Best way to store goat milk

[savingdogs]

What is the most easy and economical way to store goat milk (in the milk form, don't tell me cheese!) Glass jars? baggies? something purchased specially to store milk?

I want to store some to use, I was thinking of just putting some right into a quart pitcher made of plastic for storing in. Is plastic not good?

I also want to store some to freeze and would like it to be in a set exact amount so I know what I have.

 

[freemotion]

I'm a huge fan of glass, especially for anything with fat in it. I use quart glass juice bottles for our daily use and either half gallon canning jars or one gallon glass jars for saving it up for cheese making.

In the freezer, I've stored it in widemouth pint canning jars in crates and I've stored it in quart ziploc freezer bags. Both have advantages and disadvantages. The jars take up more room but thawing them is a breeze. The bags take up less room but leak when thawing so have to be put in a large bowl and often the liquid leaks out and the solids stay in the bag so it has to then go into the blender to re-mix it.

I freeze in ice cube trays for soap making, then transfer into gallon ziplocs if I am stocking up.

 

[Javamama]

I use quart size canning jars for the fridge. If I was going to freeze some I would use pints or plastic freezer containers. I love the plastic lids that they make for canning jars now too.

 

[glenolam]

I use quart glass jars in the fridge and zip lock bags for the freezer.

Free - are the jars you use the freezer glass? I tried that once and it exploded.

 

[Okie Amazon]

We froze lots of milk in preparation for our last litter of puppes. I used the NAME BRAND Zip-loc (you'll be sorry if you use bargain brand) quart freezer bags. To thaw, I just dropped them into a pot of warm water on veeeeery low on the stove. It tasted just as good as fresh.

 

[freemotion]

I only use the pint widemouth jars. I haven't had any 'sposions.

I don't care for quart canning jars for storage for daily use as they can be challenging to pour from when full without spilling. I DO cry over spilled milk!

 

[glenolam]

I don't have any problem with spilt milk from the quart jars.....

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Not all of us are as talented as you, Glen! I am going to invent a little pour lid that goes on mason jars...they'd fit down inside the neck, with a tiny ridge over the lip of the jar, and they'd have a hole that would help the liquid pour out nicely.

I store in quart jars a good bit, but only because I only have 1 half-gallon mason jar. I need more of those!! I also have these 2 rectangular looking beverage containers. For freezing, I reuse gallon jugs. I prefer ones that have held water or tea (I get those from MIL) over milk jugs, but I just try to wash them thoroughly and they're good to go.

 

[noobiechickenlady]

I lucked into several gallon glass jars with lids, so that's what I used. I have a big stainless steel ladle that lived in the milk jar that was in use. It just fit inside the mouth with room to put the lid on. I couldn't fill the jars up all the way, instead I just barely filled them to the "shoulder" of the jar, to leave room for the ladle.
We have used up a gallon or more in a day just drinking it, so I never froze any

 

[savingdogs]

So many good ideas. I think I just need to look around for the right storage items. I would love to find plastic lids for the glass jars, that would be so much quicker than those rings and screw lids.

When you freeze them Free, how much free space do you leave at the top? I have been freezing in baggies, but have had the problem of the bags not holding up. I just ran out and looked and I DO have cheap baggies. So that explains that. I'd rather use something re-usable if possible and not throw away a ziplock bag so often. But it does seem like round jars would not make good use of freezer space. Maybe those square plastic freezer thangys?

So mostly baggies or jars.....except Katie, where do you get the plastic jugs? I was thinking of buying these dollar store quart containers they have with a pour spout. They are only a buck so I could have several and rotate their uses. I'd like to just store up milk in the fridge for cheese making and not necessarily freeze it.

I'm mostly freezing "dirty" milk (when my son milks) for soap in cheap baggies because that milk doesn't matter so much).

I think I'll have to take all your ideas with me to the store. But perhaps I will look at a couple goodwills first for some glass jars with lids.

I must say it is fun having the problem of too much milk! Yay goats.