Black Mesa Ranch
Snowflake, Arizona, USA
Artisan Cheese
Nubian Goats
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Cheese and
Candy Information and Online Ordering Page
Featured pages on this site
Updated!
6/07: We have revamped our Ranch Workshop Packages!
In addition to our one and three-day cheese making and goat management workshops learn about our free open- house days and lodging accommodations.
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Award Winning Artisan Goat Cheeses
4 Awards 2005 ADGA National Competition
3 Awards 2004 ADGA National Competition
(available seasonally)
2 Awards 2005 ADGA National Competition
2 Awards 2004 ADGA National Competition
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Click here to read the online version of Kathryn's booklet
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This site last updated:
October 04, 2008
© 2000-2008 Black Mesa Ranch Inc. All Rights Reserved
Arizona Grown!
Saturday, March 01, 2003
Mudding and taping drywall at the dairy all day.
Sunday, March 02, 2003
Office goof-off day: computer back-ups, K worked on taxes, D worked on web site.
Monday, March 03, 2003
Spent most of the day updating K’s computer various programs: Quicktime, IE, and downloading/installing a new Norton Antivirus.
Designed a new possible layout for dairy and doe/hay barn set up.
John came with daughter Jessica and adopted Jake the rescued Anatolian Shepherd. He will be now guarding an alpaca herd near Williams AZ.
UPS delivered from Caprine Supply a new 10-kid lamb bar. Tried it out for 6 PM feeding and it was a mess. Went back to bottles for 10 PM and will try again tomorrow. Babies' 1st day out all day.
Downloaded Norton Upgrade for DCH overnight.
Tuesday, March 04, 2003
Installed D’s New Norton.
Ordered paint from Sherwin Williams for the dairy project.
Headed to town after lunch and feeding of babies. Mexican lunch, bank, PO, New Generator battery, Hardware stores for floor paint (Taylor and Showlow), Wal-Mart, Fox/Gal hardware store for misc. paint and masking, Sherwin Williams for 7, 5 gallon buckets of paint, feed store (LOTS of feed).
Used lamb bar for all but the 10 PM feeding: Better with 2 or 3 kids at a time on it. Put wethers out of pen while we were gone and 1st time overnight. Babies pen open all day/night for 1st time.
Wednesday, March 05, 2003
1st cocci treatment in babies milk – 5 total doses. Started 3 feedings a day for the babies at 12 oz per (no 10 PM) Lamb bar working well: 2 feedings at milking times with milk going right from the does to the lamb bar, and one feeding around noon.
Worked mudding and taping lower level at the dairy.
Kids on their "nipple bucket"
Thursday, March 06, 2003
Dairy work: Final mudding and sanding drywall, some acid wash work on the floors and paint prep/masking.
Friday, March 07, 2003
Paint prep guest suite/lower level at dairy. More acid wash for concrete floors.
Saturday, March 08, 2003
Spray painted lower level of dairy: primer plus 4 colors on various surfaces. Bailey has scours.
Sunday, March 09, 2003
Painted Dairy store room floor and spots for setting plumbing fixtures.
Neighbors Les and Jane brought over 3 kids for disbudding.
Bailey still scouring: gave Kaopectate and electrolytes, last cocci treatment, started probios.
Monday, March 10, 2003
Brought over 3 bales of alfalfa to girls from the barn.
Made animal biscuits.
Started garden seeds in the basement: broc, basil, purple ruffle basil, chervil, marjoram, and summer savory cells. Tarragon, parsley and chives all sprouting up in garden. Some mint still green.
Contacted Snowflake/Taylor Chamber of Commerce for info and membership. They never returned the calls.
CD/T 6 kids and Nutmeg, wormed 6 babies. Bailey still bad scours: On Pepto Bismol and reduced milk. Set up lamb bar 1st day with water for kids. Got an email from “Joshua”, interested in Cayenne and Bajo for packing in Ky.
Nice day – about 75 degrees!
3 new good rabbit litters, plus one with only 1 live out of 4. Combined it with those from another litter and all seemed well.
Tuesday, March 11, 2003
Cleaned out doe barn.
Trimmed all boys’ hooves (except Aragon) plus Anise. Tattooed ZH in Artie’s ear (her herd ID). Erected new divider gate for buck rabbits’ section.
5th litter of rabbit buns this week (4 good ones) .
LPG checked, generator checked, cleaned fridge coils. K vacuumed for company. Read beekeeping books.
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
Babies down to 2 feedings of milk a day (at milking times), water in lamb bar in between.
Warm today: about 70 degrees.
Top out work at dairy – lower level. Got vanity and sink, toilet, 2 heaters, 9 lights installed. K did cut-in and touch-up painting The kerosene heater had smoked so much the other night that the bathroom (where it had been running) and adjacent hallway had to be washed and totallt repainted (ARGH).
Put pack equipment on Bajo and went for a walk. He did fine but got hot. More info from Ky Joshua about goats; may visit in a few weeks.
Thursday, March 13, 2003
Filled water tank.
Friday, March 14, 2003
Martha and Glenda from Tucson for a visit. They arrived early evening.
Saturday, March 15, 2003
Goofed off with M & G.
Martha gives some lovin'
Sunday, March 16, 2003
M & G departed early afternoon.
Tuesday, March 18, 2003
Prepped dairy lower level floors for painting. Long hard day!
Dairy Lower lever, ready to paint
Wednesday, March 19, 2003
Painted lower level dairy floor: swirled gray and white – looks sort-of like marble. Tried new method with roller and long-handled texture broom – worked much faster then the on-hands-and-knees method, and looks great!
Thursday, March 20, 2003
Internet shopping for stainless steel commercial sinks, big mixer, etc for dairy. Sent bunch of questions to one dealer.
Ordered 2, 3# packages of bees for 4/48 arrival (same day Cynthia and Jim arrive).
Baked Rye bread.
Trudy began mild labor (a few contractions) very early this morning (1 AM) so K spent the night out with her. She is due tomorrow or Saturday.
Made 1st cheese of 2003: one gallon mozz = excellent!!
Friday, March 21, 2003
Started many pepper and chile seeds: 12 mixed bell, 12 Valencia bell, 6 Golden California Wonder, 12 purple beauty bell, 12 North Star (Red bell), 12 Early Sunsation bells, 12 Anaheim, 12 Cubanelle, 6 Fresno Grande, 12 Fresno, 6 Jalapeño, 6 suave red (mild hab), 12 Fool You Jalapeno.
Saturday, March 22, 2003
Garden; Built 5 of 6 new raised annuals beds.
Trudy kidded one buckling, “Mole” and one doeling, “Cassia”.
Herd Queen Trudy kids with twins
Sunday, March 23, 2003
Finished last 3 raised annual beds in garden.
Made 1.5 gallon Mozz – excellent.
Monday, March 24, 2003
Ordered 2 big sinks for dairy and 20 quart commercial mixer. K ordered a milking machine set-up. Reviewed deck plans for SE sides of dairy and decided it was not big enough. We'll add 14 feet of length and another set of stairs.
Made goat cheese – berry – streusel dessert.
Tuesday, March 25, 2003
Worked on Deck plans. Rough lay-out of S.E. dairy deck.
Major grading for planned new hay/doe/kid barns: Rerouting 2 washes, moving cactus and debris, brush clearing.
Wednesday, March 26, 2003
More grading at dairy compound. Rough leveled pad for barns, more brush removal. Plans work for SE deck.
Thursday, March 27, 2003
D to Showlow: Hughes for 2- 40 gallon water heaters and connections, valves, etc. Presco for electric supplies, Wal-Mart, Chinese lunch to-go, PO, feed store, Precision for 20 bags of concrete mix.
Worked on footing plan for SE deck at dairy.
Friday, March 28, 2003
SE Diary Deck layout work: stakes, batter boards, strings, etc. and set some forms for post footings.
Formwork for Dairy SE deck
First asparagus up in the garden.
Made small Caprine bucket feeder and started Trudy’s kids on it.
We noticed some cows on property along the west side today. Fence down?? How? Where?
Saturday, March 29, 2003
Poured 14 post bases for SE deck.
Pouring footings for SE Dairy deck
To town for 10 more bags of concrete and Subway lunch. Noticed fence had been cut on W. Side near the phone pole, probably by ranchers looking to give their cows access to our relatively pristine grazing. 3 cows on property.
Installed new 40 gallon water heater in the South house.
Trudy’s kids to 3 feedings per day (15 oz each feeding).
Sunday, March 30, 2003
Filled water tank. Cows gone so I fixed west fence line break.
Made a 4-times recipe of animal biscuits and 1.5 gallon mozz.
Removed remaining concrete forms, stakes, batter boards, and raked at dairy SE deck.
Assembled and painted more bee hives.
Started 18 Rome and Celebrity Tomatoes for the garden.
Trudy’s kids spend their first night out in the pen.
Monday, March 31, 2003
Prepped for DCH’s trip to Phoenix: Trailer and truck ready. Made hay space in barn. 4 Bales to girls pen.
Garden work: Raised part of 1 strawberry bed. First "Fooled You" peppers and Fresno seeds germinated.