my raw milk looks funny today....?

[bornthrifty]

oh I get milk from several sources, this one I have been going to for a while now, and have been happy with, he loves his cows, he feeds them well, does everything very natural (no hormones and such)

well, this last batch when I was ladeling from my big 5 gallon bucket into my glass jars had what looked to me like dust down in the last inch or so of the bucket...now I watched him fill it, so it's not sanitation from the milk house end,

I don't know if this time of year there is pollen that would be in the milk or even dust from the milk barn or even from the dusty dry field they were in....

so now at the bottom of my last few jars is this dust looking sediment that can be shook in....or perhaps left in or even tossed


any thoughts

thanks

 

[~gd]

We always filtered all our milk while it was still warm from the cow. (after it cools the cream starts to seperate) and never saw anything like you describe, If you are on good terms with the supplier ask him! Say that you have never seen anything like that in his milk before and you are a bit concerned. If there is a natural answer he should know it.

 

[bornthrifty]

oh dear, one more variable,

I drove over this time in a friends car, car was dirty, maybe lid wasn't on tight during the drive, (we had the air on cause it was a hot day)

do you suppose I could have gotten dirty (the bucket) in the car, ?
I remember the farmer beginning to fill and giving me a look...
maybe my bucket wasn't pristine....

(usually if he notices something he rinses it with milk first though, and wouldn't just fill it if he noticed something)



(I can ask him and will....once I know it wasn't me, )

 

[freemotion]

How odd.....I'd ask him if the lid was on tight or if he saw dust in the bucket. I can't imagine, from your description, that he would go ahead and fill a dirty bucket, though. He needs to know in case it is a problem in his herd or in his system.

 

[Farmfresh]

Could it be minerals (like calcium deposits) in the milk?

I know milking equipment can develop a mineral deposit called "milk stone" if not cleaned and sanitized properly. ??

 

[SunshineAfterTheRain]

I would defitely ask about it. I've gotten raw milk from 2 different farms locally, the first place was wonderful and the second place had horrible hygiene. I didn't realize how dirty they were until winter came and the farmstand closed down and it was self serve inside the barn. The fridge was covered in poop and there were dirty buckets everywhere, one half filled with milk. I didn't go back there anymore! I guess my point is if you're in doubt then ask. It's dirty places like the one I was going to that get people sick and give raw milk a bad name.