I purchased a 6 ounce container of Redwood Hill Farm's Apricot Mango Goat Milk Yogurt at the Berkeley Farmer's Market this weekend. I had enjoyed the Sebastopol-based creamery's fabulous goat cheeses in the past, including their raw goat's milk feta and their smoked goat cheddar. This yogurt, which is both kosher and gluten-free, intrigued me. I am lactose intolerant and somewhat sensitive to casein, but I seem to digest goat's milk and sheep's milk products far more easily than cow's milk. Redwood Hill Farm's website explains that the fat molecules in goat's milk are more easily digestable than cow's milk, and that due to the lactose and casein in goat's milk being structurally different, many people who can't digest cow's milk are able to eat goat's milk.The first thing I noticed about the Apricot-Mango Goat Milk Yogurt was that it had the extremely creamy, rich texture and taste that I associate with full-fat yogurt. I checked the label to see if I'd purchased low- or full-fat yogurt and was surprised to see that there were actually only 3 grams of fat per serving, though the yogurt is made with whole milk.
Goat's milk yogurt has a distinctive flavor - There is certainly something slightly "goaty" about it- A grassy, slightly gamey flavor which some people will enjoy and others might find unappealing. However, with the addition of fruit, I found the taste deeper and more sophisticated than the taste of regular yogurt but still very pleasant. The fruit on the bottom was not oversweetened, as no additional sugar is added to their products.
I am looking forward to purchasing the plain yogurt in the future, for use in fruit smoothies or Indian dishes. I can't imagine enjoying it alone without the addition of fruit or other flavors, but it is great to know that there is a yogurt I can use in my cooking that won't make me sick.
To find Redwood Hill Farm's yogurts and cheeses near you, use their store locator. They sell their products nationwide. You can also order bulk quantities through their online store.
7 comments:
I have seen some goat's milk yogurt before, but always avoided it for the price alone (a bit steep). I didn't want to try it without knowing what to expect. But, after your review, I think I'll give it a shot next time I run across some of it.
I've heard from several people that goats milk is much easier to digest. I'll bundle up tomorrow and take a run into one of the shops I found with the store locater and see what damage i can do. :) thank you for such a wonderful review.
Mike - It's definitely... different. I could see some people hating it and some people loving it.
Penny - Yeah, that's definitely been my experience. I hope they sell it in your area.
I just bought some and tried it this morning per the recommendations of Dr. Asa Andrew, author of "Empowering Your Health" - he recommends it like it's a cure-all. It is possibly the worst tasting thing I have ever put in my mouth.I was done after forcing a few terrible spoonfuls down! I don't know how people eat it!
Autumn - Aw, bummer. I'm sorry to hear you didn't like it. I think goat yogurt, like most goat products, are an acquired taste. The yogurt tastes - Well, goaty. If you're not used to that it might taste too gamey. I just find it very tart and unusual but delicious. After eating it for a while it's now what I expect of yogurt - Rather than the sickly sweet Dannon-with-fruit-on-the-bottom-and-artificial-flavors that I used to eat. If you don't want the rest of your container of yogurt to go to waste might I suggest using it in recipes? Yogurt is an ingredient in many Indian dishes including tandoori (before I was kosher I would marinate meat in yogurt mixed with spices and it was amazing). You can also make smoothies with it - It adds a nice tart creamy-ness. Enough fruit and agave and I bet you won't notice the flavor you dislike ;-P Have you tried Redwood Hill Farm's raw feta? It was too goaty for me because I was used to grocery store cows-milk feta, but it's another thing that grew on me.
I loved the yogurt but I paid over 8 bucks for it. I would love it even more if the price was cheaper. Can't buy this too often. I ate it with blueberries.
I LOVE this Goat Yogurt. I have tried the Vanilla, but trying to reduce calories for fitness toning etc... I buy plain and add stevia which is still DELICIOUS!!! Highly Recommend
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