Or, I show my tender, hippy side
Bottle of Evergreen Farm Utterly Fresh Raw Whole Milk
Since I cheated you guys out of a post last night, we’ll have two today. Milk in the morning and heavens only knows what in the evening. I seem to have somehow had my workload doubled today so I might go really wild and take a picture of some chocolate milk or something.
Anyway, I’ve heard a lot about raw milk and how delicious it is but have never had the opportunity to buy any until yesterday when I went to the Farmer’s Market at the Memphis Botanic Gardens. Tangent: If you live in Memphis or thereabouts and have never been to the Botanic Gardens you should go because it’s awesome. If you have kids, get the membership, you’ll get your money’s worth in one week.
I know some folks say that raw milk is incredibly nutritious and others think it’s a huge health risk, which I guess is the reason why I had to buy some sort of membership to buy the milk and also explains this on the back of the bottle:
I can’t say that I’m not a bit concerned about the health risks of consuming raw milk, particularly for my children, but from what I’ve read the risks are small if you get it from a small, clean farm. Honestly though, I bought it because I was very curious about the taste.
Regular milk on the left, raw milk on the right
You are probably wondering about the champagne glasses. It’s not because I’m trying to be fancy or funny, those were the only two clean glasses that matched that are left in this kinderwelt of the damned.
The colors didn’t really show through but on the left is a glass of regular, pasteurized Vitamin D supermarket brand milk, it’s extremely white and smooth looking. On the right is the raw whole milk, it was a lot more yellow and on the top, you could see little shiny slicks of fat. Sort of like when you pour whole cream into coffee and a bit of the fat breaks off and rises to the surface before the rest of the milk and you get those oily-sheeny patches. It’s not nearly as gross as the description sounds.
Top view
You can kind of see what I’m talking about here. It wasn’t off-putting in any way, but it definately had a more rustic appearance than the supermarket milk.
Wait, I take that back, I was a teeny bit put off, but that’s because I’ve done my share of expressing milk from my own teats and the raw milk looked very much like the milk I used to pump for my own babies. I know it’s kind of silly and illogical to have second thoughts about drinking the raw milk because of that, but eh, it is what it is.
Taste it I did though and I have to say it was really good, but it had a little bit of a grassy flavor. Not as strong as goat’s milk but it was there. It was also very creamy and so rich I could only drink a bit of it. It really had a very clean, fresh flavor and I think it would really rock for making homemade paneer or ricotta.
My two littlest ones didn’t like it at all, I’m assuming because the flavor was so much more pronounced than the milk they are used to. We also had some of the raw half and half in our morning coffee and I didn’t care for the stronger flavor as it clashed with my coffee.
I will definitely buy raw milk again to use for making cheese but I’m not sure if we’ll be buying it to drink on a regular basis. I am very much looking forward to trying the butter and eggs from the same dairy farm.
{ 29 comments }
So you aren't supposed to drink it? It's only for pets? Why is it okay for pets? I have so many questions. I tried raw milk out of a cow once on a field trip in third grade, it might have been a goat, I don't really remember too well. I don't remember what it tasted like either. I'm no help. Does raw milk have more or less vitamins and nutrients?
My mom use to drink raw milk all the time. As a kid, she never had to worry that we'd pick it mistakenly off the shelf. I recall it being brownish. I never once tried it. I totally judge a book by its cover and I'm sorry, but milk is supposed to be white.
I love this: “expressing milk from my own teats” You said that so adult-like. I would have most definitely said “squeezed milk outta muh boobs.”
But see, you're so much classier than me.
I may strain used milk through a dishtowel but would have to think about this a bit before mixing it with sugar.
I have never heard of raw milk before!? I didn't even know milk was cooked.. or something.. I'm so confused right now haha. but what's new. Now i have to do some research.. though I'm all about silk and almond milk as of late.
I am not sure I would have been brave enough to try it but good for you!
So wait, if this didn't kill you, does this mean that you are not human?
Huh. Boy, you think you know somebody.
You could have told me to my face, but no, I had to find out like this.
I am not sure I would have been brave enough to try it but good for you!
So wait, if this didn't kill you, does this mean that you are not human?
Huh. Boy, you think you know somebody.
You could have told me to my face, but no, I had to find out like this.
I thought you knew Margaret! It's not like I wouldn't have told you if you'd ever just taken the time to ask if I was a futuristic cyborg or not.
I mean seriously, what does it say about YOU that you never cared enough to ask?
It is kind of weird to be drinking unpasteurized milk when pasteurization was such a huge step in public health.
Hey Carissa! It's just milk that hasn't been pasteurized. They do that to kill all of the germs in the milk.
I have been meaning to try almond milk I hear it's really lovely.
You know how I said it tasted grassy because the cows are pastured and eat grass?
What if….
What if…
(I'm so excited about this idea I can barely get it out)
What if we feed milk cows a steady diet of froot loops and Captain Crunch, would that make milk that tastes like cereal? Because cereal milk is awesome.
It is almost brownish, kind of manilla?
You know, just squeezing doesn't really get the milk out efficiently but I'll spare you the entire how-to unless you really, really, really want to know.
Definitely try the butter. Oh my gosh – heaven. First thing off – smell it. It almost smells like cheese! It's so rich. I've been eating it on my morning toast. It's such a treat!
Not at all. As long as you know it's from a farm that cares for their animals and their living quarters, the risk is low. My parents both grew up eating and drink raw milk and raw milk products with no issues. It's when we tried mass producing dairy that things started going awry and pasteurization was needed for safety.
OK, that's fine and everything, but all I could think about while reading this was, Why didn't that Evergreen Farm bottle use the OBVIOUS “Udderly” instead of “Utterly” on its label?
I mean, DUH!
Hmm? You don't know till you try. If it works, I'll be an investor.
Yes, sort of like dirty water. Yum! But nothing was as gross as the film she'd peel off her homemade yogurt after the jars came out of their little incubator thingies.
I do not want to know any more about the squeezing, thank you.
I'll get it next time. They are thinking of making cheese per their
website, I would love to try that, too.
That's what I read, too but I'd be lying if I said the thought of
safety didn't cross my mind. But I had no ill effects and it is a
small local dairy.
It was wild to me just how different in appearance the raw milk was. I
guess I just assumed milk came out of the cow snowy white!
I was wondering about that, too! And even read it as udderly until I looked closer.
I bet cows would like cereal instead of stupid old boring grass.
OMG, you're right! What does that say about me? That I'm cold-hearted and unemotional? Like a….a ROBOT????
Domo Arigato!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE raw milk. It's so good. When I first started drinking it, I could NOT get enough and I was getting worried for myself (and my waistline). I guess whatever nutrients my body needed leveled off after a month or so and now I drink it less frequently but it's still yummy. I get it (also through a club) from an Amish farmer and trust his cleanliness and integrity with the products.
MMMM! Raw milk is good! (My cat begs for her “milks” now!)
I did some baking and cooking with it this weekend and everything did have a wonderful richness to it.
I think a big stumbling block for me is that it's not convenient to get. We have a large family so go through a gallon of milk almost every day. Eep.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE raw milk. It's so good. When I first started drinking it, I could NOT get enough and I was getting worried for myself (and my waistline). I guess whatever nutrients my body needed leveled off after a month or so and now I drink it less frequently but it's still yummy. I get it (also through a club) from an Amish farmer and trust his cleanliness and integrity with the products.
MMMM! Raw milk is good! (My cat begs for her “milks” now!)
I did some baking and cooking with it this weekend and everything did have a wonderful richness to it.
I think a big stumbling block for me is that it's not convenient to get. We have a large family so go through a gallon of milk almost every day. Eep.
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