4 minute read
Milk ‘n’ Make
Farmer Flory Sanderson in her shoppe at Island Hill Farm.
A day at Island Hill Farm
“ C utest place on Earth,” reads a sign hung beside the barn door. Beneath the sign sits a salvaged church pew painted baby blue. I park beneath a tree next to four vintage one-speed bicycles— burgundy, orange, purple and blue—resting on their kickstands. Two pink Adirondack chairs sit on the veranda where another sign in the same cheerful font reads “Farmhouse.” Island Hill Farm in central PEI might indeed be the cutest place on Earth.
“Hi, I’m Farmer Flory,” says a woman emerging from the goat barn wearing denim overalls and a big smile. For the next few hours, I’ll be participating in the farm’s Milk and Make experience. With a warm handshake, Flory Sanderson says, “Today, you’ll get a tour of the milking parlour, then we’ll make a little soap.” The goats are overdue for their milking so there’s no time to lose. Inside an air-conditioned room, I find a tidy, automated, one-person operation that efficiently milks about 20 goats. When Farmer Flory opens the door, the goats peer inside, hesitant because of the stranger in their midst. I’m instantly taken by their bemused, inquisitive faces with those furry, upturned mouths and the floppy ears. As she passes, each goat gives me a look that seems to doubt I’m up to the job.
On the raised platform, the goats turn to feed from their trough and Sanderson clips them into position. I’m now facing a long line of goat tails. She hands me latex gloves and grips me by the thumb to show me how to milk a goat by hand. It’s an awkward, amusing moment. She sets a small container beneath a goat and with quick movements, squirts two streams of milk. Then it’s my turn. I grip and pull like Sanderson showed me, but only a dribble of milk drops into the container. I suddenly have a new respect for the skill and dedication of farmers and the animals they care for. Sanderson adjusts my technique and I finally get the milk to flow.
“I used to milk 15 goats twice a day by hand,” Sanderson says. “I love hand milking.” She still bottle feeds up to 30 baby goats every year. “It’s a big task, but lots of fun.”
To speed things up, we use the milking machine to complete the job. It doesn’t take long and we’ve got several gallons of frothy goat milk. We pour it off into containers that go into the freezer, either for transport to a cheese making facility or to the basement in the farmhouse where Sanderson makes soap. That’s where we’re headed next.
Shelves and shelves of goat milk soap bars are stacked against the walls. Essential oils and other ingredients like the lavender
STORY AND PHOTOS BY DARCY RHYNO
and roses grown here on the farm give each a distinctive scent. A single litre of goat milk makes 40 bars. Each is cured for a month, then hand wrapped for sale in Flory’s Shoppe here on the farm and elsewhere on the island.
“My product is so good, you can use it as a head-to-toe body wash or a shampoo,” Sanderson says, beaming. “You can shave with it, clean your dishes or do the laundry.” Sanderson helps me make a small bag of laundry detergent, mixing ingredients like borax with flakes of her soap. “It takes a teaspoon for a load of clothes.”
We head out to the big barn where Sanderson introduces me to her well cared for animals—fat rabbits, dozing pigs, curious llamas, alpacas and goats. She calls every one of them by name. Humourous signs are posted here and there around the pens. “Bunnies will sneeze when they’re happy,” and “Don’t let the goats out, no matter what they tell you.”
Outside, we watch some of today’s 300 visitors petting animals in the barnyard. A sign on the fence reads “Dairy Girls” and lists the goats by name—Mable, Elderberry, Loretta Lynn. “They love you unconditionally,” Sanderson says. “They’ve got to be fed, so they rely on me.” She points to a specific goat. “That one follows me everywhere and lies down beside me. They trust me.”
After raising three daughters, Sanderson now runs the farm on her own. The survivor of several family tragedies, Sanderson says, “The goats saved me.” She openly offers her personal story to visitors as a way to explain the importance of her relationship with the animals. Further along, we find a couple of lazy kunekune mini pigs flopped in front of the gate where Gavin the donkey hangs out. With a lot of coaxing, the pigs push aside just enough for Gavin to squeeze through. It’s time for his big performance, an event that gathers a crowd. Sanderson has taught him to roll over like a dog. Following his trick, he’s rewarded with a slice of watermelon and a lot of petting by umpteen kids.
My day ends at Flory’s Cafe where I order a latté and a breakfast sandwich made from
Visitors are encouraged to pet the animals.
Making laundry soap.
