Aprisco La Hortensia – A Goat Tale

By Dagmar Reinhard

Goat farm, Aprisco La Hortensia Familia Morales

At the farm of Mrs. Gina Morales and family, at the top of the coastal range in the small village of Mollejones de Platanares, we met six of the 60 recognized breeds of goats in the world. In it, the Morales keep the Saanen, Alpine, Nubian, American Spot, Toggenburg, and Boer dairy breeds. To distinguish them, look at the color of body and face, extremities, the size and inclination of the ears, the coat and the presence of horns. During the driest season of the year, the goats live in a kind of hotel with several bedrooms and areas where the little ones can play and the adults practice their jumps and rub their horns. They eat grass all day and a delicacy for them is green bananas; it shows they are happy.

Their owners have named almost all of them and emphasize that the goats are only for milk production. There is a separate milking area, which is very clean and well ventilated. Mrs. Morales obtained her degree in Cheese and Yogurt with INA (National Learning Institute: «I feel passion when I develop a new product». Everyone in the family collaborates with the care of the animals. They descend almost every day from the mountain to sell their merchandise: exquisite, fresh, cream cheese with spices, and milk and yogurt in the Agricultural Fairs of Tinamaste, Bahia, San Isidro, Dominical, and Uvita.

Aprisco Hortensia Familia Morales, goat farm

They tell us about the benefits of goat’s milk: It has a lower content of casein and is hypo-allergenic milk. When it reaches the large intestine it helps in the development of the probiotic flora. Thanks to its high content of essential fatty acids it can decrease the total cholesterol and triglycerides levels, reduce high transaminases (GOT and GPT) and prevent cardiovascular diseases.

It is considered a good quality protein because it provides practically all the variety of essential amino acids to our body (3.3 grams per 100 grams of milk). Being an excellent source of vitamin D and calcium it is ideal for people with anemia and osteoporosis since vitamin D is necessary for the proper absorption of calcium. On the other hand, goat milk is able to regenerate hemoglobin (in the case of anemia). It also provides good amounts of vitamin A and B2, as well as minerals such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium. The fat content is a bit higher than in cow’s milk; however, thanks to its large amount of coenzyme Q, anticancer properties are attributed to it.

CONTACT: Aprisco La Hortensia - Daniela_morales56@hotmail.com - Facebook - Tel: 506-8309 6278

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