categories: Dairy Goats Farm Life

Why We Chose Goats Instead of a Cow

When people picture a small homestead with fresh milk, a certain storybook image often comes to mind: a family milk cow standing peacefully in a green pasture.
I love that image.
It just isn’t our farm.
One of the most important parts of choosing livestock for your homestead is looking beyond how many acres you have. You also need to consider what those acres actually look like, what grows there, and what the animal needs to thrive.
For us, those questions led to goats.

Acreage Doesn’t Always Equal Pasture

Fenced woods for livestock

We have acreage, but much of our mountain property is wooded, sloped, and decidedly uninterested in becoming a postcard-perfect cow pasture.
That matters.
Cattle are mainly grazers and make good use of grasses. Goats, however, are browsers. Given the choice, they happily eat leaves, vines, weeds, shrubs, and other plants growing above ground level.
In other words, some land that looks pretty unimpressive from a cow’s point of view looks suspiciously like a salad bar to a goat. NC State Extension explains that when goats have access to both browse and pasture, browse may make up more than half of what they choose to eat. Their grazing guide also notes that goats eat plant species and plant parts that cattle often leave behind.
That makes goats a much better match for the type of land we already have.
Of course, that does not mean we simply turn them loose in the woods and call it farming. Our goats still need hay, minerals, clean water, shelter, good fencing, hoof care, parasite management, and regular attention.

Look at the Land You Actually Have

The bigger lesson is not that everyone with woods should buy goats. Different animals need different things.
Instead of asking only, “Do I have enough land for this animal?” ask, “Does my land provide what this animal needs?”
Ten acres of steep woods and ten acres of established pasture take up the same amount of space on a tax map. However, they are not the same livestock resource.

Farm path on a grade


That principle matters on a large farm, a small homestead, or just a few usable acres. Before bringing livestock home, look closely at the plants, slope, fencing, water, shelter, and feed you can provide. Choosing livestock for your homestead should start with the homestead you actually have, not the one you picture in your head.
For us, that reality pointed toward goats.

Categories: Farm Life

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The Dollar Chicks Fulfill Their Purpose

raising meat chickens responsibly

This post discusses the final stage of raising chickens for food but does not include graphic photographs or descriptions.

Eight weeks ago, they arrived as dollar chicks. This morning, each one entered our freezer as a vacuum-sealed whole roasting chicken weighing between five and six-and-a-half pounds. Except for the lack of a foam tray and printed label, they could have come from a grocery-store meat case.
However, we knew every step that brought them there.
For us, raising meat chickens responsibly meant more than feeding them until they reached the proper size. It meant providing clean bedding, fresh water, appropriate feed, daily observation, and a fast, humane end. Our responsibility to the birds continued through every stage of processing and cleanup.

From Chick to Roasting Chicken

These chickens differed greatly from the laying breeds we also keep. Breeders developed broiler chickens specifically for meat production, so they grow much faster and carry considerably more weight than laying hens or most dual-purpose breeds.

Their final weights reflected that difference. Each finished as a whole roasting bird between five and six-and-a-half pounds, without the gizzards or other giblets included.
We began processing on Thursday afternoon. First, we dispatched each bird as quickly and humanely as possible. In farming, dispatching means ending an animal’s life with as little fear and discomfort as we can manage.
Next, we plucked and carefully prepared each chicken. We then chilled the birds thoroughly in a cooler filled with ice. This morning, we vacuum sealed every chicken and placed them in the freezer.
Two people completed the processing in approximately three hours.

Clean Birds Begin with Clean Living Conditions

Broiler chickens grow rapidly and spend much more time resting on the ground than our other chickens. Because of that, their bedding required careful attention.
A bird that continually rests on wet or dirty bedding can develop irritated skin or pressure sores, somewhat like a person who remains in one position for too long. Although these chickens had a talent for settling directly into the messiest available location, we kept replacing and cleaning their bedding.

That work paid off. None of the birds had sores, damaged skin, or other noticeable blemishes when we processed them. The small size of our flock also allowed us to watch the birds individually. We checked their movement, skin, bedding, food, and water ourselves. They ate organic feed throughout their eight weeks here and received no medications.
That direct supervision was one of the greatest benefits of raising them on our farm. We did not have to wonder what they ate, how they lived, or what condition they were in. We saw it every day.

Cleanliness After Processing Matters Too

We paid close attention to cleanliness while preparing the chickens for our freezer. Food safety provided one very important reason, but life in the Western North Carolina mountains supplied another. Anything left behind could attract flies, rodents, scavengers, or even bears. Therefore, the processing area, tools, containers, and surrounding ground all required a thorough cleanup. The job did not end when the final chicken entered the cooler. Black bears can smell food for a long distance; the WNC Nature Center states that can be within a ten mile radius which means our farm falls into the Center’s range!
Responsible farming includes caring for the surrounding land and wildlife, too. Feeding a bear through careless cleanup would not benefit the bear, our family, or anyone else nearby.

Respecting the Purpose of the Flock

These birds came to The Tart Farm for a specific purpose. They were not laying hens or pets that unexpectedly became food. From the beginning, we planned to raise them as carefully as possible and use them to feed our family.
That knowledge did not make processing casual or thoughtless. Instead, it made good care even more important.
Raising meat chickens responsibly required daily work, considerable cleaning, close observation, and attention during every stage of processing. It also taught us far more than we could have learned by reading instructions alone.
Now, our freezer holds a generous supply of clean, whole chickens. We know what they ate. We know how they lived. We know how carefully we prepared them. Soon, we will roast the first one and complete the final step in their journey from dollar chicks to family meals.

We learned plenty during these eight weeks, including one lesson hidden inside that original one-dollar price tag: a dollar chick does not produce a one-dollar chicken.

Coming next: What Did Our Dollar Chickens Really Cost?
In our farm math investigation, students can use the flock’s real numbers to calculate expenses, cost per bird, cost per pound, labor value, and the special problem created by equipment that we can use again.

Categories: Flock & Eggs

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Why We Started Herdshare: Sharing More Than Milk

A Natural Next Step

Understanding why we started a herdshare begins with our family’s effort to produce more of our own food. That journey grew through gardening, raising chickens, preserving fresh foods, and learning to replace commercially prepared products whenever we reasonably could.

Milking - why we started herdshare

Adding dairy goats felt like another natural step. However, goats require a substantial investment of time, shelter, equipment, feed, veterinary care, and daily hands-on work. Since we knew how much effort milking would require, we chose the best animals we could reasonably afford. Ellie and Nessa come from high-quality, high-producing dairy lines, making that commitment worthwhile for our family.
Then they began producing more milk than we could use ourselves.

That abundance sparked the idea for our herdshare.

Sharing the Choice

Not everyone has the room, property, time, or physical ability to keep dairy animals. Even a small herd needs secure fencing, suitable housing, reliable care, and someone available every day. A herdshare gives members partial ownership in a dairy animal rather than making them customers purchasing milk.
That distinction also matters under North Carolina law. The state does not allow raw milk to be sold directly to consumers for human consumption. Raw milk sold as animal feed must carry a non-human-consumption label.
However, North Carolina General Statute § 106-266.35 allows an independent or partial owner of a cow, goat, or other lactating animal to acquire raw milk for personal use or consumption. For someone who does not own and care for a dairy animal at home, a herdshare provides a legal path to make their own choice about whether to use their share raw or heat-treat it themselves.

Small and Personal by Design

Our small, personal farm naturally fits this arrangement. We keep shares limited so we can protect the goats’ welfare, maintain our standards, and know the people who share ownership in our herd.
Members can learn about Ellie and Nessa, see how we care for them, follow everyday farm life online, and eventually visit during member events. We want them to receive more than a jar of milk. We want them to feel connected to the animals, the work, and the farm behind it.
We did not create the herdshare as a path to quick profit. Member fees help offset part of the feed, supplies, and ongoing care, but they do not come close to covering every expense or hour of labor.

Ultimately, why we started herdshare comes down to choice, abundance, and connection. It allows us to share what our goats produce while giving a few local families a closer relationship with their food and the animals behind it.

Categories: Dairy Goats Farm Life

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