Raw Milk

[PotterWatch]

In California we have two legal raw milk dairies. I would MUCH prefer to buy it from a local farm operation that I can check out in person whenever I want, but alas, our government "protection" prevents me from this.

I went to visit Organic Pastures about a month ago. It was fascinating! We are hoping to start a herd share program on our farm and they were extremely helpful in giving us information and advice.

 

[babylady4]

We have a farm nearby, he sells raw milk for $7.00 a gallon I think. It is all on the honor system, he keeps the milk in a fridge and he has a lockbox to put your money in.
My husband loves it, but my doctor wont let me drink it for health reasons.

But it smells and looks delicious.

I would ask your doctor if it is dairy in general or just the milk in it's natural state. He may be scared off from the reports from the CDC and so on.... have him be VERY specific on WHY you should not consume untreated milk.

Untreated milk is a VERY SAFE food source IF it is handled properly. If people knew what farmers were doing while milking their cows for the processed milk they would never touch the stuff again. As a milk tester for a cheese plant, I have witnessed milk samples come into the plant with manure in the sample and manure all over the bottles. I do not want ANY milk off of those farms!

Here in WI it is illegal to purchase untreated milk for human consumption, but many people are doing it on the sly.... I have a wonderful farmer who unfortunately does not graze his cows (feeds then the 'traditional' silage diet), but I would still take that milk over the junk in the store any day.

Here are a few excellent resources for you to check out.
http://www.eatwild.com/foodsafety.html
http://www.realmilk.com/

My personal thought is that people should be allowed to purchase what they wish to eat. We are allowed to consume undercooked eggs and beef at the risk of being infected with salmonella or E.coli, we are even allowed to consume raw fish (sashimi)! Like all food products, if unpasteurized milk is not handled properly it has the capability of making you ill.

 

[duckinnut]

The flavor of raw, fresh milk from grassfed cows is outta this world. Rich, creamy, sweet. The last time I tried store milk it tasted like burnt plastic and I couldn't bear to drink the crud. I buy from an organic farmer I know and can see the farm anytime.

Yes, there is a little risk, but there is risk in everything in life. The Western diet of processed 'foods' is a slow killer; I'll stick with the raw milk!

What do you mean risk in everything in life? There is never a problem with grocery store food,ever! Insert tongue in cheek. Whenever there is an outbreak of xxx disease or bacteria it is always from enormous farms where quantity is more important than quality. I believe the little local farmer is going to be way more careful than any factory farm because it is his livelihood where big farms have insurance and lawyers.

My kids are in 4H and there is a girl in their club that has milk goats and her parents give us the milk from them. My oldest daughter is not a big fan of milk but loves raw goat milk. Last batch she drank every drop except the little glass I took. It has a grassy nutty taste but really good cold. They give us fresh made Feta which puts that dry stuff from the store to shame. She flavors it with strawberries, bacon and onion,chive, peach and a few others. It is so smooth and creamy and spreads like cream cheese with the texture of ricotta. OMG!! I try not to eat the whole pint in one sitting.

 

[Marty1876]

I did remark early on the reasons to be cautious, and how to be. However, I would like to state that we drank raw milk all the time growing up, without exception. No hormones added, no antibiotics.

I would prefer my risks w/raw milk, if milked clean, and the animal well cared for, than the risks of medicated, hormone laden store milk any day. And, I feed it to my children.

 

[michickenwrangler]

We belong to a cowsharea get 1.25 gal a week. The dairy we buy from is certified organic and at one time sold to Organic Valley until the latter told them to stop doing the cowshare. So they stopped doing business with Organic Valley instead. We've never had a problem with the milk. We also had our own LaMancha goats for awhile and used them for milk. The only time I had a problem was when we got some milk from our neighbor (who got us hooked on goat milk) the milk went sour in a few days. She's not sure what happened to it and is normally very careful. It wasn't a big deal, but it does happen.

Many of the milk issues in the old days with people getting sick from milk were from lack of refridgeration and lack of cleanliness.

We also get our meat from this dairy farm as well. Grass fed beef is soooo good. DBF got hooked on it when he came over for dinner the first time and I grilled some of it up into burgers. He won't eat grocery store beef now.

 

[Waight]

What is a cowshare?

We belong to a cowsharea get 1.25 gal a week. The dairy we buy from is certified organic and at one time sold to Organic Valley until the latter told them to stop doing the cowshare. So they stopped doing business with Organic Valley instead. We've never had a problem with the milk. We also had our own LaMancha goats for awhile and used them for milk. The only time I had a problem was when we got some milk from our neighbor (who got us hooked on goat milk) the milk went sour in a few days. She's not sure what happened to it and is normally very careful. It wasn't a big deal, but it does happen.

Many of the milk issues in the old days with people getting sick from milk were from lack of refridgeration and lack of cleanliness.

We also get our meat from this dairy farm as well. Grass fed beef is soooo good. DBF got hooked on it when he came over for dinner the first time and I grilled some of it up into burgers. He won't eat grocery store beef now.

 

[PotterWatch]

A cowshare is an agreement between a farmer and someone who wants to own part of a cow. It is legal to consume raw milk from an animal you own. So you sign an agreement with the farmer that you will pay them to care for and milk your cow for you and you are then able to pick up the milk your cow produces and use it as you wish. Generally, in these situations, a cow is owned by many different people thereby you own a "share" of the cow.

 

[Happy Chooks]

A cowshare is an agreement between a farmer and someone who wants to own part of a cow. It is legal to consume raw milk from an animal you own. So you sign an agreement with the farmer that you will pay them to care for and milk your cow for you and you are then able to pick up the milk your cow produces and use it as you wish. Generally, in these situations, a cow is owned by many different people thereby you own a "share" of the cow.

Potterwatch......Please, please, please tell me you live near me. I'm just outside Auburn. I'm interested in a cow share. We don't have pasture land, so my own cow is not really feasible for me.

I've purchased Organic Pastures milk and it is delicious......expensive, yes, but delicious. I would love local access to raw milk. I've read a lot on the effects of pasteurization, and I would rather have raw. People who are lactose intolerant can drink raw unpasteurized milk.

It's in the farmers best interest to keep clean equipment. One person gets sick off of it and they are out of business. Why not let the market take care of it?

 

[kuntrygirl]

A cowshare is an agreement between a farmer and someone who wants to own part of a cow.  It is legal to consume raw milk from an animal you own.  So you sign an agreement with the farmer that you will pay them to care for and milk your cow for you and you are then able to pick up the milk your cow produces and use it as you wish.  Generally, in these situations, a cow is owned by many different people thereby you own a "share" of the cow. 

I need to look for that in my area. Thanks for posting this information.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Someone in my area sells a gallon of raw goat milk for $16.00 a gallon.