About the author
The first post, circa November 2008, simply explains what this blog is about, and I’ll make it even simpler by copying it here for you.
“Fall feels like the end of our barbarian season. Gone are the long days and longer nights of fishing on the ocean beach. The last basil leaf has dropped from the bush, and darkness begins to encircle us, stealing hours from our mornings and our afternoons. What seems like the end is really only the beginning. We begin to tally the depth of our stores. Winter lays bare the truth of what we did or didn’t do while the sun was high in the Northern sky. How many storing squash did we manage to produce? How many potatoes remain in the ground? How much honey did we extract? How many bluefish did we smoke, and are there really enough chickens in the freezer?
Cape Cod winter calls on us to dig a little deeper and make use of the resources we have around us. As economists puzzle over recent wild swings in the market, a familiar pondering arises; how long and how deep will this winter be? For the present, opportunities still abound. Clams are calling from the cold water flats.
This blog is about what it is like to be a little self-sufficient. At the very least, it may serve as a reminder that when the wallet is utterly bare, it is still possible to put protein on the table. At best, we can celebrate the bountiful environment we call home.”
Bethany Gibbons is a Cape Codder who spends her time slopping hogs, milking goats, tending gardens, playing with bees and talking to her chickens and ducks. Ms. Gibbons is an avid fisherwoman and finds herself frequently obsessed with one gilled species or another. She enjoys being woven into the fabric of the land she inhabits, and she’s happy to share foraging skills with her two children and stories with you.
The author with a nice, cold 25-pounder landed the night before in the surf on Nauset Inlet
Cape Native 
hello!! I live in centerville on cape cod and im looking for fresh goats milk to feed my 8month old son. If there is a possibilty i could buy some off you, please let me know: jmackiewicz0430@yahoo.com
Hi Jessica,
I’m sorry, but I can’t sell you any goat’s milk. The regulations regarding milk sales are extensive and most small holders find it far too expensive to put in the equipment necessary to become a legal dairy. There are a couple of raw cow’s milk co-ops on the Lower Cape, currently buying from Dartmouth, MA, if that interests you. If it must be goat, I would recommend visiting your local health foods store for some Oak Knoll goat milk from VT or seeing what Trader Joe’s has to offer.
The only possible way around this might be to buy a “goat share”, which is partial ownership of a goat that is kept on someone else’s pasture. You might look into the regs on that in Mass – I know it is done elsewhere with cows.
I am not sure if you could legally milk my goat (or someone else’s) and take what you gather, but that is another option to look into.
Considering what we are talking about – milk from a goat – this is all pretty silly, isn’t it?