Raw milk . . . who's on board?
I am considering a raw milk herd share . . . anyone have any thoughts on raw milk (benefits, taste, recipes, etc.)
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I am considering a raw milk herd share . . . anyone have any thoughts on raw milk (benefits, taste, recipes, etc.)
16 Comments
In my own experience, and that of the people in my community who also source their milk from the same farm, there is no history of illness. We do sign a document and promise not to share our milk with others, especially children, without explicit consent. I don't consider myself an outlier when it comes to milk, I just find that this milk is the highest quality milk available to me.
You are free to make decisions about the risks you place your family in, and don't get me wrong, we do all make choices about risks affecting our families, but my point is that you should not expose others unknowingly to raw milk or raw milk products. This is particularly important in the case of pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems.
http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm079516.htm
I have to say that the experience of other commenters (boulangere, wink wink) of tasting baby spit-up can only be explained by sour, not fresh milk. Even if it's gone a little sour (not the same as when pasteurized milk goes bad), it would taste yucky like that. If it's refrigerated rapidly and soon after milking, this should never be a problem, and it should keep for up to 2 weeks without a noticeable taste in flavor.
To which I say, when we first tasted our grass-fed, organic milk, the only thing I could say was that it tasted remarkably like flowers. Sweet, mild, fresh. It arrives at our house the day after milking, and is labeled with the milking date on post-it notes. Another huge benefit (above the perceived health benefits) is that I get it in glass Mason jars that I take back every week. No plastic jugs to throw away.
I've been to the farm where my cows live (herdshare= part ownership of said herd), and met the cows. There are 8. I can't remember their names. They are happy, clean, and loved.
We love our raw milk.
See http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/raw_milk_health_benefits.html
Lots of controversy on this, though!
Interestingly, I don't care so much for the quark and yogurt I make from it. For those I prefer less fat in the milk. I admit I haven't tried skimming raw milk as a yogurt base.
Delicious custards. Custards can be overly egg made with "normal" milk. With whole milk, custards seem better balanced. However if you have been using fewer egg yolks than whites in your "normal" milk custard, you will want to rethink those ratios.
Bottom line for me. Use it for special dishes.
Ha, baby and towel over shoulder!!!