Does anyone else her drink raw milk?

[CarenM]

We live in Midland, TX but get ours from a farmer out near Lubbock. We have been drinking it for about 4 years now and never once have had a second thought about it. It occurred to me while at the grocery store today most people have never tasted raw milk, most would probably never even give it a second thought.

 

I love our milk and I can probably never go back to store bought.

[kiana]

When I visit my mother I drink raw milk from her Jerseys. It's always a shock to transition back to store milk, but I can't afford to buy it :(

[Mrs_JWM]

Best. Milk. Ever!

[CarenM]

We really can't either but I figure we save money in Dr visits all year. lol. Actually ours really isn't bad considering what others pay for theirs.

 

I would love to have our own cows but I don't see that happening.

[Calendula]

I grew up drinking raw milk from my grandparent's farm, but now I haven't put forth the effort to obtain it.

[Lakeside]

We did until we moved. When we first were considering moving to WA there were two easily accessible stores that carried it. I was so excited! And then we got here and I found out that during those few months both of the stores had stopped selling it. :glare:

[Tracy in Ky]

We drink raw milk. We used to milk our own cow, but now we get it from a farmer. Love it!

[Hen]

we do, off and on. We live in the middle of Orange County, no farms. I have to buy it at a whole foods type store, it's pretty expensive. I buy a half gallon and it's considered a treat here, everyone gets a bit.

[Caitilin]

We do--it was an experiment to see if it helped improve some of the dc's skin problems (eczema, etc.), and it really has, so as long as it is available, I doubt we would switch back. :001_smile:

[Guest]

Never tried it. I always thought it could make you sick.

[kewb]

I tried. I tried from a couple of different farms. The kids didn't like it. Dh liked the cream on top. Now I stick to raw milk cheese.

[Truscifi]

I wish we could. It is illegal to sell it for human consumption here, and all the people who sell it "for animal consumption only" charge around $10/gallon. Really? You feed your animals $10/gal milk?

[Carrie12345]

I've been wanting to, but the cost for my milkaholics is rather high, and I wouldn't buy raw milk from "just anywhere". It's trucked into our farmer's market via a 3rd party.

 

A relatively-local farmer just got a permit to sell raw goat's milk, and I'm hoping to take a trip up to his farm to chat. If I'm satisfied with their system, I'm hoping to start the baby's milk protein trials with raw goat milk rather than store cow milk.

[FaithManor]

We do. Mabel, a holstein/jersey cross that is hopefully going to be replaced with one of her offspring with more jersey dna (more cream is the goal) is boarded at a farm because we don't have enough land to keep her. Betsy, a friend's cow is as well. Between them, they produce more milk than we could ever begin to handle. So, in exchange for a small amount of boarding money and all of the excess milk, he keeps our cow with his cows, and freshens through AI along with his others. Betsy and Mabel are freshened opposite seasons of each other so that we and our friends have milk all year. The farmer also keeps their offspring because, hey, we can't deal with a bunch of steers and heifers, and he does all the milking and bottling for us. He keeps a huge refrigerator in his milk parlor office and we drive out once per week and pick up our milk. I usually take 3-5 gallons. My guess is that Mabel produces somewhere between 15 and 20 gallons of milk per week; she's a REALLY big girl. Maybe it's more than that. I'm not certain. But, if she produces a daughter of heavy jersey quality, we will sell Mabel and keep her baby so I'll be able to make whipped butter from the cream.

 

Faith

[Wayfaring Stranger]

We drink raw milk. We used to milk our own cow, but now we get it from a farmer. Love it!

 

Same here.

 

I do not drink pasteurized milk at all. Raw milk has helped with some of our children' health problems. :cheers2:

[Ellie]

We can't easily get raw milk in Texas. :glare:

 

But truthfully, although raw milk does taste *different,* I can't in my heart of hearts say that it tastes *better*. I'd prefer it, because I always prefer foods that are as unprocessed as possible. However, I drank raw milk in California and saw no health benefits at all. And my lactose-intolerant babies still couldn't tolerate it.

 

I would be happy being able to buy heavy cream that hasn't been ultrapasteurized with carageenan added, even if it wasn't raw. :glare:

[momofkhm]

We live in Midland, TX but get ours from a farmer out near Lubbock. We have been drinking it for about 4 years now and never once have had a second thought about it. It occurred to me while at the grocery store today most people have never tasted raw milk, most would probably never even give it a second thought.

 

I love our milk and I can probably never go back to store bought.

 

If I could afford it, we would.

[Elisabeth in IL]

I've tasted it. I have a friend who sells shares in her cows to get the milk but it is pricier then I can afford right now. Some day.........

[LidiyaDawn]

Nope. "Raw milk" isn't allowed to be sold in Canada…and I wouldn't take that health risk.

 

information from Health Canada

 

including:

 

According to the Food and Drug Regulations, milk must be pasteurized in order to be sold in Canada. Pasteurization is a process where heat is applied to kill organisms that cause disease while keeping the nutritional properties of milk intact.

 

Raw or unpasteurized milk has not been treated with heat to pasteurize the milk and can have bacteria that can cause foodborne illness. Bacteria, such as Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria, have been found in raw or unpasteurized milk. These bacteria can cause foodborne illness and can lead to very serious conditions from fever, vomiting, and diarrhea to life-threatening kidney failure, miscarriage and death.

[bkpan]

I wish we could. It is illegal to sell it for human consumption here, and all the people who sell it "for animal consumption only" charge around $10/gallon. Really? You feed your animals $10/gal milk?

 

Wow, really??! It is illegal here too, but we buy ours for $2.50 a gallon (it recently went up from $2). Great deal for us because our family of 8 are all heavy milk drinkers, and before we started on raw milk we always paid for organic - $6+ a gallon (and we drink 10-12 gal a week :svengo:). Not to mention, I end up using the cream for coffee, ice cream, and butter. Next I want to make some yogurt with it!

 

Kim

[jenangelcat]

No. We have goats and I don't care enough about the issue to drink it raw. It takes a couple of minutes to pasteurize it and no niggling worries to deal with.

[Live2Ride]

We used to when I milked our goats. We loved it, but I no longer have our goats...a time and a season you know...now we get fresh creamery milk from friends of ours, but not raw, can't buy it here. it's fresh, not full of antibiotics or hormones, non-homogonized, but pasteurized...its the best I can buy for now at $4 a gallon and they make the best chocolate milk! Lol

[MamaT]

I wish we could. It is illegal to sell it for human consumption here, and all the people who sell it "for animal consumption only" charge around $10/gallon. Really? You feed your animals $10/gal milk?

 

It's also illegal here in North Carolina, and to prevent people from buying the milk that is for "animal consumption," it has to be dyed blue.

 

I live close enough to the South Carolina border that I have considered buying from there. I would have to drive about an hour and a half. They deliver to that exit on the interstate weekly, but I have considered buying enough for a couple of weeks to cut down on gas costs. Does raw milk freeze well?

[Samiam]

Nope. "Raw milk" isn't allowed to be sold in Canada…and I wouldn't take that health risk.

 

information from Health Canada

 

including:

 

According to the Food and Drug Regulations, milk must be pasteurized in order to be sold in Canada. Pasteurization is a process where heat is applied to kill organisms that cause disease while keeping the nutritional properties of milk intact.

 

Raw or unpasteurized milk has not been treated with heat to pasteurize the milk and can have bacteria that can cause foodborne illness. Bacteria, such as Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria, have been found in raw or unpasteurized milk. These bacteria can cause foodborne illness and can lead to very serious conditions from fever, vomiting, and diarrhea to life-threatening kidney failure, miscarriage and death.

 

 

Really? As if there is no risk to bacteria on foods you buy at stores? Hahaha!! Not sure about Canada, but here in the U.S. there is CONSTANTLY food recalls, all foods that were sold and bought in the grocery store.

 

So really, if you put something in your mouth, there is risk.

 

I wouldn't go around quoting government health hazards too much, least here in the U.S. as that is the same government that constantly approves medications that are later proven to cause worse issues, even death, than what they were supposed to fix. Same government that approves carcinogens to be used on body products. Same government that wants you to send your children to public school.

 

Wonder if the government has room to publish the known benefits of drinking raw milk, next the known dangers? Haven't humans drank raw milk for hundreds and hundreds of years, and only recently, since the industrial revolution, have we been taught that we should only drink processed milk.

 

The government should also be required to show much money big-dairy lobbyists pump into the campaign finances of government officials who are behind those FDA regulations.

 

Just some thoughts, :lol:

[Shellydon]

The closest licensed raw milk producer here charges $10 per gallon and they are located about 1 hour from our house. The next dairy that is licensed it approximately 2.5 hours away and charges $7 per gallon. We just can't afford it. We drink very little milk, so I just buy organic.

[Carrie12345]

Really? As if there is no risk to bacteria on foods you buy at stores? Hahaha!! Not sure about Canada, but here in the U.S. there is CONSTANTLY food recalls, all foods that were sold and bought in the grocery store.

 

So really, if you put something in your mouth, there is risk.

 

I wouldn't go around quoting government health hazards too much, least here in the U.S. as that is the same government that constantly approves medications that are later proven to cause worse issues, even death, than what they were supposed to fix. Same government that approves carcinogens to be used on body products. Same government that wants you to send your children to public school.

 

Wonder if the government has room to publish the known benefits of drinking raw milk, next the known dangers? Haven't humans drank raw milk for hundreds and hundreds of years, and only recently, since the industrial revolution, have we been taught that we should only drink processed milk.

 

The government should also be required to show much money big-dairy lobbyists pump into the campaign finances of government officials who are behind those FDA regulations.

 

Just some thoughts, :lol:

 

Mmhmm!

I would never dream of drinking raw milk from a large scale commercial dairy farm. I'm glad those processes are used in places where diseases and bacteria are almost inevitable.

 

In a place where animals are well-kept and farmers take care to keep things clean and safe, absolutely!

 

Risk assessment. Conclusions may vary. But be careful when comparing apples to oranges.

[Tammy (TX)]

I used to - before I went dairy free for autoimmune issues.

 

I could never drink milk without a stomache ache UNTIL I tried raw milk.

 

If you get it from a small, well-run farm I think it's great! I also like that the farmer I bought mine from had his milk tested daily. It made a germaphobe like me a little more at ease, lol.

[JeneralMom]

We do. I know the farmer personally, have seen her small herd, my kids have named some of the calves, and her milk is frequently tested. My family is extremely healthy - almost everyone I knew was sick almost all winter but we didn't even have the sniffles. My older 3 used to drink organic until we moved to Texas and could easily get raw milk, but DD2 has only ever had raw. We also make yoghurt, ice cream, cheese, and a few other things from it.

[Firefly]

Best. Milk. Ever!

 

:iagree: Can't do without it!

[MeerkatMama]

Yes! We obtain raw cow's milk from a local small farmer. We get two gallons each week. They drop it off at a location in our city where we pick it up. Our farmer lost their goat supply a year ago, but when they are able to get that up and running again, we will be receiving raw goat's milk again, too.

 

One of my favorite drinks with raw milk is egg nog. Raw milk, raw egg yolks (local), raw honey (local) or maple syrup (Amish farm), sea/Himalayan salt, fresh spices, and homemade vanilla extract. Yum, yum! I make yogurt, ice cream, cream cheese, cottage cheese, and all kinds of other things with it. :)

 

MamaT, I never have enough left over to freeze it, but we have frozen it in the form of "ice cream" and it was still good days later past the usual day it goes bad. :) I don't see why you couldn't freeze it.

 

Samiam, you are so right about the dairy lobbyists in Washington. Most people in America will not magically convert to raw milk. They are "losing" a very small percentage of customers to raw milk, so I don't understand their beef. I'm not going back to their pasteurized milk and even if they suddenly made it raw, I wouldn't drink raw milk from the cows on factory farms. No thanks. That stuff should be pasteurized. :ack2: :)

Edited August 12, 2011 by MeerkatMama

[Firefly]

Really? As if there is no risk to bacteria on foods you buy at stores? Hahaha!! Not sure about Canada, but here in the U.S. there is CONSTANTLY food recalls, all foods that were sold and bought in the grocery store.

 

So really, if you put something in your mouth, there is risk.

 

I wouldn't go around quoting government health hazards too much, least here in the U.S. as that is the same government that constantly approves medications that are later proven to cause worse issues, even death, than what they were supposed to fix. Same government that approves carcinogens to be used on body products. Same government that wants you to send your children to public school.

 

Wonder if the government has room to publish the known benefits of drinking raw milk, next the known dangers? Haven't humans drank raw milk for hundreds and hundreds of years, and only recently, since the industrial revolution, have we been taught that we should only drink processed milk.

 

The government should also be required to show much money big-dairy lobbyists pump into the campaign finances of government officials who are behind those FDA regulations.

 

Just some thoughts, :lol:

 

No kidding. The government allows people to purchase cigarettes and booze, but raw milk's a no-no? :confused: Thanks, but I'm an adult and will make my own decisions about how much "risk" I'm willing to take with what I consume... :glare:

[Julie Kirkwood]

We drink it and love it! Worth the extra cost, although we only get a gallon and half per week. My kids would love to have more but they know that when it's gone, it's gone until the next time we go to the farm.

 

We know the farmer personally and have met the three lovely girls who give us our milk (cows who we refer to as "the girls" and see on a regular basis when we go to pick up our milk).

 

In our state, we have to buy part of the herd in a herd share program in order to get the milk, can't buy it directly.

 

My kids love the taste and prefer it over store bought milk.

 

I trust the safety of this milk coming from a farmer who I know and whose procedures I am familiar with much more than anything that is mass produced in a huge commercial milk plant. Vitamins and nutrients stay in tact when milk is not pasteurized, or as is often common, ultra-pasteurized. Our bodies are able to make use of the nutritious qualities in milk to a much greater degree when it is raw.

[Ellie]

Never tried it. I always thought it could make you sick.

Only if it comes from sick cows.

 

Most raw-milk dairies are very careful with their cows' health and do regular testing of the milk (and the cows) to be sure everything is fine.

[Slartibartfast]

We have tried it, I heard it was better for allergies. It didn't work for me.

 

It tasted great, I wished it would have worked out. It is very creamy. I have paid about $6-7 a gallon for raw goat or cow milk here in Kansas.

 

 

People freely advertise it here.

Edited August 12, 2011 by Sis

[Lakeside]

but we buy ours for $2.50 a gallon (it recently went up from $2).

Kim

 

:svengo: I think we need to move to TN!

[LidiyaDawn]

Nope. "Raw milk" isn't allowed to be sold in Canada…and I wouldn't take that health risk.

 

information from Health Canada

 

including:

 

According to the Food and Drug Regulations, milk must be pasteurized in order to be sold in Canada. Pasteurization is a process where heat is applied to kill organisms that cause disease while keeping the nutritional properties of milk intact.

 

Raw or unpasteurized milk has not been treated with heat to pasteurize the milk and can have bacteria that can cause foodborne illness. Bacteria, such as Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria, have been found in raw or unpasteurized milk. These bacteria can cause foodborne illness and can lead to very serious conditions from fever, vomiting, and diarrhea to life-threatening kidney failure, miscarriage and death.

 

Really? As if there is no risk to bacteria on foods you buy at stores? Hahaha!! Not sure about Canada, but here in the U.S. there is CONSTANTLY food recalls, all foods that were sold and bought in the grocery store.

 

So really, if you put something in your mouth, there is risk.

 

I wouldn't go around quoting government health hazards too much, least here in the U.S. as that is the same government that constantly approves medications that are later proven to cause worse issues, even death, than what they were supposed to fix. Same government that approves carcinogens to be used on body products. Same government that wants you to send your children to public school.

 

Wonder if the government has room to publish the known benefits of drinking raw milk, next the known dangers? Haven't humans drank raw milk for hundreds and hundreds of years, and only recently, since the industrial revolution, have we been taught that we should only drink processed milk.

 

The government should also be required to show much money big-dairy lobbyists pump into the campaign finances of government officials who are behind those FDA regulations.

 

Just some thoughts, :lol:

 

Nah, not really. I just made it all up. :tongue_smilie:

 

Why are you jumping all over my answer? I said that we don't and I showed part of the Health Canada information.

 

Whether OTHER foods may have contaminates doesn't change the risks with raw milk.

 

I don't have the same level of suspicion toward the canadian government as you seem to have toward yours.

[Lakeside]

Here is a link to an article about people getting sick from drinking pasteurized milk.

[Slartibartfast]

Nah, not really. I just made it all up. :tongue_smilie:

 

Why are you jumping all over my answer? I said that we don't and I showed part of the Health Canada information.

 

Whether OTHER foods may have contaminates doesn't change the risks with raw milk.

 

I don't have the same level of suspicion toward the canadian government as you seem to have toward yours.

 

It is true that pasteurization has saved hundreds of lives every year.

 

Generally the people that one gets raw milk from have small family farms who can take the time to give animals better individual care. Of course there are still incidents, but they are much less likely in smaller farms than the large scale farms that tend to supply the country with milk.

 

We have purchased from http://www.bryantfamilyfarm.com/ as well as another farm that just sells to the people they know

 

There is some sensitivity with the community that does drink raw milk since there have been government raids on raw milk producers. People are defensive and angry.

 

Most of the United State's milk comes from *three* different dairy companies. When one is considering that sort of scale there are going to be risks...of course commercially produced raw milk is not possible. But on a small scale family farm it can be safe.

Edited August 12, 2011 by Sis

[cloversandlions]

We do. Mabel, a holstein/jersey cross that is hopefully going to be replaced with one of her offspring with more jersey dna (more cream is the goal) is boarded at a farm because we don't have enough land to keep her. Betsy, a friend's cow is as well. Between them, they produce more milk than we could ever begin to handle. So, in exchange for a small amount of boarding money and all of the excess milk, he keeps our cow with his cows, and freshens through AI along with his others. Betsy and Mabel are freshened opposite seasons of each other so that we and our friends have milk all year. The farmer also keeps their offspring because, hey, we can't deal with a bunch of steers and heifers, and he does all the milking and bottling for us. He keeps a huge refrigerator in his milk parlor office and we drive out once per week and pick up our milk. I usually take 3-5 gallons. My guess is that Mabel produces somewhere between 15 and 20 gallons of milk per week; she's a REALLY big girl. Maybe it's more than that. I'm not certain. But, if she produces a daughter of heavy jersey quality, we will sell Mabel and keep her baby so I'll be able to make whipped butter from the cream.

 

Faith

 

What a fantastic situation for everyone - I'm a little bit jealous!

 

We buy raw milk from an organic food group here in Central/Southern California (Abundant Harvest Organics, if anyone is interested - we are not affiliated other than as very satisfied customers). However, we rarely buy it each week, because it is very expensive ($7+ for a HALF gallon). But wow, it's so good! For cooking and cereal, I buy organic milk from the grocery store, but even that is just not the same as raw. My girls prefer to drink raw milk over any other type of milk. (My ds was allergic to milk as a baby/toddler; he still does not like milk at all.)

 

My friend has a milk goat, and she gives us milk sometimes - often as payment for taking care of her critters (which does, indeed, include milking the goat) for her. The goat she had previously did not produce much (~ half a gallon a day), but the milk was fantastic. Her new goat, which produces a gallon or more a day, does not produce milk that is as good - there is just something different about the taste (it's similar to the taste of human breastmilk with excess lipase in it). Cheese from raw (goat, and presumably cow?) milk is amazing - it's a whole level of yum above commercial cheese. :)

 

I know there can be risks associated with drinking raw milk, but there are obviously risks associated with drinking or eating milk and meat from animals in commercial operations.

 

And if I'm going to engage in risky behavior :lol: anyway, I prefer to choose the small farmer, and hopefully cruelty-free, route.

[Parker Martin]

No. We decided that it wasn't worth the risk.

[justamouse]

I so want to. I grew up drinking it.

[Julie in CA]

We go through about 6 gallons of raw milk per week.

We get it from a farm that would probably be considered one of those large-scale commercial dairies. The milk is clean, sanitary, and tested daily for antibiotic residue and bacteria. It is monitored for contaminants, kept at the correct storage temperature, and the cows are treated as humanely as possible by people who really do care.

Really.

[LauraGB]

We used to. But it's not legal here, and the closest place we can get it is about a two hour drive one way. Now that we don't make the drive, we just don't drink much milk at all anymore (and, by the way, the organic store milk is more expensive than the organic raw milk that we used to buy).

 

I agree - once you'v had it, the rest tastes terrible.

[BeckyFL]

We were drinking it for a while, but we started really trying to cut our budget and it just had to go at $7.50/gallon plus the cost of ice for the co-op.

[LidiyaDawn]

 

Most of the United State's milk comes from *three* different dairy companies.

 

Wow. Three, for your entire country? :001_huh:

 

Dairy Establishments in Canada

Number of farms/cows/heifers

[dairy mom]

We live a dairy farm. We milk about 70 cows. My daughters have been drinking raw milk since they were about 1 ... they are now 12, 14, & 15. My husband drank raw milk all is life. They all hate the taste of store bought milk and will not drink milk when we are away unless it is chocolate milk. We drink approximately 1 gallon per day/day and a half. We also make our own yogurt and some day I will try to make cheese! As for me I grew up drink skim milk (my husband calls it dish water milk!), so I am not such a big milk drinker. We can not sell our milk because we are not licensed. Our milk is bought by a co-op.

 

Nancy

[mytwomonkeys]

i live a 1/4 mile from a creamery. i can buy raw milk or pasteurized milk there. it's all fresh and delicious. we love it, and it's really doesn't cost more than store bought milk. but it's waaay more delicious!:)

[wendybird]

We are fortunate enough to be 45 minutes from a large raw dairy. It is the only milk we will drink, not for taste so much as health benefits. The cheese curds are a special bonus!

[Geo]

We shared a cow with neighbors years ago. We did drink some raw, but we pasteurized the "overflow&amp". If we didn't, our butter would turn. The first time it happened my kids were eating their morning toast, and my daughter remarked how good it was, "because...it tastes like parmesan cheese!" ACK! I can buy raw here for $4/gallon but it would cost another $4 in gas, round-trip.So I buy organic milk at the grocery store. Such are the times we live in.

Edited August 13, 2011 by Geo

[awtl]

If it's handled right, I love raw milk. We drink raw goat milk pretty often. We get it from someone who has only a few goats and is very clean.

 

As far as freezing it, I can only speak for goat milk, and it does not freeze well at all. It separates and you get a yellowish layer and a white layer, and you have to blend it in the blender to mix the two again, but I wouldn't drink it. I know people who freeze it and then blend it and make goat milk soap with it.