Why we drink raw milk
This is where I get my milk:
Her name is Cuddles. This is her farmer, filling up my milk jugs.
If you buy milk from the supermarket (and I did for the last 30 years), this is how you get your milk:
Many people react in shock when I tell them I drink raw milk. Not only that, but I feed it to my kids. The horror! Aren’t I worried about E. Coli? Wasn’t pasteurization invented for a reason?!?
Pasteurization, by definition, is a chemical process where the product is heated to a temperature high enough to kill the bacteria. Invented by Louis Pasteur, a French scientist, its original purpose was for beer and wine. So, why do we pasteurize our milk to begin with? From this site:
To meet the soaring demand for spirits, distilleries soon sprang up in most major cities. In one of the most bizarre twists of entrepreneurial insight, some brilliant soul thought it would be fun (and profitable) to confine cows adjacent to the distillery and feed them with the hot, reeking swill left over from the spirit-making process (3).
As you might guess, the effects of distillery dairy milk were abominable, and for many of those drinking it, amounted to a virtual death sentence. Confined to filthy, manure-filled pens, the unfortunate cows gave a pale, bluish milk so poor in quality, it couldn’t even be used for making butter or cheese. Add sick workers with dirty hands, diseased animals and any number of contaminants in unsanitary milk pails and you had a recipe for disaster.
Lacking its usual ability to protect itself, and with a basic understanding of germs or microbes decades away, the easily contaminated “pseudo-milk” was fed to babies by their unwitting mothers. In New York City during 1870 alone, infant mortality rocketed to around 20% and stayed there for many more years (4).
So one doctor – a father who had lost his son to bad milk – decided to create a standard for milk production to ensure cleanliness in 1893 and soon after, raw milk was safe again. However, another doctor who had lost a son as well decided this wasn’t good enough and the only safe milk to drink was pasteurized milk. Using his funds, he campaigned for pasteurization of all milk and set up stations for affordable pasteurized milk. Certified raw milk and pasteurized milk co-existed until the 1940s when a smear campaign was launched against raw milk and pasteurization became the standard.
So most of us drink the store milk, all of which has been pasteurized and homogenized (a process which forces the milk and cream at high pressure through small holes making the molecules the same size so the milk and cream doesn’t separate) without really understanding why. We’ll get sick if we get the bad bacteria! Yes, we could. However, more people get sick each year from salmonella on spinach than raw milk and you don’t see a warning on the spinach. It is not illegal to sell spinach in 11 states like raw milk. See this data for more information on which states can sell it and well as where’s it’s illegal.
It’s actually illegal in my current state – Iowa – and I drive over an hour each way to an Illinois farm get my 4 gallons of milk (lasts me around 10 days). To me, it’s more than worth it. I support a local farmer. I get clean, amazing tasting milk that nourishes my family and keeps us healthy. The fact that the government can tell farmers what they can and can’t sell makes me tingle with apoplexy but that’s a post for another day.
In killing all the bad bacteria in the milk, pasteurization is also killing all of the good bacteria and as any of you who take probiotics knows, these are pretty damn important. As a matter of fact, we are technically made up of more bacteria than we are human. Our small intestine – home to all these bacteria – is the source of our immune system. Without properly functioning bacteria, we offer ourselves up to a slew of auto-immune issues, not to mention leaky gut, IBS, etc.
Few people are aware that clean, raw milk from grass-fed cows was actually used as a medicine in the early part of the last century (2)(3). That’s right. Milk straight from the udder, a sort of “stem cell” of foods, was used as medicine to treat, and frequently cure some serious chronic diseases (4). From the time of Hippocrates to until just after World War II, this “white blood” nourished and healed uncounted millions.
Of course, where your milk comes from matters. Was the cow grass fed or grain fed? The milk from grass-fed cows contains CLA which is all but wiped out in grain-fed animals. CLA – conjugated linoleic acid – is pretty much the superhero of fats. It can enhance muscle growth, support and boost immune function, as well as lower body fat.
More people die from shark attacks than drinking raw milk. More people die from eating tainted greens. More people die from drinking pasteurized milk and eggs. Think about that. No one in the last 11 years has died from raw milk, admits the CDC.
So why would I buy a product that has been so heavily processed that is LESS healthy for me and my family and comes from animals that live in a factory when I could get it from Cuddles? Or this cute girl when she grows up?
I shook the hand of the farmer that milks the cows. I walked down the row and petted their sweet heads. The farmer’s four-year old daughter pointed out which ones were pregnant, told me the names, showed me the newborn baby goats with pride. That means something to me.
How do you feel about raw milk? Is it liquid gold like it is in our house?
If you’re curious and want to find a local raw milk farmer near you, check this site.
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The riccotta is Damn good too!
Did you put it on your pizza, mom?
But of course!
I don’t have the ability to drive that far just for raw milk, but I would love to see the laws against raw milk repealed to make it more accessible to people.
I also have dreams of having my own farm, with an enormous garden, and chickens, and pigs, and goats, and…of course…a cow or two or six. /heaven
This is really interesting – thanks for the insight. I’ve always been curious about raw milk (I actually remember tasting it once as a child and I do remember it as some of the best milk I’ve ever tasted).
I’ll be checking around to see where it’s available here to give it a try…
I think it’s good to do what you feel is best for your family, so I totally support whichever type of milk you like to drink. I remember, if we’re going to cite historical reasons for pasteurization, that it made a big difference in incidences of tuberculosis in North America in the early 1900s… so I think that might have been another reason it was highly supported back then.
I think that it’s okay to drink raw milk as long as you know and trust the source; however, I’ve always felt more comfortable personally with pasteurized anything. I’m a hypochondriac though. haha.
I agree: Knowing and trusting your source is incredibly important. I just wish it were they way with all foods. I mean, it makes sense to know the farm where I get my milk to make sure it’s safe, but no one questions where their greens or store-bought eggs come from and people get sicker on those, ya know? It’s a mental thing, I think.
Actually, most of the incidents of TB were from contamination after milking(TB cannot pass the membrane barrier inside the cow, so even a cow with TB will produce safe milk). In fact, and this is verifiable. There are more substantiated incidents of TB from pasteurized milk than from raw milk. In one case, a foreman with TB at a major canadian dairy was infecting the vats(unwittingly, but that is no excuse) AFTER pasteurization, and it led to thousands of people being exposed.
This is an excellent, important post!
I wish, wish, wish raw milk was cheaper in Seattle. Even my sister in law, who herself is a farmer and doesn’t drink anything but raw milk, was shocked by our prices. I don’t know what to do, but I’m a little bereft at the price of the milk out here. Right now I am resigned to buying non-homogenized, vat pasteurized, because for whatever reason, that’s half the price (still steep at $9/gallon). Maybe if more people start supporting small farmers, I will actually be able to afford real milk!
That is insane! And only due to the laws of supply and demand. Like you said, if more people supported the farmer, he’d be able to lower his prices. It’s a flawed system but I have hope that more people will start turning to local farmers for food and milk and hopefully bring prices down.
Yup, that’s why I think what you’re writing is important! Maybe if more people realize it’s good for them and not scary, the price will go down for city folks like me, too.
I don’t expect $5/gallon because of real estate, but I could hope for $9/gallon one day!
Did you hear that piece on NPR where some scientists believe that a lot of diseases, including obesity and allergens, are linked to our gut bacteria? Some “bad” bacteria might be good for us!
Oh, another thing about raw milk: it has a higher fat content than USDA whole milk. I guess the typical raw milk has 5-6% butterfat, and USDA whole is strictly regulated at 4. Mmmmm.
And as we all know, fat is our friend! Especially tasty yummy delicious milk!
I’m amazed about how cheap your raw milk is (I’ve been thinking about it since your yogurt post). We pay $8 a gallon straight from the farm. I love getting them in the glass mason jars (our farmer bottles it all up) and I just come in and pay for what I want (technically we’re shareholders) out of the fridge in the bottling room, write in the ledger and put my cash in the box. It’s wonderfully quaint.
We also drive to a neighboring state – about 70 miles from our house to the farm- for our raw milk I’m thankful that it’s a driveable distance. I go every 2-3 weeks for food we can’t get in our small town anyway. Co-ops are kind of iffy law wise – changes are you won’t be prosecuted, but as my husband is a soon to be lawyer, we get our own as not to have to worry about the distribution portion of the law.
You mentioned irritation about the government telling farmers what they can and cannot sell. I’m even more irritated that the government is telling me what I can’t buy and put into my own body.
Michele, I was wrong in my last post. The milk is $5 a gallon, which I still find it pretty amazing.
From my research (and I’ve done a lot, haha) it seems that the legal loophole is that it’s illegal to bring across state lines for the purpose of selling and distributing, not personal consumption.
Mmm. This post brought back fond memories. My dad had a friend who took over his parents’ dairy farm in Wisconsin once they retired. They still lived there, they just couldn’t do the work anymore. Nor should they. They earned their rest! Farming is hard, hard work. But oh, the milk. So delicious. Like Reading mentioned, the butterfat. Ohmygosh, that milk was exquisite, so rich and creamy and pure. I don’t drink much milk these days and what I buy is locally sourced, but I buy 2%. (I used to be sucked into that hideous “skim is good for you” vortex. I escaped.) Thanks for this post!
I appreciate what you wrote and believe that it should your choice what you eat/drink and put in your body (when it is an educated choice as this is) but I don’t think it is fair to compare raw milk “deaths” to pasteurized milk, eggs and spinach when the percentage of people exposed leans heavily the other way. I’m sure more people die in China annually than Canada, but that has to do with the number of people living there.
I’m all for people making informed decisions about their own health and am not trying to be an “annoying” commenter just wanted to bring up my issue with that thought process.
Thanks, I really enjoy your posts.
Thanks for your comment! I used the comparisons to shark attacks as well. According to that logic, I would say that more people are exposed to raw milk per year rather than sharks, and yet technically statistically it is safer to drink raw milk, correct? I am just trying to use examples to show people that it’s not like it was in 1880 anymore and that raw milk is a safe, healthy way to get milk, presuming they know their source.
wonderful post!
we drink raw milk when we can get it. THe farmer we get it from lives about 40minutes away, so not real convient especially during the brutal parts of winter. Besides the health beneifits- I just love the rich creamy, fresh taste. I’ve never been a milk drinker but after drinking raw milk I would crave it and drink it daily. Won’t touch the stuff from the store anymore- although I do still by it on occassion for my teenagers because they will think its “gross” to drink milk that came from a cow! Sometimes I still can’ believe they said that…but well anyway- thanks so much for a great post.
Great post, and your link to farms that sell raw milk was great, but unfortunately not useful for me. The only place nearby isn’t set up to sell widely and is looking for host sites. That’s one of our biggest problems for trying to eat healthier. The area where I live in NoVA just isn’t set up for healthier eating. The farms are all getting razed for housing developments. The few farmer’s markets have limited produce and sell in busy parking lots. Our local Trader Joe’s is beyond tiny. Whole foods isn’t close. And my husband isn’t on board. It’s so frustrating. I do my best with as much organic food as I can, but I can only do so much by myself.
Ugh, the laws against raw milk are annoying. Technically, carrying raw milk across state lines is a crime, and since my field of research might involve getting government clearance in the future, I compromise by getting lightly-pasteurized, creamline milk from a pastured operation nearby.
I do drink raw goat’s milk when I visit my in-laws in Idaho. My mother-in-law has a friend who raises goats next to her office. It’s delicious. I hate goat’s milk normally, but the raw stuff is awesome.
Great post. Very informative and true. Most people don’t know where their milk comes from. In my house, we do not eat dairy, but if we did, we’d be doing the same thing.
I’m lucky, while my area of the country isn’t progressive on most things, at least there is a good connection to local food. I can get my raw cow and raw goat milk at the food co-op only 3 miles from my house. There’s a lot of good food here and I’m glad that I’m finally making use of it. I feel shockingly more healthy than I ever have before.
So cool that you actually get to see the cows though!
ACK! I’m feeling pretty darn good about my milk prices, now. We have a local milk man (I love it!) who’s done home delivery in our area for YEARS. We got straight from the farm milk delivered to our house every week for about $2.xx / half gallon.
I, too, love ‘knowing’ our cows. Grass fed, no hormones or antibiotics. Not to mention cutting out those “quick and inexpensive” trips to the grocery store…just for milk!
(Oh, but just to state ours is not completely raw…it’s definitely creamier than grocery store milk, though and we do have farmers around for the raw stuff!)
Whereas I find it debatable as to whether or not we are meant to drink the breastmilk of another species, I am sure it is better to do so in as pure of a form as possible. However, I’m very thankful that I could feed my children formula since I could not breastfeed. It is deplorable how much our government controls the food we consume.
I love everything about this post. Thank you for writing it.
It’s not Iowa, but I’m moving to a fairly rural area this weekend and will begin working from home. Am I most excited about being with the man I love, having more free time, or having more disposable income? Nope. I’m most excited that I’ll be in an area where I can meet the cows that make my milk and shake the hand that grows my lettuce. Isn’t that how life is SUPPOSED to be?
One of my friends used to get raw milk from a farmer who got around the law by letting you pay to “rent a cow” for an hour. And if you happened to milk the cow while you were there, hey, the milk was yours!
Another reason to LOVE you. We have been drinking raw goat milk from a local farm here for years! It is amazing. It tastes like pure cream and I too believe it is like liquid gold. I make raw goat kefir from it too! The only thing is that ours is very very expensive. But it is so worth it to me!
xo
k
I drank raw milk as a kid and could never get enough of it. It tastes so dramatically different than the milk that we have in the stores. I grew up on a dairy farm and my grandfather raised meat cows. I wish I could drink this milk now!
Thanks for the post. I used the links to find some farms near me in a state that allows farms sales, but not retail (grrr). Question though: If you didn’t consume your milk every 10 days, how long would you say its shelf life is? I ask because half of my family won’t drink milk at all (maybe they will once they taste raw milk, but I doubt it). At $6-$9 per gallon I want to be sure that my son and I can make full use of the milk we buy.
Also, I am slowly going Paleo, but still consume dairy. Can you remember the argument against consuming dairy? Was it because it is so processed or was there another reason? I honestly can’t remember. Thanks!
I would say the shelf life of milk is anywhere from 7-14 days, depending on how long the milk was in the “fridge” at the farm when you buy it. It’s usually the same day. Mine was literally milked in front of me. I don’t really drink much milk and my son won’t drink any. My husband and daughter drink it often and I use it to make yogurt which my son WILL eat, thankfully. I also made ricotta cheese yesterday which was so stupidly easy, although you only get about a cup of it using 1/2 gallon of milk and 2 c. of whey.
The “paleo” argument for dairy is that it contains lactose (sugar) and casein which can cause some intolerances in some people. However, raw milk has both lactase and lactose and the lactase helps “eat” the bad bacteria in the lactose. Lactase is killed during pasteurization, therefore only the lactose remains and this is why many people have lactose-intolerance issues with regular milk but not raw milk. I think it’s a personal thing. Some people have dairy issues, some don’t and the best way to find out is a fairly strict elimination diet. You can read mroe here. Mark Sisson’s approach is a little more lenient that Cordain or Wolf’s approach where theybelieve no one should consume it at all. (which, I think is erroneous and definitely follow more of a Weston A Price approach to dairy and fermentation, though I still don’t eat grain).
Well, I don’t have dairy issues I am fairly certain. I think I would go batty if I couldn’t have cheese. :)
Also, I am confused by what you said about lactase and lactose, maybe is was just a typo. Lactase is an enzyme and helps break down lactose which is a sugar (had not bacteria in it). Perhaps you meant that by having lactase in there with the lactose, some of the lactose is broken down? This would make it so there is less sugars for the bad bacteria to thrive on, therefore inhibiting their growth? Maybe you can clarify for me a little more.
Seriously not being a hater, but I am a biologist.
Amy, You’re totally right. I explained it poorly. Dr. Kresser from The Healthy Skeptic
explains it better (and you did a pretty great job too):
Could you put a few more details into this post? (I’m super interested in driving ~45 minutes to a farm to get some.)
-Do you bring a big cooler with you to make the trip from the farm to your house?
-Did you buy those jugs or did the farmer provide them? What makes one type of milk jug better than another?
-Do you keep all that milk in your normal refrigerator (& if so, how do you have room?)?
-How long will the milk last (you said you buy enough for 10 days…is that because the milk only lasts 10 days, or because that’s what works for you guys)?
-Does the milk seperate? And if so, do you have to shake it before each use?
-Is it really, really filling if it has more fat than whole milk?
My general rule of thumb regarding cheese is that the raw-milk version is ALWAYS tastier. I don’t know why I didn’t think about applying that logic to milk as well…
I disagree. My grandparents had a diary farm (still in the family) and there is no way I would drink raw milk. Cows are very filthy animals. Do they keep them in the barn 24/7? That may keep them somewhat clean. Do you know what the cows are doing in the fields?
Thank you for the information, but I will take my milk treated.
I am fortunate to have access to several raw milk sources, even if it is $10/gallon. I have been wanting to get raw milk for my children (and husband) for awhile now, but I am concerned about giving it to my youngest daugther (1.5). I might point out that I also don’t give her raw spinach, or meat from restaraunts, fast food items, etc – as I worry about her digestive systems ability to fight of illness. Do you feed it to your youngest son? I have discussed it with health proffesionals – and get mixed responses.
Thank you so much for posting this. A while ago I threw a post on FB to see if anyone knew of a raw milk source in my area. Wow, it truly stirred up some opinions! I never thought it would be a controversial subject but apparently it is. I didn’t really know enough about it to share. Anyway, thank you for sharing your findings and experience. This is very helpful!
I am from Maine and have recently switched to raw goats milk. It has more Iron, and less lactose.
in reply to an above poster “liz” when she asked if we “know what cows do in the field?” because obviously cows are crack, fast food, beer drinking addicts and thats what they do “in the field”. OR maybe they moo at eat other and eat grass or take naps all day?
What I was referring to was how much they poop and then lay in it. It’s really gross and common. Farmers clean the udders with hot soapy water before they begin milking, but I’d rather have the added security of heating up the milk before I drink it.
I respect your opinion and choice for your family of course, but I find flaw in your logic. I would much rather milk from an udder that has been sat in poop but washed with warm soapy water than milk from a cow with mastitis and puss-filled bacteria milk that has to be treated with antibiotics and heated to kill that bacteria. You wash your hands with warm soapy water after you poop, yes? You don’t heat your hands to 200 degrees to kill the bacteria before you prepare food or hug your children?
I truly believe our fear of illness and bacteria and our dependence on antibiotics – whether from farm factories or from when people get meds for a stuffy nose – will be our downfall as humans. We’re basically creating a recipe for a superbug.
I just recently located a small scale – one cow – farmer who allowed me to buy a “share” of the cow so I could get raw milk legally. I’m absolutely loving it! Do you know the book, “The Untold Story of Milk?” It’s a fascinating look at milk and tells a different story about how we came to pasteurization. I’ve no idea which is the “correct” version, but it’s interesting to read the possibilities!
Hmm, I’m interested to know what the other versions are: the one I wrote about is the only one I’ve ever heard of. I may pick up that book, thanks!
I had no idea it was illegal to sell raw milk in some states. PA seems to be one of the best states in this regard.
I think it’s awesome that you know where your milk comes from. I HATE that mine comes from the grocery store (much nicer to think of than that picture of commercialized farming). I have been trying to locate some raw milk here and haven’t been able to find any that’s even remotely close by. Now that the bill passed to allow raw milk in NJ, I’m hoping it will be easier to find.
Great pics of Cuddles. Raw cow milk is legally sold here in CA. I can buy it at the grocery store and it’s a little cheaper at the farmer’s market. It’s horribly expensive, ($14-$16 per gallon) so it is truly white gold to our family.
Thanks for this post. My husband has ulcerative colitis — well, he did, until he had his colon removed a couple of years ago. The auto-immune has a genetic component and we’re always interested in any new research that will help stop my kids from getting this disease. We’ve been instructed by various specialists to “make sure our kids eat dirt.” So, since my husband’s surgeries, we threw out all our anti-bacterial products, stopped washing hands before we ate and extended our 5-second rule when food drops on the ground to much longer. I’m probably one of the few moms who secretly did a happy dance when the kids got a stomach bug on a trip to Vietnam (more bad bacteria – yea!). My husband has some of the best doctors and researchers, but they’ve never mentioned raw milk as a good choice for getting “bad” bacteria. When I saw your post I started doing some research. So surprised at all the benefits. Right now we live overseas and I’m lucky I can get fresh milk (shelf-stable milk is the norm). But, in a couple of months we’ll be back home and the first thing on my agenda is to find raw milk. It sounds like they sell it in my state at certain stores. Thanks so much for this post.
Great information! I perceive that Cuddles is a Jersey? I have just been enlightened that Jersey milk has completely unique characteristics that make it healthier than Holstein milk. In fact, the term “Holstein” is used in America interchangeably with “dairy cow.” Jersey herds are more rare but their milk is amazing and far more digestible. Something to do with A1 and A2 molecules, and Jerseys have A2, the desirable kind. I am grateful to have a Jersey dairy nearby, and their cream and milk are astoundingly good. I am still working up the courage to get raw, though! Love your blog.
Yes, you are correct on all fronts – she is a Jersey and you were right about the A1 and A2 cows!! And its SO damn tasty. I didn’t think I liked to drink milk until I had this stuff!
Interesting read. I really enjoyed it. I was pointed here from Twitter after I post that just went up where I ponder raw milk. My inlaws swear by it, I am left going “Hmm…”.
I honestly don’t know which way I swing about it.
My one objection about this is post is you stating that more people die of shark attacks and eating pasteurized milk and eggs than raw milk. Well, how many people consume raw milk? VERY few because the practice has not been mainstreamed for such a long time.
We simply have no way of knowing how many would die of consuming raw milk now vs. pasteurized/homogenized until it was consumed in equal quantities, you know?
True, and again, I think it all boils down to knowing your source. Not to mention if it WAS legal, perhaps mandates on cleanliness practices could be enforced and education to farmers to help reduce illness, ya know?
I have been reading your blog for a while now (I think I came over originally when Linda Sharps was talking about the Oil Cleansing Method, but who can remember now?) and rarely leave comments on anything I read, due to time constraints mostly. Just wanted to let you know I find your blog totally inspiring, and this post in particular has educated me enough to make me really want to learn more, and see if this is something I can do for my family. I’ve also been looking into sources of grass-fed beef, though we live in a rural area of Illinois (nearish to Rockford) and financial resources are limited. Anyway! Love your blog and will keep reading. Thanks for all you do…!
Jessica
Wow, what an awesome compliment. Thank you!
AND, after leaving my comment, I used one of your links to find a farm only 30 minutes from me (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Windsweep-Farm/) and have sent them an email. They sell their milk for $4.25/gallon!! I am going to check them out ASAP, and am ridiculously excited… seriously excited.
I take care of my husband’s grandparents who both have advanced dementia and live in an Alzheimer’s unit. I try to take them out and about as frequently as possible, and think that if the farm lets me, I will bring Grandpa and he will love the visit. Thanks again for the information that helped me get motivated!
I’m lucky, where I live (PA), raw milk is not only legal, but can be sold in retail stores! Not that I’ve seen it outside of actual farms and farmer’s markets, but the fact that it’s legal makes me happy. :-) In fact, I only drive 15 minutes away for my milk, and pass two others on one of the back roads going home. Some day I may stop and check those guys out, but I’m very happy with my current supplier.
One of the topics not being discussed here is the difference between grass-fed and grain-fed dairy cattle. I grew up on a farm and after a frustrating gig as a nutritionist, I’ve now moved on to working as an apprenticing pasture-based farmer.
I can see that the Jersey in the picture is eating grain. We’ve had raw milk shares for years now. Because we’ve moved around a lot, I’ve seen many different set-ups at the farms we’ve frequented. Cows, as ruminants, get quite acidic when there are grains in their diets. This acidity can leave them more vulnerable to pathogens. Like beef cattle, these cows are meant to eat grass. However, it’s hard to find a farmer that will keep their dairy cattle solely on grass, without any supplementation of grain, because the grain greatly boosts production.
We recently left a share because the Jerseys, solely fed grass in the summer, were given more and more grain as the winter moved on. This was brought to our awareness by how we started reacting after drinking our milk (it just didn’t digest as well and we were noticing increased inflammation). When I questioned the farmer, he confirmed our suspicion.
We sought out another farmer, two hours away, who had a solely grass-fed operation. These cows are never given any grain. Most of the customers are there because they see the differences between the grass-fed and grain-fed milk. Of course, the fatty acid profile is more favorable as well, including higher levels of CLA, omega-3s, and a lot more of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, and K.
We’ll be moving in a couple of months. I have looked into what’s available around our new city. It looks like the raw milk farmers are both using grain in their feed ration. Unless I can find a grass fed source, I’m thinking that we will simply remove it from our diets, as we’ve had to do before.
I wanted to also let you know that we love your recipes. Yum! Thanks for the great blog!
I buy it from a local butcher who gets it from a local farmer. I don’t drink it, but we use it to make the most amazing homemade yogurt.
My son who is allergic to dairy can eat raw milk yogurt. To me, that says something about the dairy that we buy at the store. How can 1 product give my son colitis if he eats/drinks it, while the other just makes him smile.
Truly excellent post.
We have gone great distances to acquire raw milk, even while we were traveling the country for a year.
Unfornutately for us, the only source here in Northern New Mexico has “dried up” for us. After months of having at least half of our 4 gallon per week order turn out to be sour they decided that we were the problem and stopped selling to us rather than finding the problem. We had been driving a long distance and paying $10 per gallon and have since found out that they found E. coli in the the udder of one of the cows dealing with chronic mastitis. Ick. We never did get an answer as to why the milk was sour when most of it was milked the day we picked it up and the rest was from the previous day.
Our only other option is $20/gallon goat milk. We’re just not THAT rich… so, sadly, we just go without milk. Luckily we can still buy organic raw cheese at the store. :*(
I’m a raw milk drinker, too! It is legal here in MA but can only be bought at the farm that produces it. I have one farm 20 minutes away and another that is an hour away. I get my eggs from pastured chickens there too. Oh and grass-fed beef and raw milk cheese! I’ve totally changed the way I eat and have lost 30lbs so far as well as gained a lot of muscle mass without exercising. That, along with decreased imflammation from giving up grains, is making me feel fantastic. I love Paleo food washed down with raw milk! It’s the perfect, healthful combination!
Oh, and the milk runs me $7 to $8 per gallon, depends on the farm and if I buy a whole gallon or two 1/2 gallons.
I’m trying raw goat’s milk next. There is a farm near my mom’s house that I’m going to check out. They sell duck eggs, too. I want to try those as well.
Oh gee, I keep thinking of things to say. I’m a recovering germaphobe. I’m tired of being psychologically terrorized by all the media hype about food borne illness. I refuse to be afraid of real food anymore. Humans survived approximately 10K years consuming raw milk, without the benefits of refrigeration to boot. It is the modern day confinement dairies with their grain-fed cows that are the problem. I would never want raw milk from there. But give me a local farm where cows are allowed out to pasture and I’m there with a cup in one hand and money in the other!
I am wondering how long raw milk last in the fridge? I found your page from googling about drinking raw milk and honestly, I am so glad to see that people like you are choosing raw milk over the processed stuff we get from the grocery stores. I live in Montreal and I’m looking for a cow farmer :)
Ours last about 10 days.
I came across this blogpost while searching for information on raw milk this afternoon. I follow the GAPS diet which is a real food diet specificially targeted for healing issues with the gut..and one of the things I can and do drink is raw milk. Well, actually I use raw milk when I make yogurt…but I do drink it too. It’s the only form of dairy my body can tolerate…and it is making a very noticeable and BETTER inprovement with my digestion.
In any case, when I mentioned to a friend at church that I drink raw milk today, she quickly slammed me and said that hundreds of people die every year from drinking raw milk etc…which I KNEW was UNTRUE…and I later proved it, by going to the CDC website…more people die from bad bacteria in other traditionally grown produce than have ever died from raw milk…and in the last 10 years…no one has…I’m surprised by that reaction, but it was sad, because she never even gave me the chance to explain why I drink why milk or why I feel it’s beneificial.
Thanks for writing this article because you really cheered me up today :) :) I mentioned this situation to my naturopathic physician and she understood, but said it’s a “normal” reaction from most people. Do you have a short thing that you say to [eople when they react negatively to the info that you drink raw milk?
This same church friend was the one who took me to the store yesterday to buy the raw milk. I’m very clear about what I was buying…so either she was dimwitted or she wasn’t listening to me. It’s legal in the state of California to buy/sell raw milk…thank goodness!!!
Anways, LOVED this post. Thank you. Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather ;)
Oh, this same friend also said she only buys pasteurised..and I didn’t have the heart to tell her that most of the good stuff is gone at that stage…
Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather :)