Ice cream, brewery, and a road trip (with lots of pictures)!

I chose the food and agriculture option for this program, so we did two tours relating to food science on Thursday.  The first tour was to a small dairy goat farm.  With a herd of twenty goats, the family is able to make and sell their own specialty ice cream.  The farmer told us that keeping a small herd allowed for small production costs.  For example, he hand milks the goats once a day, which cuts out the cost for a milking parlor and machinery.  He also allows the kids (baby goats for you non-animal scientists) to nurse on their mothers, cutting the cost of separate housing and milk replacer.  He was able to feed and give water to his small herd without the assistance of a machine or automated waterer.

goat herd and pony

Portable goat milker that he doesn't use often.

His wife was in charge of the ice cream making.  In the lower part of the house, she had a kitchen with the machines to make ice cream and yogurt.  She uses both goat milk from her own farm and cow milk from a local dairy to make her homemade, old fashioned ice cream.

We were then allowed to sample a few types of ice cream.  First was crème anglaise, which was basically the liquid precursor of ice cream.  We then tried cow milk yogurt.  No artificial flavors, sweeteners, or dyes were used in making the ice cream, leading to a great tasting, all natural product!

crème anglaise

yogurt (cow's milk)

yogurt = yum!

When we went to the storefront of her ice cream shop, I ordered a very interesting combination of flavors.  I ordered a two scoop cone:  goat milk chocolat noir et chocolat blanc on the top and cow milk violet flavored ice cream on the bottom.  The chocolate ice cream, despite being goat milk, did not taste too different from regular cow milk ice cream.  In fact, it was really good!  The violet ice cream tasted a lot like how the flower smells. The area in France I am in is known for its violets.  A few people tried it and did not like it, but I thought it tasted good.

We stopped at the village of Rocamadour to sightsee.

Candid. Thanks Brittney! 

Next, we went to the Ratz Brewery, which is an artisanal beer company.  Specialty beer represents only 2% of the beer market in France.  Instead, wine is the prefered drink.

On Friday, I went to a lecture on making cheese.  I’ll elaborate more on this once I finish my presentation on cheese that’s due this week.  The class also did some cheese tasting.  I liked the Sainte-Maure de Touraine, which is a goat milk cheese containing ashes and salt.  Comté, Morbier, and Brie were three cow milk varieties I enjoyed.  Comté is a hard cheese that is matured up to two years.  Morbier has a line of ash through the center.  Brie is a cheese I have eaten many times before.  It is a very soft cheese.  I did not like the Munster, which is MUCH stronger than the kind served in the USA.

On Saturday, Karen, Brittney, Melissa, Natalie, and I went to Nîmes.  We went to the Arena that was built during the Roman Empire.  Throughout the centuries, the Arena has been used for various purposes. Its initial purpose was for gladiator fights.  The Arena has been used as a fortress and as a walled city.  It is still used today for bullfights and concerts.   Since it has been in constant use, it is a nearly complete structure.   

I was walking through the arena and I did a double take when I saw this.
I then proceeded to laugh. Good thing I can (kind of) read French!
Le Cheval Blanc = The White Horse
This is the name of  bar in Champaign, where my University is located.

Such an amazing architectural feat. 

Next we went to Maison Carrée, which served as a political building in the Roman Empire.  Its constant use ensured its survival and upkeep.  It was constructed around 19 BC.

Beautiful!

In the evening, we walked around the central city.  We had a great time!

The next day we walked in the Jardin de Fontaine, through the old Roman gardens, and up to Tour Magne.  Tour Magne was a Celtic fortress which was later used by the Romans as a military post.  It’s location on the hill above Nîmes proved to be a strategic location for the protection of the city.  The view from the top was beautiful!

Hey!  I know her!

In the afternoon, we went to Marsaillen-Plage.  It was so picturesque!  I got a few shells to bring home.  Unfortunately the water was ice cold, so I didn't go swimming.  The beach in Barcelona was much warmer!

Looks warm, but the water was ice cold!

French grilled cheese? I love it!