Raw whole milk?

I pay $4 here...but I have to drive for 30minutes to get it. But I believe it is worth it.

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Life is uncertain, eat dessert first

This is why milk is so expensive where you are...that and you live in CA.
If you can pay for the gas to go to the farm to pick it up, it won't be as much...however once you pay for the gas, it's probably a wash. Shop around and see if you can find it elsewhere for less that isn't a long drive.
Check localharvest.org (I think it is) to get info on farmers that are closest to you that sell at the farm gate.
If you are buying it at the store, you are going to pay for that convenience.

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Trisha in WA
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Diamond Belle Ranch

What else does a man have to do in his short time here on earth than build soil and feed people~Forerunner

We pay $4.50/gallon from an Amish farmer that has the most beautiful Jerseys! He just increased the price a few months ago from $4.25

What he said!
Another farm here sells it for $4.50 a gallon from their Holsteins - the milk just isn't as good as from the Jerseys

I pay $4 a gallon here.
Keep your ears open for someone who is supper small and doesn't advertise. That is where you will find the better prices.

Love the responses, thanks guys and gals! I think I'll have to keep shopping around.

Raw milk illegal in Michigan.
There is a farm near Levering, MI, that advertizes on Craigslist for "herd shares". Just a way to sell raw milk without actually selling it. The ad runs often, guess he can't get enough takers to meet his supply.

Some areas will support a raw milk business and other areas won't.

It is illegal here, but I have heard of people "not selling it" for $2/qt.

I don't think raw milk is a miracle cure for anything, I just like the taste of it and I am too lazy to pasteurize. I drink my own goat's milk, so I know everything is clean.

And, it appears the holsteins have a milk that is unhealthy for humans.
“The Devil in the Milk” — Dr. Thomas Cowan on how the A1 – A2 factor explains why even raw milk sometimes does not seem to be enough of an improvement over “store-bought” | The Bovine

You cannot sell holstein milk in France...they won't buy it..."It makes lousy milk, and it makes lousy cheese.".

All in all, if I had a choice of pasteurized Jersey, or raw holstein, I would go for the Jersey! Luckily, the locally available raw milk is from a Jersey herd.

Someone in Tillamook county should tell the farmers about the Holsteins. Thousands of the buggers there, supplying the Tillamook cheese factory and most grocery stores in Oregon.

There used to be a joke among dairymen that a Jersey herdsman keeps a Holstein around to rinse the hoses.

my input. there is a significant amount of placebo effect that goes on with consuming raw milk. Also, when people are making these kinds of choices they often make other health choices that are in a positive direction; and by that I mean choices that have well documented health benefits. this complicates any possibility of determining if the "health benefits" are from raw milk, placebo effect, or an overall change in lifestyle (concious or not).

The "health benefits" that many people experience from drinking their own home grown milk, or researching, finding, and drinking raw milk could very well be attributed to the increase in activity and psychological factors associated with having a pleasant activity that they feel is meaningful, rather than the actual milk...and that is cool....but not an advertisement for the health benefits of raw milk, only an advertisment for finding something that you dig and going after it for the emotional benefit.

I drink milk from my own dairy goats, and I drink it raw. I do not think that there is substantial difference in my health aside from the satisfaction I get from the pursuit of dairying. the differences in actual measurable nutrition value between milk that is raw and milk that is pasteurized is neglible (but measurable) if the animals are raised/fed in nearly identical conditions. The question becomes is it worth it. I do consider the difference in fat profile of milk and meat from grass fed and traditionally fed animals to be significant enough to me to be worthwhile.


if you are in financial straits, you could probably be making alot of other, less expensive choices that are more likely to have a measurable impact on your health and well being. Just my two cents!

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A mystery is not an explanation..... on the contrary....no sooner is a myth forged than, in order to stand it needs another myth to support it.

$17 Is alot of money for milk.
I pay $7.50 a gallon, and I drive almost 30 minuts to the farm. { Grass fed Jersey's}. I get 3 gallons a week, plus yogurt.
Everyone thinks I am crazy for spending that much, and driving that far.
We had goats and noticed an difference in allergies when drinking there milk. Now that we are on cows milk my husband swears his allergies are gone still. I feel I get allergies occasionaly but not bad. Goats eat the actual weeds that your allergic to where cows will leave them behind and just eat grass. Though I hope for the preventative measures over time will be good for us! You definetly have to drink it for a few months before seeing a difference.

I heard that with a pail of Holstein milk, you could drop a dime in it and tell if it landed heads or tails.

I spoke with a former dairyman in Western TN who said he ran 1/2 Jersey (for the cream) and 1/2 Holstein. Ran a Angus cow with the herd to catch those not AI-ed. He said he always had a good market for his either 1/2 Jersey/1/2 Angus or 1/2 Holstein/1/2 half Angus calves.

He had the knack for grafting calves on nurse cows.

We have been drinking our own raw Jersey milk for about 1.5 months. I, personally, have not seen any changes, with the exception of my shorts getting a bit tight! Dang it. Still have allergies and mild rosacea. Who knows, maybe things will change over the course of a year?

I would barter some 1/2 gallon jars for milk if you were closer.

Don't know about milk, but cottage cheese will last for quite a while if put in refrigerator with lid down.

Part of keeping milk fresher longer seems to be keep it chilled in supermarket purchased or chill as quickly as possible after milking.

I get it for $4 a gallon and have to provide the container.

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Terri