Since making the decision to stop purchasing milk from the store and instead opting for raw milk from our local natural dairy, I have not only done my fair share of research on raw milk but have also discovered how incredibly versatile this product is! There is so much information out there on raw milk, but one site that I found particularly helpful is Raw-Milk-Facts.com. They have FAQs, history, safety, etc- so go check it out if you’re at all curious about what raw milk is all about, and if it is something that might suit your family’s needs.
I originally started seeking out raw milk due to my oldest son’s allergies. He has struggled with allergy and asthma symptoms for most of his life, and though he has been to the doctor countless times to try and find answers, we still don’t have all of them. It’s still a battle. And as a parent, there is nothing more frustrating than not being able to fix your child.
So it was time to do some research for myself. And what you will find (as I did) is that there is a ton of controversy around the topic. So you must consider the source and make an informed decision for yourself. But for me, if there was even a chance that I could help relieve my child of even some of his outbreaks/symptoms, I would try it. And to be able to feed my family a natural product as opposed to one filled with hormones was a welcome added bonus.
Health benefits aside, the greatest thing about raw milk is how many other products you can get from it! I always buy raw whole milk in a one-gallon jar from the dairy, which makes the skimming process very easy.
Here you can see that nice cream line. The glass jars work great because not only can you see that cream line, but the wide mouth of the jar means skimming off some of that cream is a breeze!
Now, you can certainly leave all the cream on your milk and drink it as-is (which is of course delicious!). But if you’re like me and live a from-scratch lifestyle, having additional milk products on hand is invaluable. So what I do is skim off a pint jar of cream from each one-gallon jar, which leaves about 3/4- 1 inch of cream on the milk. Just be careful not to dip your ladle below that cream line when skimming :). Or, you can even use a turkey baster to pull the cream off the top- whatever you have on hand.
At this point, you have some options:
(1) Label your jar of cream with the date and put it in the fridge. I always have a couple jars of cream on hand for recipes, including our homemade cream soups.
(2) Make butter! I did a homemade {sweet cream} raw butter tutorial a while back. If you’ve got some cream that’s getting to be a bit on the older/sour side, try making some cultured butter. And of course, if you simply whip your cream to the point of stiff peaks before hitting the butter stage, you can have yourself some delicious homemade whipped cream!
(3) If you make butter, save the buttermilk! A jar of buttermilk is another item I always have on hand. Use it in pancakes, muffins, bread, and biscuits.
(4) Make yogurt. I particularly love this article for teaching you how to make your own yogurt as she is honest, shares her trial & error, and how she went about making the perfect raw yogurt.
(5) Make cheese.
Few other food products can give you so many options!
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Do you drink raw milk? What are your favorite ways to put it to use?
Have a great day and thanks for checking in!
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Shared at:
Clever Chicks Blog Hop #106
