Grace Harbor Farms in Custer, WA

I was looking forward to meeting Tim and Grace Lukens at their Grace Harbor Farms on Birch Bay Lynden Road in Custer, WA. I had been to their farm store before to buy their wonderful goat milk lotion. I have Rosacea that prevents me from using most moisturizing lotions. Grace Harbor’s unscented goat milk lotion works perfectly for me!

However, this time I wanted to learn more about their goat milk yogurt and chevre.

The day I arrived Tim and his helper Sandy were processing Guernsey cow milk yogurt. I had hoped to see the goat milk cheese being made, but I couldn’t work a time in my schedule that would match when they had to make their goat cheese, so I was happy to see what I did and be able to tell you a little about it.

Tim and Grace Lukens started with two goats in 1999 for their own personal consumption of the milk and dairy products. They started making goat milk soap to sell to help defray the cost of keeping the goats. In 2003 they became a Grade A Dairy and Milk Processor.

They now have about 18 Saanan (Swiss dairy) goats and three Guernsey cows on their farm. Although they could use the cow milk from neighborhood dairies, Tim maintains the animals on site for the benefit of his clientele who appreciate the traceability of their food source. Tim claims his regular “organic-istas” like to see the animals and how they’re raised. They chose Saanen goats because of their gentle nature and good milk production.

They also raise and sell free-range fresh eggs, fryer chickens, and turkeys. They seem to have little chicks hatching all the time. If I had little tykes still at home, it would be a fun place to take them to see the chicks, cows, horses, goats, and Sunny, the resident collie, in a family farm setting.

This summer Grace Harbor Farms was included on the self-directed tour of Whatcom County farms. The Lukens welcome young visitors, but to avoid disappointment, call the farm before you bring your family, just to make certain the timing is right.

Although Grace Harbor Farms isn’t certified “organic,” Tim claims they are “beyond organic.” They don’t vaccinate their animals, don’t use growth hormones, nor use chemical pesticides. Their animals are provided a natural lifestyle, with plenty of love and attention.

Tim prefers making his bottled cow’s milk and yogurt with pasteurized, but not homogenized, Guernsey milk because of the nutritional advantages. He claims it’s easier for humans to metabolize, and and he likes the appealing golden color (higher fat content and natural carotene). Guernsey cows, Tim informed me, produce naturally sweeter tasting milk, and they also produce milk with a different protein.

I invite you to go onto www.graceharborfarms.com/Guernseys.html for more details about the benefits of A2 versus A1 milk. He said Grace Harbor Farms produces a natural milk product with no thickeners or preservatives.

Tim has learned that cow milk yogurt has a broader appeal than the goat milk yogurt and their current marketing is focused in that profit-generating direction.

The first two Guernsey cows they had were Sara and Rainbow. Their current Guernsey “girls” are Irene, Emily and Jolay.

It was immediately evident during my visit that Tim is a people-person and it was fun and interesting to hear him talk about his and Grace’s little family farm. There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s a passion and a labor of love. Both Grace and Tim are actively involved, assisted by their son, David, Grandma Becky and Sandy.

Tim stepped me through the processing he and Sandy were in the middle of, explaining how the pasteurization is a heat treatment (145-degrees for 30 minutes) that kills organisms and pathogens. A live probiotic (culture) is added to the milk. They process 23-gallons at a time. Because of the fat content cow yogurt sets up, whereas goat yogurt is more liquid. They do their packaging by hand. They supply quart and half gallon sizes. All-in-all, it’s a lengthy process.

Because I have lactose intolerance, I can’t consume cow milk without problems, but drinking goat milk doesn’t seem to have the same disagreeable consequences. Goat milk has a delicious taste. However, I had no prior experience with goat milk yogurt, which is a little thicker than buttermilk.

Rebecca (Grandma Becky) Terry, who waited on me in the farm store, said their money-maker is the Guernsey yogurt and bottled milk, which they supply to ten outlets in Seattle and at the three Community Food Co-op Stores in Bellingham, and The Market at Birch Bay Square.

I bought a bottle of the goat milk yogurt and drank it each morning as a breakfast drink. It has an unflavored yogurt taste, a little sour, but not at all unpleasant. After drinking it for about a week, I appreciated its simple freshness. I didn’t mix anything else in with it, but I’ll bet it would be a good base for blending in berries or other fruit. Very nutritious!

They also make their own fresh goat cheese (chevre). They sell it classic European style, plus they also offer it with dill and chive, basil and garlic, and sweet pepper jalapeño.

In addition to the milk, yogurt and cheese, Grace Harbor Farms also makes a full line of goat milk soaps and lotions. Look at their website to see all that they make and sell in their farm store and online.

Tim admitted to me that it’s a lot of hard work, but he said they sure feel good when their regular customers keep coming back with their healthy kids, and being told how their products have made such a difference. Read the testimonials on the Grace Harbor Farms' website.

They're incredible!

There's something personally satisfying about being able to buy my food from local producers who I can call by their first names.

Grace Harbor Farms
2347 Birch Bay Lynden Road
Custer, WA 98240
(360) 366-4151
Email: infor@graceharborfarms.com