Whole, raw, unprocessed cow`s milk - thoughts?

In my local farmer`s market a new stand is opening. They are going to sell whole raw unprocessed cow milk. The info flyer I got says the cows are grass fed, they undergo regular vet checks and the milk is also sanitarily verified.

The way I think of it, the more natural, the better, but what say you, fellow CC`ers? Yay or nay?

Also, I`ve looked some info up online and it seems that whole milk left to sit undisturbed for 12-24 hours in the fridge tends to separate into a layer of cream and partly skimmed milk, anyone ever tried this? And I`m thinking this milk would make some fine homemade yogurt/cheese also, thoughts?

Sounds good to me, especially for the cheese making, but you might want to Pasteurize it before you use it.

Original Post by trhawley:

Sounds good to me, especially for the cheese making, but you might want to Pasteurize it before you use it.

You mean boil it, right? I see pasteurization removes harmful microorganisms, but what are its effects on the nutritional value? And would this increase its "shelf life" as well?

Sorry for all the questions, guess I`m a bit of a milk noob.

My friend (who grew up on a farm) just told me that straight-from-the-cow milk has about 35% milk fat. During pasteurization the harmful bacteria is killed and during processing, the fat content is reduced.

I have never had access to raw milk or made any cheese but I have been researching cheese making recently because I love fresh mozzarella cheese and it is unavailable where I currently live.  You can make cheese with store bought milk but one of the articles I read said the if you have access to raw milk that it is better but that you should Pasteurize it before making cheese to kill bacteria that can interfere with the cheese making process.  Pasteurizing will also extend the shelf life of the milk even if you are not making cheese from it.  Pasteurization is done by heating the milk but not boiling it.  The article I read said to bring the milk to 145 degrees F and keep it there for 30 minutes.  You need to stir the milk as you bring the temp back down to 40 degrees.

This site seems to be a good source of info for cheese making.

I grew up on a farm, with a milk cow available.  We had a cream separator though, to skim off as much cream as possible.  With that, we made our own butter.  But the milk was still very rich (equivalent to homogenized milk, or even higher fat content).

It was nice having fresh butter and milk, but I can't imagine drinking that now.  It would be way too rich (and fattening).  I can't comment on the cheese or yogurt, as we never tried either of those.  In any case, I didn't die from drinking unpasteurized milk... :)

Clint

Thanks for the helpful info, everyone! My own fresh mozzarella does sound lovely, but I`m a bit worried as I can`t seem to master portion control when it comes to cheese.. However, I usually have just one cup of milk a day, in the morning, and I`m guessing that the 60 extra calories of fat won`t make or break my day. Especially if there are a lot of added benefits when it comes to nutrition and taste.

until i live on the farm and milk the cows myself, i won't be drinking any unpasturized milk.  i suspect that most of us long ago lost immunity to the kinds of bacteria that are in fresh milk, and the longer it's out of the cow, the more opportunity those bacteria have to multiply.

 fresh milk spoils faster,freeze it if not used end of week.

glass jar is better then plastic. boil milk,preserve freshness. goats milk is best.

been there,done it. taste is much more REAL. makes tastier gravies.

I really wouldn't recommend consuming any milk that hasn't been pasteurized. There is a reason they pasteurize milk - it kills harmful bacteria that can potentially kill you. All they do in the pasteurization process is heat it rapidly for a short period of time. I'm not sure if the nutritional value is reduced, but it is much safer to drink.

I work in a grocery store and where I live it's illegal to sell raw milk. I'd be wary of buying raw milk in general, even if it's fresh from the farm.

If you're going to boil it to pasteurize it you might as well just buy the usual milk at the store.  Any health benefits you might gain from the raw milk are destroyed through pasteurization.   I love this whole "you have to pasteurize milk or it might kill you" argument.  If that were true, we'd all be dead because humans drank milk for thousands of years without pasteurizing it.   They milked cows in the morning and dropped milk on the front steps in a glass bottle for a couple of centuries in North America and we all survived quite well. 

Pasteurization kills all bacteria, both the beneficial and the harmful.  It also destroys the living enzymes in the milk and if heated high enough, even the calcium becomes an inert substance like a stone.   I'd suggest if you are going to try it, introduce it slowly to your system to get used to it and then have at it.  Like I said, if you're going to pasteurize it, you might as well just buy the stuff in the box or bag.

I have Nigerian dwarf goats.   I let the doe feed her kid because it is more natural.  As soon as I see the kid start nibbling food, I start stealing a little milk from the mom.  It is much higher in fat.  It should be pasteurized because of bacteria.  If you had grown up drinking it, you would have what you need to fight off the bad bacteria.  Most often, this isn't the case though.  You can pasteurize at home by heating and cooling it.  It does spoil faster.  Tinted glass jars are best.  Light is damaging to nutrients in milk.

In our state it is illegal for stores to sell raw milk.  It is not illegal for farmers to sell directly from their property or authorized stand.  It MUST be clearly labeled and have premise ID number written on the container.  My premise ID covers my land and my mom's because we have goats in both places. 

I have tried my goat's milk and because I have Nigerian's it is much sweeter than normal goat milk.  I usually pasteurize it and freeze it for animal rescues that need to bottle feed baby animals.  I have also donated to a needy family with an infant that could only tolerate goat milk.  It is expensive in the store.  I have several cheese and yogurt recipes though.

I've had raw milk and it didn't kill me or make me sick. If you are getting it from a farm that has good practices for raising and keeping their cows, you'll probably be okay. Wouldn't drink raw milk from a factory farm. Raw milk does spoil faster than pasteurized. I thought it had a somewhat richer taste than normal milk but since I don't drink that much milk anyway I found it wasn't worth the extra cost.

I've had unpasteurised milk a few times and it didnt do me any harm.

I also eat unpasteurised cheeses all the time; so do plenty of people in Europe. I don't think we need to sanitise all our food for it to be good for us.