Goat Milk?

Seasonal Roots Staff holding baby goats with with Farmer Stacey

After discovering her teenage son couldn’t tolerate cow’s milk, Stacey was determined to find an alternative dairy source for her family. What started as curiosity has grown into something she never expected: becoming a farmer.

“It was a lot of madness in the beginning,” Stacey reflects. But in that madness, she built Whispering Springs Farms, where hardwork, care, and a deep connection between one woman and her herd come together to create quality goats milk products. 

Seasonal Roots is happy to offer products from Whispering Springs every spring in our market. Members have access to flavored chevre, soaps, and more!

As Stacey puts it, “I didn’t even know how to milk a goat when I got goats. And all my friends thought I was crazy.” 

What started as a leap into the unknown quickly became a full-fledged operation, fueled by trial, error, and persistence.

On the Farmstead

This Spring, our team had the privilege of visiting Whispering Springs to learn more about the operation. Nestled between tall trees and the winding backroads in Montpelier, Virginia stands a beautiful farmstead and kitchen.

Step inside her kitchen, and you’ll find it spotless and carefully maintained to meet food safety guidelines. This is where Stacey produces everything: cheese, gelato, feta, fudge, soaps, lotions and more. Every batch is made in-house, and every step, from pasteurizing and draining to chilling, packaging, and labeling, is handled by Stacey herself.

Out in the pasture, her herd of baby Nubian goats bring both personality and purpose to the farm. Known for their long, floppy ears and social nature, all of the goats have a very special, close-knot bond with Stacey.

“They’re all over ya,” she says. “Even at 200 pounds.”

This is because Stacey bottle-feeds all of the kids, or baby goats, so they get especially attached. Their behavior could be compared to dogs, according to her. Once stepping into their pen, it didn’t take long for us to realize they follow her around, crowding close and begging for attention while wagging their stout tails happily. 

In fact, keeping the goats happy and healthy is one of Stacey’s primary goals as a farmer. Like many farmers we work with, she takes extra precautions to ensure her goats are in top health condition and that her products are as clean as possible, and the goats have ample space to roam. 

“I’ve even had vegans enjoy my products because they’ve visited the farm and seen how the goats are treated,” Stacey shares with us.

Seasonal Farming

Whispering Springs runs seasonally, operating from April through October, though Stacey’s work never really stops. In the off-season, she shifts gears, drawing on her experience as a personal chef, often baking pies to sell. 

“There’s always something to do,” she says. 

During peak season, mornings start early: heating bottles, feeding the  kids, milking the dams, and thoroughly washing equipment before moving into production. Only after all that does she begin the meticulous process of pasteurizing and cooling milk for her products. Her favorite product to make is her Goat Milk Soap. 

After playing with the baby goats for a while, we collected a box of strawberry chevre and some soaps to take for the market. Stacey returned to the kitchen briefly, only to return with little cartons of creamy homemade gelato for the team. It was a sweet end to a sweet day.

Whispering Springs Farm is the kind of place where hard work, curiosity, and care come together to create something special. We are happy to work with Farmer Stacey, and continue to connect our members with small local farmers with great products. 

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