Harbor Home Farm is a goat dairy tucked in among the evergreens on Vashon Island, Washington.
It is operated by a mother-daughter pair (Rita and Helen). We have been raising goats and making cheese for decades, but just got legal to sell dairy products in 2016.
Our beautiful goats are nubians and saanens, and the cross, which are called snubians. They are all bottle-fed, and love people. We only keep females in the herd, bringing in bucks for a few weeks for breeding. Having no males means that the goat milk is sweet and yummy, without the “barnyard” taste that bucks impart, just by hanging around.
We mostly produce pasteurized milk and cheeses, but also have free-range chickens and sell eggs by subscription. We sell at the Vashon Farmer’s Market, The Bellevue Farmers Market, Glass Bottle Creamery, and the Thriftways on Vashon and in West Seattle.
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Did you know that goat milk is more digestible than cow’s milk? Babies that have difficulties with formula often thrive on goat’s milk. Goats milk does not taste “goaty” and in fact is sweeter than cows milk.
All our milk is pasteurized. This means it lasts a couple of weeks in your fridge (instead of a couple of days for raw milk) and carries no disease organisms. And the milk is NOT homogenized. That means that if it sits for a few days you will find a layer of cream on top. Scoop it out and add it to your coffee—yummy!
Our products are produced here on Vashon Island from goat to bottle to cheese. Contact us to arrange a visit.
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Goats
We have six senior does and two junior in milk. February kidding produced fifteen kids (eight girls, seven boys)! While we’re still expanding the herd we keep all the doelings, but our bucklings and wethers are sold or rehomed. Three of the yearlings missed out this breeding, though Sitka did have a false pregnancy finale that just barely got her lactating.
We have our hands excessively full of overwhelmingly cute babies. In what down time we can find, photos will be provided.
Chickens
Hens
With 40-odd hens in the flock we’re producing eggs and running deliveries every Tuesday.
Roosters
We have one gorgeous Buff Orpington and two Rhode Island Red roosters rising two years old. We are looking to trade all of them for unrelated equivalents before inbreeding sets in, so drop us a note if you’re interested in such an exchange.
Chicks
It’s still a bit early to start hatching chicks, but we’ll certainly get around to it in the next few weeks. This means there will be straight-run chicks for sale by spring! We also provide Easter time chicks and do raise-to-age presales, so be sure to contact us for locally bred chickens.
Harbor Home Farm 