Raw Milk SCORE!

Iceblink

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I read in my goat book that you should first rinse your milk equipment with tepid water, and only when you get all the milk off switch to hot water. Otherwise you get buildup.

I buy my cow and goats milk from farmers in the area. Unfortunately they are not in the 'near' area, so I don't make the drive too often. Here in Nebraska it is legal to sell raw milk only to people who pick it up directly from your farm, and you are not allowed to advertise in any way. That makes finding the farmers difficult.

Since I stock up on milk when I can get it, I have tried making cheese. So far it has turned out good every time. The one time I tried using store bought milk to make mozzerella, it turned into spreadable gloppy cheese.

I do notice a big taste difference when the cows move to different pastures, or as the seasons change. My 'spring' butter is neon yellow, my 'summer' butter is still bright, but not as much.
 

Blackbird

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E4S;

http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2888

That might help you a bit, although what I wrote was about goat milk, some pertains to cow also.

At $3.00 a gallon, unlike Free, I would still be milking my goats <333

We sell raw milk (shhh!) for $3-4 a QUART because people pay a lot for goat milk up here, but since we can't advertise it as raw we have a hard time selling.
 

Henrietta23

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reinbeau said:
Wow, I can't believe it. I went to a local farm (name withheld to protect them) who had advertised they sold raw milk to the public, legally. I can't believe what I just paid. You do have to bring your own container, I have a neat old gallon sized glass jug with a screw on top - $3.00 a gallon! If you can find raw milk in a storefront somewhere it costs over $6.00 a gallon here! I need to find another glass jug, so I can buy two gallons at a time.

I'm protecting them because the state is on them right now. Once the state lets up if there is anyone near me who wants to know PM me and I'll give you their name and phone number.
That's awesome! I'm paying around $4.50 for a half gallon in a glass bottle. I wish I were just a bit closer!
 

freemotion

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BB, I wouldn't really give up my goaties....but I probably wouldn't have gotten the bred doe if I wasn't so desparate for the raw milk. Today I looked at bucklings to buy! Sheesh! All for milk, raw.

Check out www.realmilk.com and some good articles on www.westonapricefoundation.org.

Yes, you do need to sterilize your milking stuff twice a day. It is a major pain, but worse is a bunch of curdled milk in the fridge in just a day from bad bacteria. Ask me how I know.

I just use the dishwasher to sterilize everything, and it is working just fine for me. I wash and sterilize my filter (one of those gold-wire permanent coffee filters) by hand just before I go out to milk and leave it to drip dry while I do my chores. I clean it in lukewarm water right after using it (cold water will make the fat stick to it, hot will cook the proteins to it, body temp is what you want to make the milk rinse off cleanly) and just before milking I pour the same bleach solution I use as my udder wash and teat dip: 1 drop natural dish soap and 1/2 Tbsp Clorox in 1 cup warm water. Clorox or Purex only, the cheaper brands are not consistant from batch to batch, and you don't want to burn or chap those teats.

Of course, I don't need a pail, I use quart canning jars, so that is different. You need something much bigger with a cow! So you might find that the mild bleach solution is easier than the dishwasher. www.fiascofarm.com has the recipe in larger quantities, I reduced it to fit my needs for one goat. Fits perfectly in a peanut butter jar with a flannel cloth and a little plastic 1/2 cup for dipping teats.
 

eggs4sale

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Thanks for the links, Blackbird and Freemotion!
 

FarmerDenise

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We moved to the country when I was a teen. A neighbor had one cow and we got our milk from him. He ended up getting a second cow after we lived there for a year. We didn't die from drinking the milk :lol:
He was very meticulous about keeping everything very clean. He had his routine and nothing could deter him from it.
I loved the fresh milk, foamy and warm from the cow. Nothing beats the taste. I haven't been able to locate a source of raw milk around my neck of the woods. But I'll keep trying.
 
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