Camche3 Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 One of our neighbors gave us a gallon of milk straight from the cow. He gives us eggs all the time and we eat those but I just didn't know about giving my kids milk that wasn't pasteurized. My youngest is 16 months and gets mostly breastmilk but I do give him some cows milk. What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*lifeoftheparty* Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 It is safe as long as the farmer keeps everything clean. If you aren't sure, you can boil it until it reaches a certain temperature, and then it's safe. You would have to Google what that temp. is, I don't know. We know lots of people who drink raw milk, right from the cow. And we know people who go to their house and won't drink it, so they just boil it first :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Michelle* Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 We drink raw only. We get it from a health food store that is supplied by a small local dairy with pastured cows. We've never had any problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
higginszoo Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Raw (unpasteuried) milk is a hot commodity in many circles. Usually, if you get it straight from the farmer, from the same supply that he feeds his family, the risks involved are very low, and in fact, there are antibodies and nutrients that the heating kills off. I've seen it sold in health food stores before, and am not sure that I'd trust the whole supply chain involved to get it that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Depends on the farmer and how well he cares for his cows. We won't drink anything but raw milk here from our own lovely Jersey. I always thought I was lactose intolerant until I started eating and drinking dairy products that were unpasteurized. If the farmer has well cared for animals, and he is a clean type of a guy, I would enjoy that milk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Know your farmer. We are part of a raw milk collective, but I wouldn't drink just any raw milk. Is this an experienced dairy farmer or is it just a neighbor with their first cow? Does the owner follow standard dairy procedures? Are his cows healthy? My dh grew up on a dairy farm and drank unpasteurized milk all the time. Lots of farmer families drink the milk from their own cows. If the person giving you milk has experience and knows what s/he is doing, I would drink it. If it this is a learning experience for the neighbor then I wouldn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godsaggie Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 (edited) Raw milk is not legal to purchase in our state unless it is through a share in a herd. I would be ever so grateful to your neighbor. Here is some information for you: http://www.rawmilk.org/default.php ETA: http://www.westonaprice.org/childrens-health/raw-milk-safe-for-babies This is a great article too. Edited August 23, 2012 by godsaggie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camche3 Posted August 23, 2012 Author Share Posted August 23, 2012 Thanks! Everything appears to be clean and our small neighborhood of people trust him and drink milk that he gives them. Some offer him donations and save clean empty containers for him. The only jugs that I have seen him use are the ones that water has been in not milk so I think he is careful about that. He strains the fat off before putting it in the containers. Is this still whole milk or is it less than that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Know your farmer. We are part of a raw milk collective, but I wouldn't drink just any raw milk. Is this an experienced dairy farmer or is it just a neighbor with their first cow? Does the owner follow standard dairy procedures? Are his cows healthy? My dh grew up on a dairy farm and drank unpasteurized milk all the time. Lots of farmer families drink the milk from their own cows. If the person giving you milk has experience and knows what s/he is doing, I would drink it. If it this is a learning experience for the neighbor then I wouldn't. :iagree:I bought lots of unpastuerized milk off the street or from neighbors when we lived overseas. I always brought it to a boil before using it (mostly because I wasn't interested in getting sick there and I couldn't be sure about the source, even with our neighbors). It made the best yogurt ever. I'd boil it unless your neighbor meets redsquirrel's qualifications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnylady303 Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 This is likely to become a controversial thread. :) But we love raw milk from our animals. If you think his animals are healthy and clean then I would drink it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Thanks! Everything appears to be clean and our small neighborhood of people trust him and drink milk that he gives them. Some offer him donations and save clean empty containers for him. The only jugs that I have seen him use are the ones that water has been in not milk so I think he is careful about that. He strains the fat off before putting it in the containers. Is this still whole milk or is it less than that? without the fat it's skim milk. That's too bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camche3 Posted August 23, 2012 Author Share Posted August 23, 2012 Know your farmer. We are part of a raw milk collective, but I wouldn't drink just any raw milk. Is this an experienced dairy farmer or is it just a neighbor with their first cow? Does the owner follow standard dairy procedures? Are his cows healthy? My dh grew up on a dairy farm and drank unpasteurized milk all the time. Lots of farmer families drink the milk from their own cows. If the person giving you milk has experience and knows what s/he is doing, I would drink it. If it this is a learning experience for the neighbor then I wouldn't. He has years of experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camche3 Posted August 23, 2012 Author Share Posted August 23, 2012 How long does raw milk usually last in the refrigerator? And how can I make yogurt or do I need whole milk for that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 I wouldn't personally feel comfortable with giving my kids unpasteurized dairy but I fully support the right of others to decide for themselves. I don't think it's the job of the government to do anything more than requiring warning labels/signs. Cigarettes are WAY more dangerous and they are perfectly legal to purchase by adults. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 How long does raw milk usually last in the refrigerator? And how can I make yogurt or do I need whole milk for that? I will keep raw milk in the fridge for 4 days. You don't need whole milk to make yogurt at all. I usually use the equivalent of a 2%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 We drink raw milk, but only milk that I personally have milked so I know that everything was kept clean. If you are not comfortable drinking it, just pasteurize it on the stove. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 You can tell if it is truly skimmed. You should see a layer of fat on top of the milk when it sits for a little while. Our milk is from Jersey cows and has a thick layer of yellowish cream on top. Before I open a bottle for the first time I let it sit at room temp for a little while, maybe 15-20 mins? Then I give it a good shake and put it back in the fridge. This breaks up the fat and keeps it mixed in. If your milk doesn't separate, then it is skimmed. If he is skimming off the fat, he is prob selling it or making butter with it. You can use skim milk for yogurt, it will just be less firm. If there is any fat in the milk it will also float to the top of your yogurt. If you have ever eaten Brown Cow brand yogurt, you will have seen the cream on top. The more fat in the milk, the thicker the layer. We get milk once a week and it has always been fine. You can tell very easily when raw milk is starting to sour. My experience is that it is fine for 7 days but not 8. We get 4 bottles a week and they stay fresh. Now, if I had one big bottle and it was open it might sour more quickly. But, keeping the bottles in coldest part of the fridge, undisturbed and sealed until needed seems to help them stay fresh longer. We have been part of the collective for 5 years with no issue of the milk going bad before that. Making yogurt and kefir at home is very easy. It is prob easier to make the yogurt because you can use store bought yogurt for the culture. There are lots of instructions for making yogurt online. There are many who make yogurt from raw milk who heat the milk to a very low temp. I can't remember what it is. Anyway, we didn't like that. I know the purpose is to try to maintain the fat and protein structure of raw milk, but we didn't like the texture. To us the yogurt was stringy or glue like. I prefer to heat the milk to an actual light boil. Raw milk is a personal/family decision. I don't give it to people without telling them. Pregnant women or people with a compromised immune system shouldn't drink it. All my friend's know and so far, no one has decided not to drink it, but I would understand if they didn't want it. If I am making something for a potluck etc I wouldn't use the raw milk, even if I was baking etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in CA Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 My answer would be, it depends. As a dairy farm family, we drink raw milk here all the time. My dh is fastidious about cleanliness with our milk, and the milk is tested regularly for contaminants. We've never been sick from drinking raw milk. We also allow guests in our home to drink our milk if they want to, and most people who've tried our raw milk do not get sick. Every now and then though, someone drinks our milk and is sick afterwards. I know it's not contaminated milk, and I've concluded that it's probably the constitution of each person, and some people, for whatever reason, just can't handle it. Actually, I've wondered whether it's more a response to drinking whole milk with all of it's yummy fat rather than a bacterial response. The skim/lowfat milk drinkers seem to be the ones most likely to have a problem. So...it's a toss-up. If you're concerned, use the milk in recipes where it'll be cooked to a high temp. Maybe in oatmeal, creamy soup, or a cooked custard either for eating as-is or for using as an ice cream base. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 In my experience, cream from raw milk tastes so, so much better than cream sold at the store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camche3 Posted August 23, 2012 Author Share Posted August 23, 2012 Thanks everyone! I am understanding a whole lot more now. You would think a country girl would know this stuff but no, I have always had store bought milk that I can remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamzanne Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 without the fat it's skim milk. That's too bad. Actually, when the layer of cream is skimmed off of raw milk it does not make it skim milk. There is still lots of fat in the milk itself. I don't know what percentage it would be (depends on the cow) but it is definitely not comparable to grocery store skim milk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Actually, when the layer of cream is skimmed off of raw milk it does not make it skim milk. There is still lots of fat in the milk itself. I don't know what percentage it would be (depends on the cow) but it is definitely not comparable to grocery store skim milk. True enough, that would depend a lot on the breed of cow the milk came from and the feed it was getting. Most the Holsteins that I've been around have almost blue milk when the cream is taken off though. I suppose I assume skim milk from that. The joys of growing up around a dairy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camche3 Posted August 23, 2012 Author Share Posted August 23, 2012 So it has been sitting in the fridge for several hours and now it has a thick layer of yellow cream on top. I just had to taste a small taste of that cream and it was soooooo good. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizaG Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Actually, when the layer of cream is skimmed off of raw milk it does not make it skim milk. There is still lots of fat in the milk itself. I don't know what percentage it would be (depends on the cow) but it is definitely not comparable to grocery store skim milk. IIRC, milk that's been skimmed by hand (without a separator) is about 2% butterfat, compared to ~4% - 5% for whole milk. It's always been common for people to use this milk for drinking, and use the cream separately. I'm pretty sure that's why 2% milk was the original "reduced fat" milk sold in grocery stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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