Milk from happy goats is the key ingredient to a good cheese, according to Diana Smith (human) and Berneice (goat). (Photo: Mathany Ahmed)
By Mathany Ahmed
Jethro, a baby goat born at Simple Life Farms in March, had a rough morning today. Last night’s storms created an inconvenient puddle, blocking his path out of the barn to the prairie where the rest of his herd could be found.
Instead of hopping over the puddle, he bleats, begging for Diana or Eric Smith, the attentive owners of the farm, to save him from his misery. Eric heads to the barn to help him out.
The goats at Simple Life, especially the kids, may be a little spoiled. The extra effort is worth it, though. “Happier goats make better milk,” Diana explains.
The Smiths and their flock of 130 goats, including 80 kids like Jethro, have been making cheese at the 60-acre farm in Winterset for the past 5 years.
The milk Diana will collect from the flock today will be pasteurized, cooled, seasoned and set before it becomes one of the flavors of the week, to be sold by the couple and their adult children at this weekend’s farmers markets in Des Moines and Ames.
“Every one of our cheeses is only four ingredients – milk, culture, rennet and salt,” Eric said. From there, “it’s all a matter of how you treat it, cook it or cool it.”
The aged cheddars, curds and soft cheese they produce from goat’s milk are creamy and flavorful, but without the sharp tanginess that goat cheeses are known for. The high quality of the milk lends itself to a sweeter flavor, as does a particular process they developed for removing their whey earlier in the cheese cycle.
The cheese curds have been especially popular this summer, as have the different chevres, spiced with jalapeno or a light lavender-lemon combination.
“I’m a really good cook,” Diana, who creates the flavors each week, said. “I raised four children and kept a strict food budget, so I know how to get creative.”
In a few weeks, the cheeses will be submitted to the Iowa State Fair, where they’ve earned recognition each year since 2021. Last year, Simple Life Farms bagged the coveted purple ribbon: the Best in Show in the dairy category.
Diana names each of the aged cheddars for the goat whose personality the flavor reminds her of. The ribbon-winning Matilda is a layered manchego-cheddar hybrid, named for the spunky goat who leads the herd.
“I almost didn’t enter,” Diana said. “I’d never won anything in my life.”
The farmers markets the family does each weekend have kept them too busy to start the Saturday open houses they usually host in the summers, but they’re looking forward to inviting guests back to the farm soon. They’ve scheduled three farm-to-table dinners with chef Aaron Holt from Doolittle Farm, beginning on July 14.
In the meantime, visitors can set an appointment for a private visit to the farm at www.simplelifefarms.com.
