Goat Birria Tacos
Serving: 16-20 tacos/4-8 servings

This recipe uses this goat birria stew recipe as the foundation for the tacos
Ingredients

• 1 cup of goat birria meat from the stew ​recipe here
• 1 cup of broth from the birria stew
• 16-20 corn tortillas
• 2 cups of shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 ½ cup of Cotija cheese
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1-2 tbs butter for frying tortillas
• Cilantro for garnish
• 2-4 limes

 
Instructions:

1. Heat a frypan to medium heat, place a portion of the butter in the pan. You will continue to add butter to the pan as you keep making tacos in batches. Once the butter is melted, place tortillas flat to fill the pan. Depending on your pan size, you may be making 2-3 tacos at a time. 
2. Place small amount of the cheeses on half of each tortilla, then a layer of meat, followed by a second layer of cheese. Then fold over the half of the tortilla without filling to create the taco. 
3. Once the bottom starts to brown, flip the tacos over to brown the other side. Add butter if needed.
4. Repeat this process until all the tacos are made.
5. Heat the birria broth and serve in small bowls for dipping tacos.
6. Garnish tacos with additional Cotija cheese, onion, cilantro and a squeeze of lime. 

Serving: 1-2
 
Ingredients: 
This recipe uses leftovers from this goat birria stew 

• 1 pack of ramen noodles
• 1 ½ cups of broth from the stew
• ½ cup of water
• ½ - 1 cup of left-over shredded goat meat from the stew
• 1-2 eggs
• 1 – green onion, chopped

 
Other toppings: 

• Fresh cilantro

• Lime
• Sour cream
• Cheese
• Tortillas on the side

 
Instructions:

1. Reheat the broth, water, meat and the white part of the green onion in a pot, mix to combine. Heat to a boil, then reduce to a simmer on low
2. While that pot is heating, in a second pot, heat water to a boil.
3. Crack the egg(s) and slowly slide into the same pot. As the egg white sets, turn off the heat.
4. In the second pot cook the noodles as the instructions say on the package. Once complete, drain.
5. Transfer the reheated stew and eggs into a bowl. Add the noodles.
6. Top with an additional topping, such as cilantro, lime, cheese, sour cream, green onion tops

Ingredients

• 3 Tbs. poblano chili powder
• 5 dried guajillo chiles, halved with stems and seed removed (substitute with fresh if desired)
• 3 lbs. bone-in goat stew meat, roast, leg or shanks order your goat meat here
• 1 Tbs. sea salt
• 3 Tbs. avocado oil 
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 – 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes 
• ¼ c of white vinegar
• 2 ½ Tbs. minced garlic from a jar
• 2 Tbs. fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tsp. of oregano 
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 2 tsp. white sesame seeds
• 2 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• Fresh cilantro
• Lime

 
Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Toast the chilies in a pan on medium-high heat, about a minute per side. Once finished, put chilies into a bowl, cover with 2 cups of boiling water and set aside.
3. Use the same plan to lightly toast the sesame seeds. Set aside in a bowl.
4. If using larger cuts of meat, cut meat into 1-2 inch cubes. Rub with salt. 
5. Sear the meat in the avocado oil, browning all sides of the meat. As the meat finishes, put on a plate. 
6. Cook the chopped onion in the same pan and oil until translucent and edges are browned. Set pan aside.
7. In a blender, place the toasted peppers and liquid, along with the tomatoes, pepper powder, vinegar, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, cumin, cloves and oregano. Blend until smooth.
8. In an oven-safe pot, add the meat, onions and blended pepper mixture. Stir and add the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Add at least 4 cups of water. Add more if the meat is not fully covered.
9. Cover the pot and cook for about 5 hours until the meat is tender and can be easily pulled off the bone.
10. Remove bones and serve with cilantro, lime and a side of tortillas or rice.

The stew is now ready for other recipes: Use the meat and the stew broth for birria tacos (recipe), ramen (recipe), pizza or other dishes. 

Recipe adapted from Tejal Rao and Josef Centeno. 

CUSTOMER FEATURE: Appetite for Change. This Minneapolis-based non-profit is one of our newest partners. Its mission is to use food as a tool to build health, wealth, and social change in North Minneapolis. The organization brings people together to learn, cook, eat and grow food, creating change that lasts.
 
Access to fresh food has been a longtime challenge for North Minneapolis. At one time there were many grocery stores in the community, now there are mostly fast-food places.  The one grocery store remaining was shut down for several months due to damage from the George Floyd protests. 
 
Appetite for Change co-founders Princess Haley and LaTasha Powell recognized chronic health conditions are often linked to a poor diet. If a community has limited access to fresh food, it makes it more challenging for folks to heal and overcome these health concerns.
 
“If health is linked to how we eat, and people in [our] community have little access to fresh food, they cannot be well in other ways,” said Haley in a recent Minnesota Public Radio story.
 
Since the pandemic, Appetite for Change has been partnering with Minnesota Central Kitchen and Loaves and Fishes to provide free community meats for North Minneapolis and the Twin Cities at large, producing 7,500 meats a week. 
 
In addition to its own farm plots, Appetite for Change also sources ingredients from other regional farms. Appetite for Change kitchen manager and chef Jim Pfeffer recently used our goat meat with several recent community meals: dirty rice featuring goat offal and goat curry served with corn on the cob and coconut rice (see in photos). 
 
Appetite for Change offers a variety of programs, including

• 7 farm plots across North Minneapolis, which the fresh fruits + veggies are distributed to the community
• Community Cooks: workshops on preparing and enjoying new ingredients and recipes; 400+ homes receive Community Cooks Meal Boxes that go along with the workshops
• Training: Programs focused on leadership, urban farming, culinary, advocacy, job skills 
• Northside Fresh: Network of community members, organizations, and businesses working together for food justice in North Minneapolis

The organization also has several food ventures: Breaking Bread Catering + Café, Station 82 Drink + Eatery, and the West Broadway Farmers Market. 
 
To learn more about Appetite for Change and the compelling stories of its founders Haley and Powell, visit my profile link to read or listen to the feature MPR article, A garden is the frontline in the fight against racial inequality and disease by Yuki Noguchi. 

Learn more about Appetite for Change:

• Website
• MPR Story: A garden is the frontline in the fight against racial inequality and disease

Article source: MPR: A garden is the frontline in the fight against racial inequality and disease, by Yuki Noguchi, November 2020. www.mprnews.org/story/2020/11/27/npr-a-garden-is-the-frontline-in-the-fight-against-racial-inequality-and-disease

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 6-8 hours
Cuisine: Indian
 
Ingredients:

• 1.5 Tbsp garam masala (I use Ancient Indian Spice)
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp smoked paprika 
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 2 lbs. goat stew meat or goat shanks or goat leg/roast cubed (Cylon Rolling Acres)
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 Tbsp. minced garlic (I use the refrigerated jar)
• 2 tsp. ginger
• 1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
• 1/3-1/2 cup of coconut cream (I like Thai kitchen) more to mellow the heat
• Cayenne pepper as desired, for more heat

 
Serve with rice and naan (my bread machine flat bread/naan recipe here). 
 
Instructions: 

1. If using a leg of goat or goat roast, cut to 1-2 inch cubes. The recipe will take longer to cook if it’s not cut up.
2. Mix garam masala, cumin, turmeric, smoked paprika, sea salt, pepper and cayenne pepper (if desired for more heat). Rub the mix on the goat meat. Any remaining seasoning can be put into the slow cooker.
3. Heat the butter in a pan over medium heat. Sear most of the sides of the goat meat in the pan. As meat finishes, place pieces into the slow cooker. Depending on how much meat is used and the size of your pan, you may need to cook in two batches. 
4. Once the goat meat is seared, place the onion and garlic in the same pan. Cook until translucent and the ends are slightly brown.
5. Add ¼ cup of water in the pan with the onions. Scrape the pan to loosen any remaining seasoning or meat. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker. 
6. In the slow cooker, add the ginger and tomato sauce. Stir until well mixed.
7. Cook on low for 6-7 hours. More time may be needed for larger cuts of meat (up to 8 hours). If possible, stir 1-2 times during the cooking time. Cook until tender and the meat easily shreds with a fork. 
8. If your cuts of meat had bones, take out the bones as you separate any meat from the bones. 
9. Add the coconut cream. Use more cream for a mellower, less spicy flavor.
10. Serve over rice with a side of naan.

 
Adapted from www.thekitchn.com

​You may not believe it, but our goats do pretty well in the winter. In fact, our goats seem to do better with cold over heat and humidity. 

So how are we keeping them cozy with our current cold snap?

1: Keep the barn + shelters bedded down with straw. Keep layering it over the old stuff. It acts as insulation and as it breaks down it also gives off heat. 

2: Keep access to hay 24/7 to help keep their rumens (tummies) warmer. 

3: Keep up decent airflow in the barn/shelter. It can be tempting to try to keep the cold air out, but it can potentially do more harm. It can cause condensation and even lead to respiratory issues, which can be hard for goats to fully recover from. Keep them dry + away from drafts, then you're good 

 ILearn more about what cuts of goat meat come with a whole goat order from our farm.

A standard whole goat order typically comes with 25-30 lbs. of meat, offal and bones including:

• 2 - Leg of goat (about 3-3.5 lbs. total)
• 2 - Shanks (2 per pack) (about 2-2.5 lbs. total)
• 2 - Roasts (2.5-4 lbs. total)
• 2 - Rib chops packs - 1 lb. each (about 2 lbs. total)
• 2 - Chops packs - 1 lb. each (about 2 lbs. total)
• 2 - Shoulder steaks packs - 1 lb. each (about 2 lbs. total)
• 3 - Ground 1 lb. packages (3 lbs. total)
• 3 - Stew Meat 1 lb. packages (3 lbs. total)
• Bones and offal (liver, heart, kidneys and tongue) about 7 lbs.

If you're interested in ordering a whole goat, visit our online store. Deciding if a whole goat order is right for you? Read our blog post: 7 Questions to Ask Before Buying a Whole Goat.

​Q. When your pasture is dormant, how do you feed your goats? A. Bale grazing! 

Bale grazing has been an incredible practice for us on our farm.

Feeding our goats outside had allowed us to keep our barn cleaner. It reduces the need for equipment use since the bale residue and manure stays outside. 

Aside from nutrition, it also encourages the goats to get exercise, which is good for muscle (meat) development. More time in the fresh air also helps reduce respiratory issues.

Once we have snow the bale residue is also a great ”sunning” spot for our goats. We’ll often find them hanging out in these areas since it's nice and dry.

Finally, probably the best benefit (yes I'm a nerd), is the leftover bale residue and the 🐐 manure and urine. What?! Yep. The bale residue adds more organic matter to our pastures and adds to the seedbed. The goats are doing the fertilization for us.  In the spring the bale grazing sites will start to work their magic helping us strengthen the health and quality of pastures without the need for any further seed or nutrients.

This bale is strategically placed in an area with minimal topsoil. We don't have a bale feeder on it because I want more residue in this area.

All winter bales will be strategically placed in our pastures where there is a greater need for the soil. A bale is always placed in a new site to maximize its full potential.

P.S. If you're wondering if we only have one goat in this pasture, we don't. Our young stock/market goats are always a bit wilder than our breeding stock since they haven't been handled as much 😆. I assure you this goat has many friends. 

One of the best parts of living in Wisconsin is our wide range of seasons. Well, at least I think so. When it comes to winter, I often get questions on how my goats handle the cold weather and snow. They do just fine. 

In November our weather will usually start to make the transition to winter with temps in the teens to single digits, snowfalls are common. January through February is usually our coldest weather of the season with temperatures usually in the single digits or below zero. Often there’s a stretch of weather -25, which usually lasts only a few days. In March the weather starts to gradually warm-up.

It Starts with the Herd
Livestock are a lot heartier than we may think. While my goats are farm animals, goats themselves in the wild original as mountain animals. They originally were designed to live in a rugged environment with a range of temperatures, including cold weather. 

On our farm, we’ve bred in the Kiko breed to help build a heartier herd (which is a Boer-Kiko cross), that thrive on pasture and is self-sufficient, including handling nature’s elements. 

Transitioning to Winter
We help our goats adjust to winter by keeping them outside on pasture as long as possible as the weather transitions from fall to winter. This helps their bodies adjust to the temperatures and grow a thick coat to help keep them warm throughout winter. At first, they aren’t fans of the temperature change and they’ll bleat at me about it. Then, after a few weeks later, they’ll be adjusted and don’t make much of a fuss. 

During this time, they’ll still have access to pasture shelters, which keeps them dry and blocks them from the wind. We’ll bed those shelters with straw to keep it clean and dry. 

Additionally, we feed hay in the winter. The hay ferments in their rumen, creating heat for the animals, helping them stay warm from within. Between their body heat and snuggling together, they keep fairly warm in the shelters.

Once our weather is consistently in the single digits, we’ll transition the herd to the barn for their winter shelter. We have a flap on the door to keep block the wind and keep snow out. They would do fine in their pasture shelters as long as they’re kept bedded and dry. We have the barn, so we choose to use it.

The herd will continue to feed on round bales out in the pasture, to make sure they are getting adequate exercise and help keep the barn cleaner. As a side benefit of feeding outside the leftover hay and goat fertilizer helps our pasture thrive the next season by adding to the seedbed and providing more nutrients.

With exposure to fresh air, they also tend to have fewer respiratory issues. Moving back and forth from the feeders to the barn also helps them generate more body heat. 

In the Barn
While the goats have full access to the barn, we will bed their pens regularly to make sure it stays clean and dry. We keep adding to the bedding throughout the winter season. This “deep pack bedding” acts as an insulator and generates heat as it gradually breaks down at the base. 

We’ll also keep an eye on the airflow in the barn and condensation and run our ventilation system when needed as well. We will make sure the barn is free of drafts as well. It’s also important to not have the barn close too “tight” as well. Some flow of fresh air is good.

The water source in our barn is a frost-free hydrant. We don’t use automatic waterers. I like to just use the low 60-gallon tanks or the “muck” tubs for smaller pens. We use drop-in heaters to keep the water from freezing and a heated hose for filling the tanks in the main barn. 

In our machine shed, we have an overflow pen, but we don’t have water in that barn. We will use three 100-foot expandable hoses with shut off valves (like the “as seen on TV” hoses) to fill the tank in the other barn from the hydrant. When we are done, we’ll coil up the hose and put it in our heat milk house room in the barn so it doesn’t freeze. This has worked better than hauling buckets or filling a large tank.

Severe Weather: Extreme Cold or Major Snowfall
If we hit a really cold stretch or anticipate a big snowstorm, we may close the barn door and feed the goats inside. 

If it's an especially snowy winter, we will also plow paths in the pasture to help the goats get to their hay feeders. We’ll also strategically plow snow to create windbreaks. 

We also try to keep an eye on the snow load on the barn roof as well, to make sure we don’t have a collapsed roof issue and then have to figure out how to house our animals while it gets fixed.

Health Concerns
We see fewer health issues with our goats in the wintertime than in the summer. High heat, wet summers and temperature swings in the spring are harder on the animals (pneumonia, parasites, other pathogens, etc,). 

It may be natural to think that we should keep our goats in an insulated, heated barn, however it can lead to more health problems. An enclosed barn without ventilation can run the risk of respiratory issues such as pneumonia.

We also do not kid in the coldest months in our Wisconsin winters to avoid the risk of pneumonia or hypothermia. There are goat farms who do kid in winter, we just choose not to do so. It’s easier on the goats and ourselves as farmers. 

If it is a late “spring” from Mother Nature and kidding as started, we may use jackets for our goats for the first week. Then we will transition them off to help the goats get adjusted to the temperature. In general, jackets are usually not necessary. We’ll also use heat lamps with kidding stalls and infrared heaters in the creep area to keep kids warm and safe from the bigger goats.


Livestock are hearty animals. Ruminants do a great job of keeping themselves warm from within through fermentation in their rumen. As farmers, we make sure they have access to dry, draft-free shelters and they do quite well throughout the winter months.

Drop in tank heaters / deicers: We use a variety of tank heaters depending on the size of the livestock  water tank and the placement (is it outdoors, is it near an open door, inside, etc.). I try to size the heater to the tank and also minimize the wattage (check the box for the size) to keep our electric bill down and not overload our electric circuits in the barn. 

I prefer to use drop in heaters vs buckets with heaters built in because sooner or later the heater will die. I'd rather replace the heater than everything.

The Perfect Bucket Heater by K&H Pet is my favorite for the muck bucket tanks (see picture). It's small and only uses 80 watts. Why use a big heater if you don't have too?

​I also like having a couple extra heaters on hand. I always seem to have one that decides to stop working in early spring when most farm stores stop restocking their shelves with winter supplies.

Heated hose from K&H Pet, 40 ft. We use this at our hydrant to fill our main livestock tank in the winter. We will plug it in before we need to use it and then it's ready to go. Each time we use it we make sure to keep the end that screws on the hydrant "up" so excess water doesn't freeze in the opening, making it hard to unthaw. We've been using this hose year-round for hour seasons.

Expandable hose by XHOSE, 3 100 ft hoses to run from the water hydrant in our main goat barn to our machine shed to all for filling up the water tank in our overflow pen.

When we use heat lamps I really like the Prima Heat Lamp from Premier 1 Supplies since it is durable and has a number of features that make it safer than the traditional heat lamp. Caution should always be used with heat lamps in barns to avoid fires.

I really like the Sweeter Heaters, they're an infrared heater. No lamp, just heat. They're much safer than using a heat lamp, to help avoid the fire risk. A bonus is that they are owned and manufactured by a family in northern Wisconsin!

This blog post was originally published 2/14/20 and was updated 11/30/20.

Today we welcomed the 73rd Alice in Dairyland (Julia Nunes) to our farm as part of our celebration of Goatober. We were able to talk about how we raise our goats on pasture, goat meat trends, and how we direct market our meat.

For our non-Wisconsin friends, ”Alice” is a one year, full-time public relations position with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Julia, the current Alice, spends her time promoting all things Wisconsin agriculture.

We were excited to be able to host her at the farm and make a short trip north to the Farm Table Foundation to learn about their work with local food culture and tour their facility. I am one of many farms in a 40-mile radius that supplies the Farm Table with hyper-local food.