storing raw milk...

ashylove1

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So yay... I have a source for milk... problem is its a 2 hr drive. I will only be going every 2 weeks... well the first and 15th... problem I am having is storing it so it lasts between the trips. I am planning on getting a second fridge so I have room for it, but other than that what else can I do?
 

Beekissed

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A simple ice chest with ice is good enough to keep it fresh for the trip. Back in the day, milk cans were immersed in creeks or springs until the milk truck came to get them. When we started homesteading we had no cold storage, so our milk was stored in a spring until it was used. I don't recall any of it going sour.

Fresh milk is less perishable than folks may imagine.
 

happydog

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It's important to keep the milk cold on the way home. As long as the milk stays cold it should keep just fine for two weeks. Glass is better for storage than plastic. Congratulations on finding a source. That's the hard part.
 

THEFAN

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Simple cooler will do it. Every once in a while we do a 2 hr drive to my parents and bring raw milk with us We just put it in a coolt with some ice or blue cold packs. It's fine everytime. :thumbsup
 

hqueen13

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Is it alright if it freezes? Or should it not freeze?
I have to pick up our raw milk on my way home and sometimes it isn't kept as cold while it is waiting for pickup. I now have a freezer reusable grocery bag thing, so I can hopefully put the milk and meat in it together and since the meat is frozen it should help keep the milk cold. We had a problem with some of it going sour too quickly before so we actually buy two 1/2 gallons each week rather than 1 gallon. We don't drink it very fast because I have casin issues and he really shouldn't be consuming huge quantities. only a 1/2 per week is too little and 1 whole gallon per week is too much LOL
 

SSDreamin

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Fresh milk will keep for quite a while in the frig, but if you are really worried about it, you can freeze it.
 

Beekissed

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Or churn your excess into butter....you can do this by placing it in a 1/2 gal. jar and shaking it~a lot. Is it whole milk? After you remove the butter that is formed, you can turn the left over milk into buttermilk....yum!!!
 

ashylove1

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Wow! Thank you... so I can freeze it? Will that affect the taste? I may need to try it. And I already use glass for storage.... and no stand mixer, but I have an electric hand mixer now!!! I plan to try making butter with it... lol we will see how that goes. Um... and I can use the whole milk for the butter? I don't need to scrape the cream off the top??????
 

Wannabefree

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I just skin the cream for butter myself. :hu I freeze milk too, it tastes fine. Sometimes there is a slight color change, but it tastes fine.
 

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