Raw milk - pros and cons

[luckymom]

What are the health benefits and dangers of drinking raw cows' milk?  I have a farm just down the road from my house where they sell raw milk and it'd be great to buy milk there - but I am ignorant on the subject and want some advice.

[redsquirrel]

I've been a member of a raw milk collective for...5 years? could be longer.  I'm not one to attribute any amazing qualities to the milk. It tastes fantastic and my kids like it.  DH grew up spending a LOT of time on a dairy farm owned by his family and they always drank raw milk. Many dairy farmers do. So, he wanted to be in the collective because it just tastes so much better.

 

I would want to know my farmers. Do they take it seriously? How are the cows treated and what are they fed.  Have they been dairy farming for a while? Is it organic milk with a commitment to raw or just a conventional dairy farmer willing to sell raw milk on the side?

 

"Our" dairy farmers have a commitment to selling farm to table. They were a business selling organic (but not raw) yogurt locally, and a very successful one. They made a conscious decision to step away from commercial marketing and just sell to our collective. 

 

We actually own a part of a cow.  In our state only the owner of the cow is allowed to drink raw milk.

 

As for benefits, I have no idea. There are risks and I don't feed the milk to anyone who comes over without telling them the milk is raw. It is not for me to make that decision for them.  But I know our farmers and I trust our milk is clean and fresh, and the cows are health

 

One odd thing, my roseasca cleared up when we started drinking raw milk. It was rather dramatic.  And, for a number of reasons the farm suspended milking this past winter, so we had to switch back to pasteurized milk from the store for a couple months.  DS2 developed a nasty case of eczema and DH got a bad case of dandruff..what I think was more like eczema of his scalp. They both started at the exact same time, about 2 weeks after the raw milk stopped.  Now, correlation doesn't equal causation, so I am very cautious to say that one caused the other. But it will be interesting to see if it happens again next winter. 

 

[Carrie12345]

I don't necessarily buy into any health benefits, we just like it.

 

I would never give it to babies or the elderly, and I pick up pasturized milk when we have people staying with us.

[Guest]

Risks are: e. coli, campylobacter, salmonella, and several other bacterial infections. If the cows have mastitis the infection will also be present in the milk. If you are a healthy adult on the younger side, in most cases you would simply be ill and then recover, but for small children and elderly people the risk level is much higher. Those infections in young children or the elderly can be fatal. To each his own, but it is good you are looking to be informed. You can buy raw milk and pasteurize it yourself at home if you choose for any children. Some people think that the more mild pasteurization leaves some of the supposed benefits more intact. 

 

ETA: I forgot to add listeria to the list. I would encourage you to read up on the pathogens and look into the scientific studies on the risks/benefits on raw milk, as well as the incidence rate of infections, which tends to be overplayed or downplayed, depending on which side of the argument you look up.  It quickly turns into one of those conversations that can go atomic as people seem to have very strong feelings on either side. Anyone who cites a study, it would behoove you to look up the actual study as some places, such as the Price foundation have a tendency to twist statistics to their benefits while cities and counties can sometimes overinflate them. 

Edited July 17, 2016 by texasmom33

[MEmama]

Another risk: TB. My mom contracted tuberculosis (not of the lungs) when she was a child. It was from raw milk from her uncle's cow.

 

That said, DS has had raw milk, though infrequently, and it makes terrific cheese. I don't make a habit of buying it, though (it is legal in my state and readily available).

[redsquirrel]

Another risk: TB. My mom contracted tuberculosis (not of the lungs) when she was a child. It was from raw milk from her uncle's cow.

 

That said, DS has had raw milk, though infrequently, and it makes terrific cheese. I don't make a habit of buying it, though (it is legal in my state and readily available).

 

Cow are or should be tested for TB on a regular basis. Dairy farmers are supposed to keep all that on record. Or at least they are in my state.  My FIL is a large animal vet and TB in cows is much less common than it used to be. I don't know what that means from a numbers perspective though. He just commented that it used to be fairly common and isn't any longer.

[Carrie12345]

Most dairy farmers who are operating legally are testing their milk.  I know slip ups still happen, but the government is so far up raw milk producers' rears, they aren't taking willy nilly chances.

[nevergiveup]

 

 

ETA: I forgot to add listeria to the list. I would encourage you to read up on the pathogens and look into the scientific studies on the risks/benefits on raw milk, as well as the incidence rate of infections, which tends to be overplayed or downplayed, depending on which side of the argument you look up.  It quickly turns into one of those conversations that can go atomic as people seem to have very strong feelings on either side. Anyone who cites a study, it would behoove you to look up the actual study as some places, such as the Price foundation have a tendency to twist statistics to their benefits while cities and counties can sometimes overinflate them. 

I have always wanted to jump on the raw milk bandwagon.

However, my sister is a nurse in Wisconsin and she said they have seen a huge increase in the number of cases of listeria due to raw milk.

The complications were really ugly.

[luckymom]

Thanks all.

 

If I wanted to pasteurize could I do it at home?  Would I just boil/hold the milk at a certain temp for a certain time and it would be fine?

[MEmama]

Cow are or should be tested for TB on a regular basis. Dairy farmers are supposed to keep all that on record. Or at least they are in my state. My FIL is a large animal vet and TB in cows is much less common than it used to be. I don't know what that means from a numbers perspective though. He just commented that it used to be fairly common and isn't any longer.

Right. This was just post WW2 Germany. She was sent to the farm basically so would be able to get fed and not starve. Obviously it's different times, but it is still a risk I thought I'd put out there. I would never known it could be possible.

[Mergath]

Thanks all.

 

If I wanted to pasteurize could I do it at home?  Would I just boil/hold the milk at a certain temp for a certain time and it would be fine?

 

If you're going to pasteurize it, you might as well buy milk from the grocery store.

[luckymom]

If you're going to pasteurize it, you might as well buy milk from the grocery store.

 

 

Not if I would like to support my local farmer.

[Mergath]

Not if I would like to support my local farmer.

 

I suppose. We can buy pasteurized local milk in the grocery stores here, which is nice.

[Epicurean]

Here's a link for pasteurizing it yourself: http://www.realrawmilkfacts.com/raw-milk-news/story/how-to-pasteurize-raw-milk-at-home/

 

Also note that in addition to babies and the elderly, pregnant women should not drink raw milk.

 

Personally, I prefer my milk homogonized. Maybe it's just because I've always had store bought milk all my life, but the consistency of raw milk is a little weird to me, even when you've shaken the bottle thoroughly.

 

I'm all for making raw milk legal (it isn't in my state and there's an "underground ring" of homeschoolers who drink it). But I will share this funny anecdote. A family I knew had a birthday party for their son, and they invited the dairy farmers that they buy raw milk from. When it came time for cake, the farmer and his wife asked for about a quarter of a cup of milk instead of the full glasses that everyone else was drinking. It was obvious that they were drinking the least amount possible in order to not be rude, but that raw milk was NOT their thing. :lol:

[fairfarmhand]

I have a cow. I milk her and we drink the milk raw.

Milk is highly perishable and provides a lovely breeding ground for all kinds of bacteria. It needs tobe be handled properly for it to be safe.

That said, I love our raw milk.

 

I wouldn't buy it from someone whose farm I was not intimately familiar with. Too many things can go wrong.

 

The cow has to be and stay healthy. The environment has to be clean. The equipment must be SCRUPULOUSLY cleaned and the milk has to be chilled ina timely manner, stored in clean containers. I don't trust the health of my family to just anyone.

 

We only use milk that is less than 3 days old. I mark my jars to make sure they are used in the proper time.

 

My dd has a milk allergy; the raw milk has enzymes that help her break down the milk. She has eczema and allergies when she drinks pasteurized milk from the store. She has no problems on Millie's milk.

 

Right now, we're buying store milk because Millie's in her dry period. She'll calve in September and we'll be back to normal.

[Acadie]

We've been members of a raw milk herdshare for 10 years, and my whole family loves it. But I wouldn't drink just any raw milk--our herdshare has a state of the art closed milking system, which means the tubes run directly into their cooling system, and they bring it down to a certain temperature within the time frame stated in our contract. We knew several families who had been with this herdshare for years and never had an issue with the milk, so that was reassuring to me when we first joined. 

 

I also have other friends who used to get raw milk from a small farmer who did not have a cooler, but put the milk in an underground storage area to chill it. My friends seemed to like it, but I shudder to think.... And no, I have no idea what the underground storage area might have looked like. Basically, bacteria can grow faster when the milk is warm, so chilling is important. 

 

I'd want to know if the herd is healthy, if the farmers are conscientious and closely monitor for any issues, and if their milking practices are hygienic, including chilling the milk as quickly as possible and keeping it cool thereafter. Like a pp I also ask guests if they are ok with raw milk, and would not make the decision for anyone else as to whether they drink it. Unless it's in baked goods--then it's just like pasteurized milk.

 

As for benefits, I firmly believe that the fats in grassfed, raw milk and grassfed meat are much, much healthier for us than the fats in pasteurized milk or grain fed, factory farmed meat. Long ago I did research this, but now I just go with my gut, and my taste buds. Also, we originally started because my youngest got hives from ultra pasteurized organic milk, but not from regular pasteurized milk. At that time I could not find an organic or grassfed milk that was not ultra pasteurized, and I did not want her to be drinking conventional milk with growth hormones every day. So we tried raw and she did well with it, and here we are 10 years later. Her reaction to the ultra pasteurized milk makes me wonder if ultra pasteurization changes the proteins in milk somehow...

 

Amy

 

 

[fairfarmhand]

Here's a link for pasteurizing it yourself: http://www.realrawmilkfacts.com/raw-milk-news/story/how-to-pasteurize-raw-milk-at-home/

 

Also note that in addition to babies and the elderly, pregnant women should not drink raw milk.

 

Personally, I prefer my milk homogonized. Maybe it's just because I've always had store bought milk all my life, but the consistency of raw milk is a little weird to me, even when you've shaken the bottle thoroughly.

 

I'm all for making raw milk legal (it isn't in my state and there's an "underground ring" of homeschoolers who drink it). But I will share this funny anecdote. A family I knew had a birthday party for their son, and they invited the dairy farmers that they buy raw milk from. When it came time for cake, the farmer and his wife asked for about a quarter of a cup of milk instead of the full glasses that everyone else was drinking. It was obvious that they were drinking the least amount possible in order to not be rude, but that raw milk was NOT their thing. :lol:

 

It's also possible that they just weren't sure about how the milk was handled (left on the counter too long, etc) and they knew the risks.

 

[3 ladybugs]

Here is my story. 

 

I grew up in SW Washington State. When I was little (under 7, I am now almost 40) we had a milk man. My mom told me that her sister had the same milk service and they would deliver raw milk. I remember the metal container that the milk would go into outside that was under the mailbox which was attached to our house. So for the first 7 years of my life (moved there when I was 6 months old) I drank raw milk no problem.

 

Fast forward to 2009. My son (eldest living) is about to be weaned and I am telling DH that I want to try to give him raw milk. DH is a scientist and makes it clear in NO uncertain terms that he doesn't want our child to drink raw milk. I listen to him and we continue to drink pasteurized. 3 months after I wean my 1 year old, I get diagnosed with Lymphoma. I have to go on a dead diet where I can't even eat salad! EVERYTHING has to be cooked to death, or frozen to death for me to eat it.

 

Once it is clear I am going to live, I tell my DH that I want him to educate me on to WHY I can't have raw milk. At that point in my life I want EVERYTHING fresh as I couldn't eat food for a good 6 months. So my DH researches raw milk every which way in an effort to show me scientifically that there is no WAY that we should give it to our son. In his research he figures out that there is a difference between "pre pasteurized milk" and "raw milk". Raw milk is intended to be consumed raw. It is harvested from cows for this EXACT purpose. Pre-pasturized milk is milk that is intended to be pasteurized, but goes to the farmer or his friends before the pasteurization could occur. 

 

Most of the illnesses that are reported that are attributed to "raw" milk are actually from "pre-pasturized" milk. The rate of illness in raw milk is actually very very small. It does happen, but is VERY VERY small percentage. 

 

With this knowledge my DH gives me the green light to get raw milk (which is illegal in my state, but we get it from a neighboring state). We consume it no problem for about 3 years (maybe a bit more). The only reason we stop is because my youngest (who I drank raw milk when I was pregnant with him) has a dairy allergy. In the last 6-9 months we started purchasing milk again and because of simplicity we are consuming pasteurized again (milk only goes to drop points on certain days at certain times). I hope to change that soon. 

 

I don't think my son's allergy has anything to do with my consumption of raw milk when I was pregnant.

 

My bottom line is you need to know your source. If it is clean, and the cows are in good shape then you are probably good. Also check where the majority of the milk goes. The farmer I get the milk from is a huge (ish) farm that supplies it for a TON of people. They do independent testing of their milk every week. I have yet to go to their farm but that is because it is far from me. I do know that in the 5-6 years that I have been following them, they have only had one illness reported. So that is good. They have also taken the steps to insure that doesn't happen again. 

[Epicurean]

It's also possible that they just weren't sure about how the milk was handled (left on the counter too long, etc) and they knew the risks.

 

 

Well, that's I mean. They weren't willing to risk drinking it unpasteurized because of the risks involved!

[MistyMountain]

There is a fairly high risk for food borne illness no matter how clean and sanitary the practices are. I feel it is not worth the risk for my family. There was a small farm here with good practices that lets people visit to see their practices and they had a outbreak that sent a lot of people to the hospital. People who drink it all the time have probably had more exposure and get acclimated but to me I do not want to do anything to put my kids at risk even if it was just food borne illness that they got through ok. The FDA and CDC has good info on raw milk. I know many will say it is false or fear mongering but it is true info.

Edited July 17, 2016 by MistyMountain

[Mergath]

 

Most of the illnesses that are reported that are attributed to "raw" milk are actually from "pre-pasturized" milk. 

 

No, quite a few people actually get sick from raw milk. If you do a google search some of the stories are horrifying. There have been e. coli outbreaks from dairies that people swore were super clean and safe.

 

I'm not anti-raw milk, and if it was legal here I'd probably give it a try, but I don't think we do anyone any favors by minimizing the risks.

[TranquilMind]

Here is my story. 

 

I grew up in SW Washington State. When I was little (under 7, I am now almost 40) we had a milk man. My mom told me that her sister had the same milk service and they would deliver raw milk. I remember the metal container that the milk would go into outside that was under the mailbox which was attached to our house. So for the first 7 years of my life (moved there when I was 6 months old) I drank raw milk no problem.

 

Fast forward to 2009. My son (eldest living) is about to be weaned and I am telling DH that I want to try to give him raw milk. DH is a scientist and makes it clear in NO uncertain terms that he doesn't want our child to drink raw milk. I listen to him and we continue to drink pasteurized. 3 months after I wean my 1 year old, I get diagnosed with Lymphoma. I have to go on a dead diet where I can't even eat salad! EVERYTHING has to be cooked to death, or frozen to death for me to eat it.

 

Once it is clear I am going to live, I tell my DH that I want him to educate me on to WHY I can't have raw milk. At that point in my life I want EVERYTHING fresh as I couldn't eat food for a good 6 months. So my DH researches raw milk every which way in an effort to show me scientifically that there is no WAY that we should give it to our son. In his research he figures out that there is a difference between "pre pasteurized milk" and "raw milk". Raw milk is intended to be consumed raw. It is harvested from cows for this EXACT purpose. Pre-pasturized milk is milk that is intended to be pasteurized, but goes to the farmer or his friends before the pasteurization could occur. 

 

Most of the illnesses that are reported that are attributed to "raw" milk are actually from "pre-pasturized" milk. The rate of illness in raw milk is actually very very small. It does happen, but is VERY VERY small percentage. 

 

With this knowledge my DH gives me the green light to get raw milk (which is illegal in my state, but we get it from a neighboring state). We consume it no problem for about 3 years (maybe a bit more). The only reason we stop is because my youngest (who I drank raw milk when I was pregnant with him) has a dairy allergy. In the last 6-9 months we started purchasing milk again and because of simplicity we are consuming pasteurized again (milk only goes to drop points on certain days at certain times). I hope to change that soon. 

 

I don't think my son's allergy has anything to do with my consumption of raw milk when I was pregnant.

 

My bottom line is you need to know your source. If it is clean, and the cows are in good shape then you are probably good. Also check where the majority of the milk goes. The farmer I get the milk from is a huge (ish) farm that supplies it for a TON of people. They do independent testing of their milk every week. I have yet to go to their farm but that is because it is far from me. I do know that in the 5-6 years that I have been following them, they have only had one illness reported. So that is good. They have also taken the steps to insure that doesn't happen again. 

That is very interesting.  Thanks for the information. 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

To me there are more cons than pros.  For one thing around here it is very difficult to find it.  It's a lot more expensive.  There is risk of getting sick from it (and locally there have been fairly recent cases of this happening).

 

I guess I don't see the point in going through the trouble.  I am a bit curious in the sense I'd like to taste some, but to get it regularly wouldn't be very practical. 

[Ellie]

Another risk: TB. My mom contracted tuberculosis (not of the lungs) when she was a child. It was from raw milk from her uncle's cow.

 

That said, DS has had raw milk, though infrequently, and it makes terrific cheese. I don't make a habit of buying it, though (it is legal in my state and readily available).

 

There are certified dairies which take fecal samples daily, to be sure that their cows are healthy, so things like this do not happen. You should only buy raw milk products from certified dairies.

 

I prefer raw, but only because I prefer food that is processed as little as possible. However, neither of my dds could tolerate dairy products, raw or not; some raw dairy enthusiasts are convinced that it is not possible for people to be allergic to, or lactose intolerant to, raw milk. They are wrong. Also, someone told me once that my daughters' beautiful big brown eyes would be blue if they drank raw milk, because raw milk would cleanse all the impurities from their bodies. :cursing: So yeah, I'm buying into that kind of thinking. I just think that raw milk from cows that are certified to be healthy is better than pasteurized/homogenized milk that could come from cows with all sorts of health issues, who could have been given hormones and antibiotics.

 

In Texas, it is not legal to sell raw dairy products in the store. There can be co-ops, and there's a work-around for selling in a store, but you can't go to Whole Foods and buy it. There are a couple of brands which are not homogenized, and pasteurized with a low heat, so they are close to being raw. No cheese or butter, but at least milk and cream (and that's cream that is not ultrapasteurized with added carageenan).

[SparklyUnicorn]

I suppose. We can buy pasteurized local milk in the grocery stores here, which is nice.

 

Same here.  In fact most of our milk is local because dairy is something that is fairly extensive in my state.

[Mergath]

On a related note, I googled just now to see if there have been any changes in the laws regarding raw milk and came across a raw milk FB page where a woman was asking how to make baby formula with raw milk.   :cursing:  I'm sorry, but giving raw milk to an infant is idiotic. I can't believe people actually do that.

[StaceyinLA]

We have been big raw milk drinkers here on and off for about the last 15 years; from our own goats, and from various friends' cows and goats.

 

I think there are a lot of nutrients in raw milk that are destroyed during pasteurization. I think a lot of the enzymes are destroyed, which affects our digestability. The Vitamin D is affected as well, so then a synthetic is added back in, and it isn't as easily assimilated. Homogenization isn't good for you as it changes the composition of the milk. Goat milk is a naturally homogenized milk (and superior to cow's milk when raw IMO), which is why it is considered more digestible for humans.

 

I'm honestly more fearful of the antibiotics and hormones in store-bought milk than I am of getting ill from drinking raw, but I would definitely want to know my source well.

 

When we can't get raw, we buy from a local farmer that pasteurizes but doesn't homogenize, or I buy a grass-fed organic from Whole Foods that isn't homogenized.

[Carrie12345]

To me there are more cons than pros.  For one thing around here it is very difficult to find it.  It's a lot more expensive.  There is risk of getting sick from it (and locally there have been fairly recent cases of this happening).

 

I guess I don't see the point in going through the trouble.  I am a bit curious in the sense I'd like to taste some, but to get it regularly wouldn't be very practical. 

 

My supermarket sells it.  :)

[Bluegoat]

I drank raw milk when we had goats, but I think it's a little different when you are living in the same place as the cows - being exposed to the same microorganisms in the environment makes a difference.  I sometimes pasteurized it anyway, because it lasted longer that way.

 

If I could access raw milk here without having to go through hoops, I would probably be more inclined to use it for things like cheesemaking than drinking.

 

We sometimes buy milk that is pasturized but hasn't been homogenized.

[eternalsummer]

We are considering buying raw milk from a local producer.  I wouldn't deliberately buy raw but it is the only dairy we have found, ever, that keeps the male calves as meat cows and allows both male and female calves to nurse (instead of separating mother and baby and feeding the latter milk replacer). I am still a little unsure if I am okay with it.  The milk is $$$$, too, so it's not like we'd be drinking it for breakfast or whatever.  It would just be a luxury item.

 

Also at this point it's been 5 years since any of us had any dairy at all, so we might be lactose intolerant?

[Guest]

There are certified dairies which take fecal samples daily, to be sure that their cows are healthy, so things like this do not happen. You should only buy raw milk products from certified dairies.

 

I prefer raw, but only because I prefer food that is processed as little as possible. However, neither of my dds could tolerate dairy products, raw or not; some raw dairy enthusiasts are convinced that it is not possible for people to be allergic to, or lactose intolerant to, raw milk. They are wrong. Also, someone told me once that my daughters' beautiful big brown eyes would be blue if they drank raw milk, because raw milk would cleanse all the impurities from their bodies. :cursing: So yeah, I'm buying into that kind of thinking. I just think that raw milk from cows that are certified to be healthy is better than pasteurized/homogenized milk that could come from cows with all sorts of health issues, who could have been given hormones and antibiotics.

 

In Texas, it is not legal to sell raw dairy products in the store. There can be co-ops, and there's a work-around for selling in a store, but you can't go to Whole Foods and buy it. There are a couple of brands which are not homogenized, and pasteurized with a low heat, so they are close to being raw. No cheese or butter, but at least milk and cream (and that's cream that is not ultrapasteurized with added carageenan).

You should have sold the blue eye detoxers some magic beans. ;) That's just so......I don't even have the right words for it.

[Haiku]

We are vegan, so we don't drink milk at all, but a local purveyor of raw milk told me it would cure my dd of HIV. :o

 

I have several friends who drink raw milk. Most of them haven't had any trouble, but one friend and her son were hospitalized with listeria from their raw milk.

[Guest]

Something to keep in mind when considering raw milk is that many pathogens are soil borne. It doesn't matter how good of shape the cow looks, or how clean the barn is. If it lays down in the dirt, and the teats aren't scrubbed clean, and the pans aren't sterilized, I don't care what the test says they run once a week- they're susceptible to carrying that pathogen. If they flick their dirty tail in the bucket and the farmer doesn't dump it, it can be contaminated, if the machinery isn't properly sterilized it can be contaminated. So I echo the others who said, tour the facility. Know what you're looking for in the barn and the field. Most people don't. Pretty milk in a glass bottle tells you nothing.

 

Better yet get your own cow or goat and do it yourself- then you KNOW no corners are being cut. There is a reason people embraced pasteurization when it came out. It saved lives. I think raw milk should be legal and grown ups can make a decision, but sometimes the whole "natural" thoughts on things aren't completely and fairly represented. It seems to becoming more raw is good, processed is bad. There is missing nuance between the two points. Some processes serve a worthy purpose. We also tend to take for granted the current food safety rules and the cases where they have helped.

 

If you go on the FDA website and check the warning letters you can check for whatever dairy you're looking at. You might be surprised by how many dairies there are that receive warning letters. They don't get shut down, they keep operating. The FDA and USDA only have so much power, so it's a good thing to keep an eye on your local dairy to be on the safe side.

[eternalsummer]

So if I bought this raw milk, which I am considering doing not for the rawness but just for the treatment of the cows, does anyone know more or less how I would make it safe?  Would I need some sort of special machinery (ugh)?

[Mergath]

So if I bought this raw milk, which I am considering doing not for the rawness but just for the treatment of the cows, does anyone know more or less how I would make it safe?  Would I need some sort of special machinery (ugh)?

 

According to Google you can pasteurize your own milk on the stove, but you have to keep it at 145 degrees for thirty minutes. Too hot and you'll scald the milk, too cool and it might kill you.

 

Have you looked to see if you can buy pasteurized milk from a local humane farm? It seems like it would be much easier than trying to pasteurize your own raw milk.

[Guest]

So if I bought this raw milk, which I am considering doing not for the rawness but just for the treatment of the cows, does anyone know more or less how I would make it safe? Would I need some sort of special machinery (ugh)?

You're going to need stainless pans and strainers and a thermometer along with the time to sit in front of the stove and stare at it to make sure it's perfect temperature. And of course something to store it in. There are supply stores online or you could check out homesteading sites. People do it- it's time time consuming though. Supposedly an Instant pot can do it, but I don't know.

 

I'm with Mergath. It's way easier to find a local humane farm if you have the option and buy it there.

[eternalsummer]

Our standards of humanity towards dairy cows are virtually un-meetable.  (leaving the calves with the mother cows, not shooting or raising the male calves for veal).  I have only ever found this one farm that does it.

 

That said, I am not desperate enough for milk to boil it for 30 minutes while keeping it a steady temperature.  Making cookies from scratch is too much trouble for me, and I love cookies.

 

bah :(

[fdrinca]

When we lived in Pennsylvania, raw milk was legal and - for raw, and especially compared to CA - reasonably priced. We drank raw milk for several years, until we had a batch with campylobacter. Everyone in the family fell ill, including DH who was travelling for job interviews. I decided that it just wasn't for us.

 

http://www.about-campylobacter.com/campylobacter_outbreaks/view/your-family-cow-dairy-campylobacter-outbreak/#.V4xdJrgrLIU

[ktgrok]

Yup, risks are small, but I know a woman who had a 2nd trimester miscarriage from listeria. We just don't do it. But we do often buy milk from pastured cows, as I think that's the most important thing health wise, because of the difference in the types of fatty acids in the milk. You can buy Grass Milk from Organic Valley at some stores. 

[Amira]

Everyone pasteurized their own milk in the little town in Kyrgyzstan I lived in, including us. It's not that hard and you don't have to do the thirty minute thing. You can just heat it to 165 and keep it there for 15 seconds then quickly move it from the heat source and cool it. It's pretty much like heating milk to make yogurt. You can pasteurize in the microwave instead if you like.

 

I didn't have a crockpot in Kyrgyzstan, but the very easiest was to pasteurize would be to heat the milk in the crockpot so you don't have to watch it constantly and so it won't boil over.

 

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lane/sites/default/files/documents/sp_50-932home_pasteurizationofrawmilk_.pdf

Edited July 18, 2016 by Amira

[SparklyUnicorn]

Ok, but why bother going through the trouble to get raw milk to pasteurize it when you can just buy pasteurized milk in just about any store?

 

 

[Amira]

Fresh milk tastes amazing. But I usually don't do it if I have access to a reliable source for pasteurized milk.

[ktgrok]

Ok, but why bother going through the trouble to get raw milk to pasteurize it when you can just buy pasteurized milk in just about any store?

 

Because she wants to buy milk from somewhere that doesn't separate mom and baby, and the only place she could find that does that sells raw milk. 

[Amira]

It also appears that you can use an instant pot to pasteurize milk.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Because she wants to buy milk from somewhere that doesn't separate mom and baby, and the only place she could find that does that sells raw milk. 

 

Ah ok!

 

Thank you.  I'm less confused now.  :laugh:

[jemsmom]

I have a cow. I milk her and we drink the milk raw.

Milk is highly perishable and provides a lovely breeding ground for all kinds of bacteria. It needs tobe be handled properly for it to be safe.

That said, I love our raw milk.

 

I wouldn't buy it from someone whose farm I was not intimately familiar with. Too many things can go wrong.

 

The cow has to be and stay healthy. The environment has to be clean. The equipment must be SCRUPULOUSLY cleaned and the milk has to be chilled ina timely manner, stored in clean containers. I don't trust the health of my family to just anyone.

 

We only use milk that is less than 3 days old. I mark my jars to make sure they are used in the proper time.

 

My dd has a milk allergy; the raw milk has enzymes that help her break down the milk. She has eczema and allergies when she drinks pasteurized milk from the store. She has no problems on Millie's milk.

 

Right now, we're buying store milk because Millie's in her dry period. She'll calve in September and we'll be back to normal.

3 days seems like a very short amount of time.  How do you cool your milk?  The farm where I get milk has a bulk cooling tank which constantly stirs the milk and gets it below 40 degrees in a matter of minutes.  At the end of 2 weeks in my fridge, it's just *beginning* to get sour. (My kids won't drink it at that point, but I do)

 

I suppose such a short holding time doesn't matter for you since your cow produces more milk every day...

[happypamama]

We drank it from a local farm for years and still do sometimes, although it's so expensive. I drank it while pregnant with my second son and had no problems. I think you have to weigh the risks of listeria, etc., but listeria can be found in a lot of things that they don't tell us to avoid (like salad).

 

I do like the taste much better, and I can't stand the taste of pasteurized milk at all. Plus I can tolerate more raw milk without it hurting my stomach than I can pasteurized milk.

 

Raw milk is legal in my state, but there are licensing requirements. The farm where I most often get raw milk is licensed and does all the tests and such. I feel pretty confident that they're as safe as possible. But ymmv, of course.

[skimomma]

We have been drinking raw milk for close to 10 years now.  I cannot always get it so when I cannot we generally do not drink milk.  I cannot speak of any amazing health effects but the taste is much better.  So much better that none of us will drink pasteurized milk.  It just does not taste good.  I also like that I can skim the cream off to use for other things and for whatever reason it makes much better yogurt.  I agree with others that you have got to know the farm, farmer, and the practices.  Illness from drinking raw milk is rare but pretty serious.  I'm willing to take the risk because I want to support my local and humane farmer.  Our source is part of a dairy share for raw milk only so any illness would be a serious problem for the farmer.  It is illegal to sell in my state so our farmer has even more to lose than a consumer should he not follow safe practices.

[fairfarmhand]

On a related note, I googled just now to see if there have been any changes in the laws regarding raw milk and came across a raw milk FB page where a woman was asking how to make baby formula with raw milk.   :cursing:  I'm sorry, but giving raw milk to an infant is idiotic. I can't believe people actually do that.

I love raw milk and that is completely idiotic.

 

I tell people that if you have a compromised immune system or small kids or pregnant, don't do it.

[MercyA]

We are vegan, so we don't drink milk at all, but a local purveyor of raw milk told me it would cure my dd of HIV. :o

 

Also, someone told me once that my daughters' beautiful big brown eyes would be blue if they drank raw milk, because raw milk would cleanse all the impurities from their bodies. :cursing:

 

 

I can't even. Just when I think I've heard it all...