Get Your Goat - 10 Spots for Goat-Lovers

Not far from Kelowna driving along Lakeshore Drive and passing aging vines of lush with grapes for harvesting, sits the goats of the Camelis Alpine Goat Cheese Artisan. Exiting the vehicle you hear the playful singing of goats in the distance sensing the arrival of someone new. On a fall day the blue Okanagan Lake and the autumn colours create a visually robust cornucopia and you can’t do anything but drink it in. The gift shop is similar to an old fashioned western candy store as the entire building is a converted farmhouse. To my right is a display of local olive oils and vinegars. To my left is an enticing display of house made goat cheese gelato and before me is an array of goat cheeses that I didn’t know existed. From goat cheese with delicious ribbons of mouldy blue, a goat cheese that mimics a camembert and a yogurt cheese ideal for spreading there is a cheese to match all tastes. Open from May 1st - October 31st.

I couldn’t get it out of my mind…like the time I heard that the Russian Cat Circus was performing in my city…I HAD to go and see those crazy Russian housecats perform tricks! Once I had heard that goats in Morocco climbed high up in trees, I was obsessed with the goats. My brain was focused on figuring out how and why they climbed the trees. Sure, mountain goats are definitely nimble, but climbing a mountain and climbing a tree seems totally different to me. How do they get up the treetrunk to the first branches - and beyond? Fast forward 1 week and I’m in a Grand Taxi leaving Essaouira early in the morning with a taxi driver who has told me he can take me to the fabled Moroccan goats that climb trees. This was no scam, in Morocco goats actually do climb trees - high up in the branches of Argan trees. Normally found in Southern Morocco, I was lucky enough to see them with my own eyes just outside of Essaouira. Argan trees are a thorny evergreen variety that grow in drought-ridden areas and are quite hearty. The Argan trees have fruits on them that the goats like to eat – actually, I think the goats are driven up into the trees in order to find food to graze on since it is so dry in these areas, the true definition of adaptation! If you want to see how goats climb trees, then go to southern Morocco and ask the locals to help you find them. Or just look closely at the Argan trees - you may just get lucky and spot one high up in the branches feasting on fruit!

I love cheese. I also love goats. So when I learned of a dairy goat farm just outside of Durbuy, Belgium, open to the public, I had to visit. The Ozo Goat Farm consists of around 200 happy Alpine goats. They produce delicious cheeses available to purchase in the on-site cheese shop. The farm produces about 20 types of cheeses, both fresh and aged. The varieties of the soft cheeses include: cracked peppercorn, rose, chives, nuts and dried fruit. Seeing these goats relaxed and happy, not to mention friendly and eager for head scratches, was the icing on the cake. This is Belgian local produce at its best! More information at: http://cheeseweb.eu/2013/07/chvrerie-dozo-goat-farm-durbuy-belgium/

Dream of escaping to the countryside and a simpler home-grown style of life? Test-drive your dream on the Quinn’s smallholding in Geel, where you can learn a skill, meet some animals, and eat locally produced food. If you fancy learning how to do some work with your hands, Debbie holds workshops most weekends. You can choose from goat cheese, soap, sausage or preserve making or take one of Debbie’s ‘Edible Walks.’ She even teaches sewing classes. If you want a full-weekend getaway, Debbie also offers basic B&B rooms, with a shared bathroom, in her house. The weekend package we tested cost €135 and included all of our meals and the two workshops. Speaking of food you can enjoy a four course 100% organic local meal for 40 Euro. Ours started with a spicy pumpkin soup, followed by fresh pasta with an amazing ragu of the Quinn’s meats, and wrapped it all up with a pear, poached in wine, and topped with Debbie’s goat-milk ice-cream. Heaven! And don’t forget Debbie’s amazing goat cheeses! Read a full review of my weekend here: http://cheeseweb.eu/2013/11/farm-geel-belgium/