I love finding new food products. Such a simple statement; but it is actually one that is loaded with appreciation for the conceptualization and realization of an idea. It is hard to know where the idea started without talking to the creators of a product. I know I have my own foodcentric ideas that involve me baking up a product worthy of a specific niche.
Keeping that in mind while I change course a bit, I will start by saying, three years ago, I acquired chickens. Chickens, regardless of whether you choose to consume them for meat or not, provide a person with an equally useful product; that being the eggs that they provide daily. The statement that chickens are a "gateway" farm animal is true; at least from my perspective. No sooner were my hens pecking their way around the yard, than I began to envision what other animals were possible for keeping on our 1.3 acre lot.
Goats were, so I read, an animal that could be kept on just such a plot size; and I had particular interest in Nigerian Dwarf goats, to be specific. For to me, the smaller the goat, the more that could be allowed on my property...yes? So began my quest to find reasons for goats; other than just having goats. Through further research, I learned that Nigerian Dwarf goat milk has a higher fat content than other goat's milk, while goat's milk in general has a higher fat content than cow's milk. Nutritional benefits of this fact, aside, and there are many, I began to think of things to make with goat's milk.
During my time spent deliberating over what I would do with goat's milk given the opportunity to keep goats, I came to the realization that making caramel from goat's milk would be a food product adventure that I would be interested in embarking on. With that said, it never fails to inspire me when I find a fellow human being carrying out a plan of action that I covet, as well. Let me introduce you to, Big Picture Farm. Before anybody thinks I am looking to create a business, however, I am not. Any product I am interested in making, on the size property we currently own, would be for personal consumption only; and of course to share with family and friends.
But, to see people creating a product that is lovingly made and packaged with such detail and homage to the animals responsible for providing one of the main ingredients, is a thing to be savored. Let me tell you, I took my time relishing the packaging, and the story of the animals provided within the packaging. And, just when I thought I couldn't be any more impressed with a company for the love of their product, I folded back the white parchment paper to find that they had printed the faces of some of their goats on the chocolates themselves!
As you gaze at these chocolate-covered caramels, there is no way you are picking out a caramel to eat without finding the picture of "your" goat on the enclosed "who's who" goat brochure packaged along with the caramels. My eleven year-old son picked his caramel based on which narrative he enjoyed the most. This is, I will say, tough to do given the fact that every narrative within the brochure does a fantastic job of personifying each goat pictured on the chocolates.
But, enough about the packaging and presentation. The caramel, though, "How was it?" you ask. It was soft and sweet; with just a touch of that goat's milk "tang". Goat's milk does, in fact, have a tang or twang, what ever one might call it, that characterizes it differently than cow's milk. But, considering the health benefits of goat's milk, a person should feel all the better for eating one of these chocolate-covered caramels.
In closing, I would recommend purchasing these slightly pricey caramels as a treat to yourself (and your family, if you are willing to share). And, I don't mean "slightly pricey" to be taken as a complaint. With what the owners of this company are doing, I can appreciate the reason for the cost. It just means that they will be all the more enjoyable after showing some restraint between purchases.
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