Bleating allowed!

Extremely intelligent, sociable, headstrong and equipped with a good dose of self-confidence: That’s a description of the more than 20 female dairy goats, who give over 8,000 litres of milk a year and who have nothing to complain about at Rosi Unteregger's Konwaldhof farm in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee in SalzburgerLand, as they live in a true goat’s paradise. Rosi is constantly tinkering with and creating new ideas for her goat's cheese. Her credo: A good goat product is only made if the animals are doing well!

How did Rosi get into goats? "That's easy to explain," she says. "I came to Altenmarkt in 1985 to my husband's farm, where my parents-in-law already had five goats - and then the goat farm just grew like that." She is particularly fascinated by the "sensitivity of the animals". "They react so sensitively to everything. If there's one that doesn't follow obediently, it hears my tone of voice ... and already knows ..., oops!"

Rosi's most important "employees" on the farm are the effective microorganisms that form the basic lifestock for every living being and that guarantee the natural production cycle from basic feed to cheese in a healthy mix. These are lactic acid bacteria, photosynthetic bacteria and yeasts. Other ingredients: an extra portion of passion and love. And Rosi Unteregger has plenty of that. No wonder her goat's cheese creations regularly win gold and silver awards. Her "Zaucher goat's cheese in oil with herbs from Provence" won over the jury at the special international "Cheese Counter" competition in the sheep and goat's cheese category with its exceptional flavour and product quality. The cheese not only won the gold medal, but also took first place among all gold-winning products. Another speciality is the "Hauslaib" semi-hard cheese. "The top award for my Zaucher gold cheese is unique," explains the trained chef proudly, who incidentally learned her trade from the master cheesemaker at the Bischofshofen dairy, Franz Prodinger.

For Rosi Unteregger, sustainable circular economy means everything in this age of focusing on values, home and sustainability. The farmers who supply the weekly market in Altenmarkt, which she initiated over 30 years ago and which runs from 2 to 5 pm on Fridays, also live by this philosophy. At the weekly market, gourmet stalls from the region now offer exclusively seasonal fruit and vegetables, local meat and poultry, eggs, fish, bread and pastries, flowers, garden plants and specialities such as hemp products, sweets made from birch sugar... in fact, everything that is good for you and tastes good. Rosi naturally offers specialities from her goat's cheese factory and varieties that customers can refine themselves with oils, spices and herbs. "I'm also happy to give them tips for harmonising flavours," continues the farmer.
"It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you do it with love and joy. Then you start your day's work in a completely different way and finish it enriched in the evening," says Rosi, looking at her values. "Before a piece of cheese is on your plate, you have to go through a process that spans the whole year. Rosi has to think about the various stages of the process above all when she is sitting at the table, enjoying her cheese with some fruit and a glass of wine: "Every minute of my life is spent on the products. Thank you, dear Lord, that I have found fulfilment in my profession!"

photo credits: shutterstock, Gerhard Rainer, Nikolaus Faistauner Photography, Gerhard Rainer, Altenmarkt-Zauchensee Tourismus