Raw Milk....

[Quiver0f10]

We have the chance to buy raw milk from a local farmer. It is not pasturized or homogenized, is this safe to drink?

[tyusclan]

As long as his cleanliness is up to par and the animals are disease-free, the milk is perfectly safe. We buy raw whole milk from friends who have a jersey dairy. We were milking our own cows, but it was difficult getting them re-bred. Our friends are only a few miles away and it's easier to just run down and get 4 or 5 gallons at the time.

[Dreams30]

http://www.realmilk.com/


http://www.rawmilk.org/

[longshadowfarms]

I suspect this will open up a can of worms. Some people claim that raw milk is the ultimate, the way to go, healthy as can be, etc. Others will tell you that it is terrible, unhealthy, deadly. As the previous poster mentioned, it is probably ok if the cleanliness is up to par. That said, some people do NOT tolerate raw milk very well and can get violently ill from it. I'd be especially careful with really young kids or those with weakened immune systems.

[Lrose]

Originally Posted by Quiver0f9

We have the chance to buy raw milk from a local farmer. It is not pasturized or homogenized, is this safe to drink?

My husband turned 60 today and has had raw milk all his life. I have had it for the past 27 years. Our kids are in their 30's and grandson drinks it. Those who say cleanlines is the key thing as well as healthy animals are right. My husband dairy farmed and was meticulous about how milk was handled. We have had goats 25 years and are very carful. We milk in a stainless steel container ; then strain it and refrigerate immediately. I
would check out the farm where the cows or goats live. If the animals are well cared for it should be alright. Where I live it now is illegal to sell, trade or give away raw milk. Linda

[Ann-NWIowa]

We had our animals Bangs & TB tested and used both cow and goat raw milk for years. We were always very careful to keep everything clean, clean, clean. You could always buy a pasteurizer if you have any doubts. My mom used a pasteurizer when I was a teenager bacause of my baby sister. I never did and fed unpasteurized goat milk to our 1 yr. old. One doctor went spare when I told him - so I changed doctors. The new doc thought it was fine.

[MaineFarmMom]

Some people who are unable to drink store bought milk are able to drink raw milk without problem. I'd start out with a small amount, see how you tolerate it and go from there.

[JanaKaye]

Dr. Mercola's website has a lot of info on raw milk... he certainly endorses it, as long as you know the source is safe. www.mercola.com (do a search for raw milk)

[chas]

Originally Posted by longshadowfarms

I suspect this will open up a can of worms. Some people claim that raw milk is the ultimate, the way to go, healthy as can be, etc. Others will tell you that it is terrible, unhealthy, deadly. As the previous poster mentioned, it is probably ok if the cleanliness is up to par. That said, some people do NOT tolerate raw milk very well and can get violently ill from it. I'd be especially careful with really young kids or those with weakened immune systems.

Raw milk is the one with the good bugs in it which produce thir own antibiotics,which build up your immune system.Pasturized is dead and the calcium is tied up and pretty much unusable.
And it takes care of the lactose problem that people have when using pasturized milk.
Go to Mercola.com to check it out.
The dairy up the road has to practicly jump through hoops to keep his certificate for raw milk.Clean,clean,clean. He's been selling it since the fiftys,must be doing something right to keep govt off his back.

[Jim in MO]

See if they will let you watch them milk. Walk through the barn and see how clean they keep it. Do they wash the entire udder area before milking? Is the bucket spotless. Is the stall clean and free of manure? I won't sell any of my milk yet or use it for the family until I get my milking stall up to par because It's not clean enough. Until then all the milk goes to the piglets. Clean is key to raw milk as well as the helath of the cow. Has the cow been Bangs & TB tested? Ask questions and look around. If your statisfied, enjoy! You'll never go back to store bought milk again. And once you you make real buttermilk....truly the nectar of the gods.........

Jim in MO

[fin29]

If it were me--and this is just me--I would buy a gallon and send a sample to get tested for the nasties without telling him. If it were clear, I would be buying A LOT. I've been in enough barns of "nice old farmers" to know that clean and sanitary to me is not clean and sanitary to them. No sense in taking a chance over $25 in testing fees. At least then you would know.

I'm jealous of your opportunity, though it's my own fault. I live just down the road from one of the premier Jersey breeders.

[dla]

Wouldn't do it for any amount of money.

My grandson is on the way. Don't you know why Louis Pasteur invented pasteurization? It was because people died.

Now that doesn't mean that every single time someone drinks raw milk they die, or obviously there would be no dairy cows!

And if there are beneficial bacteria in raw milk there is no reason we can't consume them, just like we do yoghurt.

But if the cow is kept clean and is healthy right this very minute, that doesn't mean that there isn't anything she laid down on or would fall down from her sides into the pail or whatever else that would just love to live in warm milk for awhile some time later.

I'll wait for modern science on this one a little longer, guys. You may all be right and I may be all wrong, but for now I'll stick with Louis on this one.

[pamda]

We grew up on raw cow milk in my family. The reason people died from raw milk was because of lack of sanitation and no refegeration. If the kitchens and milk rooms were unsanitary and the heat of the milkroom and kitchen helped the bacteria grow people get sick. Add to that the lack of knowledge of how to cure illness and the lack of medical care in some areas and also the possibility of farmers milking ill cows and people died as a result.

We do not have these problems any more. If you get milk from the farm ask to see the milking areas and ask questions. Educate yourself. Make sure the jars you store in a bleached after washing each time.

Never be afraid to try something new. Ok off the soapbox and I wish I has some raw milk for the cream I'd make butter. PAM

[MullersLaneFarm]

Originally Posted by dla

My grandson is on the way. Don't you know why Louis Pasteur invented pasteurization? It was because people died.

Louis invented pasteurization so milk would have a longer shelf life. There wasn't the higher speed transportation or refrigeration "back in the day".

And if there are beneficial bacteria in raw milk there is no reason we can't consume them, just like we do yoghurt.

Not many yogurts use live culture and the bacteria from yogurt dies in our bellies. Want a 'real' living culture that survives?? Try kefir.

Do try to be there when they are milking. They may balk because of bio-security, but if you bring disposable booties with you, that shouldn't be a problem.

I think someone else said this too, I'll repeat it for the heck of it. make sure they wash the ENTIRE udder, not just the teats. See if their milk bucket is stainless steel. Are they hand milking or machine milking? Is the milk immediately cooled? Do they wash the milking equipment right away? Do they use a pre/post -teat dip?

Milk handling is everything! I won't give up our raw milk and neither will our customers.

[luvrulz]

Oh boy! What do you think they drank years ago? As noted, they didn't have the benefits of an electric fridge to keep it cold and stick it right in there after milking - that's why Louis Pasteur invented pasturization. My hubby and I, our daughter, her hubby, our grandson and numerous friends all drink our raw milk. I drank it as a kid and never had a problem with any of it. I am 50.

Right now, we make our own butter, our own yogurt and cheeses. And ice cream to die for..... You just don't know what you're missing! Our stall is clean and our Jersey is disease free. We wipe down immediately before we milk and milk our one cow by hand. She's a happily pampered part of the family!

Living the we way we do; we raise our own beef, chickens, eggs, pork and all; we are never sick. No flu shots and no colds. No infections. We don't do processed food or white flour. The carcinogens you ingest in all that processed food and farm raised beef and etc will kill you quicker than a little raw milk!

Like my gram used to say, don't knock it til you try it!

[Haggis]

If you tell people often enough and loud enough they will eventualy believe anything. Ol' Louis came up with his process to help wine producers. Commercial milk folks picked up on it to sell their cream strained, vitamin drained, bleached out, chemically enhanced, and practically embalmed product, then they let us know that raw milk would kill us all.

Yet around the world billions of people just kept on drinking milk straight from the spout as they had done form countless generations, and guess what? They didn't all die, or even get sick.

One could get sick from raw milk. One could get sick from anything, or as one very famous philosopher once said, "As long as you are alive there is a chance you will die."

I'm a lot more afraid of anything canned, bagged, bottled, or boxed with an FDA stamp of approval on it than raw milk from an animal I can visit and give a good scratch behind the ears, but if someone feels better if they boil their milk before they drink it, then by all means; they should do so.

[tooltime]

Thank you Haggis. For a minute, I thought I had learned all about some different Louis Pasteur.

[pamda]

Haggis, AMEN. Thank you, PAM

[dla]

Enjoy, guys! Like I said, you are probably right and I am probably wrong.

But we just bought two jerseys - one has been milked for years (thank God, Someone has to know what to do... ), family ate ice cream like nobody's business. So much milk the cow fell over if you milked one side too fast, to hear tell.

And I'm sure that cow's milk, like mother's milk is a great product.

But give me time - I'm only two years out of the 'burbs and I'll just buy myself a safgard pasteurizer and not know what I'm missing!

Bottoms up!

[seedspreader]

For those who want the straight scoop on what Louis Pasteur did or didn't do check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasteurization

Has a nice bit of information about raw milk too.