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Dairy - About Raw Milk
Raw Milk
Raw milk is not pasteurized. Pasteurization involves heating the milk to destroy any harmful bacteria that might be present – a process mandated to overcome dirty conditions in some dairies. However, it also destroys all the beneficial organisms, and a whole array of enzymes, amino acids, and vitamins that are essential to human nutrition. You might have noticed that processed milk is Vitamin D fortified. This is because the vitamin is destroyed by pasteurization, and must be replaced from other sources.
Massachusetts state standards for raw milk are much, much stricter than for milk for pasteurization, so the milk from a licensed raw milk dairy is extremely clean. Our milk is regularly tested, and our equipment inspected by a state milk inspector.
Raw milk is also not homogenized, so the cream rises to the top. Homogenization breaks the fat globules into tiny droplets so the cream will not separate. Recent research indicates that homogenization may contribute significantly to cardiovascular diseases because these tiny fat droplets can pass into the bloodstream without first being fully digested, allowing them to adhere to artery walls.
Many people think that the health benefits of raw milk approach that of a medicine. We have heard stories from our customers of undersized babies suddenly starting to grow after drinking raw milk, and lactose intolerant individuals drinking raw milk with no ill effects. All we really know is that it tastes great. Scoop off the cream for your coffee, or just shake the jug to mix in the cream, and enjoy the rich, full flavor of what milk is supposed to taste like!
In Massachusetts, raw milk can only be sold from the farm, so to enjoy it, you need to come to us!
Keeping Raw Milk
The key to keeping raw milk fresh is to keep it cold. Please bring a cooler (or at least a towel to wrap it in) when you come to pick it up, and please don‘t leave the jug out on the table during meals! The milk will keep at least a week past the sell-by date. One customer has found that the milk keeps longer if decanted into glass jars; presumably glass is less permeable to oxygen, etc. than the plastic. When raw milk does start to turn, instead of spoiling into nasty rancidness, it sours. Sour cream, cultured buttermilk, and yogurt are all milk soured with specific bacterial cultures. Clean milk from healthy cows contains many beneficial bacteria. These natural bacteria in the milk are slowly multiplying, and while they haven't been selected for flavor (like yogurt, etc), once the milk sours it is still excellent for baking and pancakes.