Your Home Dairy

In 2002, Deborah and her family moved to 32 acres on a creek in the middle of nowhere to grow their own food organically. With the help of goats, sheep, pigs, and poultry, they produce 100% of their meat, eggs, and dairy products, as well as a large percentage of their vegetables, fruit, and herbs. They sold chickens and turkeys for more than 10 years, and are currently a licensed egg producer in Illinois and sell eggs to a grocery store and through a CSA.

Deborah is the author of six books, including Homegrown and Handmade, Ecothrifty, and Raising Goats Naturally, as well as her latest book, Goats Giving Birth. She also teaches sustainable agriculture courses online for the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. She has been teaching Raising Dairy Goats Sustainably since 2013 and Pastured Poultry since 2015. In 2022, Deborah got certified as a FAMACHA instructor so that she and her students could feel confident that she was providing the most up-to-date information on parasite research and management.

When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.
What do I do if my cheese is a total failure?
Each video is followed by a discussion area where you can ask questions and post photos of your cheese. Deborah has helped thousands of people learn to make cheese, including hundreds of children, for more than a decade. She is experienced in trouble-shooting cheese challenges and can help you figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.
Do I need special equipment to make cheese?
It depends on which cheese you want to make. You can make mozzarella with a pot and a spoon, which is probably found in every working kitchen. To make chevre, feta, or queso blanco, you need something to drain the curds in, which could be a clean tea towel or pillow case or cheesecloth. To make aged cheeses you will need a cheese press and a place for aging, and I explain various options in the course, from old-fashioned cheese cave to beverage fridge to repurposed refrigerator with a Johnson controller.
Do I need to buy special ingredients to make cheese?
Most of the recipes in this course use commercial rennet and starter, which will cost you less than $1 per batch of cheese, and I provide you with a resource list where you can order ingredients. Queso blanco only uses vinegar, which costs very little.
How much goat milk do I need for the recipes?
My recipes are specifically for home cheesemakers, so they all use 1 or 2 gallons of milk per batch, depending upon the type of cheese.
Can I save money by making my own cheese?
Oh, yeah! A pound of cheese costs far less than $1 a pound when you use your own milk! And the equipment that you purchase lasts forever. We are still using all the molds and the cheese press that we bought in 2002.
What's the difference between this course and YouTube videos?
All of the steps to making cheese are laid out for you from start to finish in this course. You won't have to waste time searching online to get each question answered. Once you start making cheese -- or even before you've started to buy your supplies -- you can ask questions, which will be answered by someone experienced in not only making cheese, but also teaching cheesemaking, including via the Internet. Making a batch of soap is one of the requirements for my Raising Dairy Goats Sustainably class that I teach online through the University of Massachusetts, so I'm experienced with troubleshooting challenges via discussion boards.