Monday, December 21, 2009

Alpacas and Olive Oil


I LOVE alpacas. Those eyes, that adorable mop of hair, those skinny necks! Alpacas even use a predetermined toilet. And alpaca fiber is so warm and soft. Name me a better farm animal! Just try.

Last weekend we were treated to a tour of a local alpaca farm. Alpacas of Cripple Creek is the most clean and beautiful alpaca farm we have seen (and we have visited our share of alpaca farms). Art, the owner, is interested in breeding the darker colored alpaca fibers (blacks and grays), which makes for some cool alpaca color combinations.

Art and his wife Lynn also grow olive trees and make olive oil. We were given a tasting of their three very different (and delicious) oils. Did you know that you should slurp when tasting olive oil?


After the tasting we went back to the alpacas to visit with the males. Our dream is to purchase two males from Cripple Creek.

The alpacas seemed to find Oliver very interesting. He can tell you there is nothing better than receiving an alpaca kiss.

2 comments:

  1. How interesting! While we're digging out from the snow, you guys get to visit alpacas and slurp olive oil! I learn something new every day (about the olive oil). Sounds like fun and it looks like Oliver had a great time too! In case I don't get a chance to say so before, Jess, I hope you and Glenn and Oliver and the chickens and the bees have a Merry Christmas!

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  2. A very good friend of mine has 20+ alpacas and I love them too. I'm a spinner so I not only enjoy making yarn from their fibre I also knit with it. It's so soft and there's no smelly lanolin like with sheep's wool. I joined them last year for their shearing and visited the mill where they make the yarn. Very cool! So, you may have to set up a spare room for me cause I think we're starting to have so much in common I think we're related ;) Oh, and Merry Christmas to you and your Family. Oliver, I hope Santa visits your house BIG TIME!!!!

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