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10/18/11, 06:13 PM
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In Remembrance
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Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: SW Mo.
Posts: 1,625
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Frozen goat milk...
While cleaning the freezer, I found 6-8 gallons of frozen goat milk from last year (10). Is there anything worthwhile I can do with it? Note: I have not had good luck with thawing goat milk as it separates into solids a whey. Is there a thawing secret?
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10/18/11, 07:28 PM
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More dharma, less drama.
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: Texas Coastal Bend/S. Missouri
Posts: 30,482
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The thawing secret is in the freezing process. You must freeze absolutely FRESH milk, right after straining it, right after milking. Then, it will thaw nicely.
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Alice
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"No great thing is created suddenly." ~Epictitus
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10/19/11, 12:09 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: N AL
Posts: 2,226
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LOL I ran across some old milk, too. Must not have frozen mine right (it was when I first got my goat) so when it thawed, it had a _very_ firm skin. Tossed it to the dogs with some other things I'd culled from the freezer. DH got very worried when our boer buckling ate the skin off something the dogs had LOL Said he tried to take it away but Bit just wouldn't let him have it! I didn't think I needed to tell him about the milk. Bit really hates not getting a bottle, I bet he did love it :-)
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10/19/11, 04:47 AM
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: oregon
Posts: 1,109
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I would turn it into curds for the dogs.
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10/19/11, 09:28 AM
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In Remembrance
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Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: SW Mo.
Posts: 1,625
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO
The thawing secret is in the freezing process. You must freeze absolutely FRESH milk, right after straining it, right after milking. Then, it will thaw nicely.
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It was always less than 30 min from goat to freezer. Strained, then into 1 gal. ziplocks and put into tupperware container so it comes out in a nice square block. The next day it is wrapped in 2 layers of newspaper (which make about 4 layers after wrapping). Don't know what else I can do? Open to suggestions.
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10/19/11, 09:52 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Utah
Posts: 2,164
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Could you take a stick blender to the thawed milk? I froze a bunch too before i found out about the separating. Could you strain the solids out and make butter? Has anyone tried this?
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10/19/11, 09:52 AM
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More dharma, less drama.
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: Texas Coastal Bend/S. Missouri
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Is your freezer a frost free type? Frost free units cycle through a warm phase that can damage milk. Better to keep milk in a NON frost free chest freezer.
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Alice
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"No great thing is created suddenly." ~Epictitus
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10/19/11, 01:47 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: central south dakota
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so, do you all freeze in ziplocks? hope this isn't a terrible hyjack...
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10/19/11, 02:18 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: NE Kansas
Posts: 1,019
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Never once has my frozen milk separated. There are only two reasons I can think of for this. First I have an old chest freezer with not defrost cycle. Second, I never put warm milk in the freezer, I always quick chill it first.
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10/19/11, 02:41 PM
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In Remembrance
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Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: SW Mo.
Posts: 1,625
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cmharris6002
Second, I never put warm milk in the freezer, I always quick chill it first.
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Hmmmm??!! That could be. Do you mean you put it in a freezer for a short period of time to chill it, then what? Really curious.
Alice: from the amount of frost it doesn't look to be frost free, but I'll check.
Chewie: Yeah, I'd like to know too. Maybe I'm doing something wrong.
Last edited by Batt; 10/19/11 at 02:45 PM.
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10/19/11, 03:12 PM
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More dharma, less drama.
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: Texas Coastal Bend/S. Missouri
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I used to use ziplocks, but now I use 1/2 gallon plastic jugs from Dahltech.
http://www.dahltechplastics.com/
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Alice
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"No great thing is created suddenly." ~Epictitus
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10/19/11, 04:32 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: NE Kansas
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I have a well chiller that cools my milk to 40F in 20min or less. But before I had the chiller I used ice water to chill the milk.
A quart of fresh milk placed in a freezer only makes it to around 66F in 30 min, 50Fin 60 min and 43F in 90 min. For the hour and a half that it takes to get the milk to temp it is causing a slight defrost to any frozen milk around it. It is the defrost-freeze cycle that causes the structure of the milk to break down in the freezer.
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10/19/11, 10:21 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: central south dakota
Posts: 4,096
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO
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what kind of cost does this come to? ziplocks are cheaper i'm sure, but sometimes something gauges a bag, and then that whole bag of milk has an off taste. eww. and then the problem of thawing it in something, freezing in something that it wont' get stuck in. blech, headaches.
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10/20/11, 07:58 AM
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More dharma, less drama.
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Join Date: May 2002
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The half gallon ones work out to less that 45 cents each, including lids. If you are selling milk (legal here in Missouri) it sure beats losing your half gallon glass jars to folks who don't return them.
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Alice
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"No great thing is created suddenly." ~Epictitus
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11/03/13, 10:41 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: central south dakota
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i realize this thread is old, but its what i was looking for. one more question tho....
is there a benefit to freezing half gallon, in the quality of the thawed milk, vs a full gallon? i'm done thowing out all that saved milk cuz the freezer bags make it taste bad!!
i seen on uline site, i could get 48 gallon jugs for a buck a piece, and that'd do us for 2 seasons. the half gallon jugs are about the same price. i would guess the smaller ones would freezer faster, and thaw faster. that'd be nice. but, most sites sell half gallon jugs by about 100 per case and the cost is therefore more.
just want to know what others do, so i can make a plan for winter milk. my old gal who never dries up, is, drying up. a quart a day, and i have some art shows to do, so getting the family to milk her (difficult to milk) is just not going to work out for that little bit. time to freeze some.
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11/03/13, 08:00 PM
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II Corinthians 5:7
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Virginia
Posts: 8,102
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I get around all that by condensing my milk first. Then freezing it. If I've condensed it "without" forming cuds, it defrosts smooth. If I've condensed it in such a way as to carmalize it, which I often do for cooking purposes, then it comes out rather thick; however, a quick stir reduces this.
I've also frozen fresh milk (without condensing it). I milk, strain, place in fridge for quick cool down and then pour into ziplocks. These do NOT come out thick when defrosted. (My freezer is not automatic defrost.)
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11/03/13, 10:52 PM
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le person
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Join Date: May 2003
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 6,236
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Condense, do you just cook it down? How much?
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11/04/13, 06:29 AM
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Katie
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Twining, Mi.
Posts: 19,930
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I add a 1/4 tsp. of baking soda to the gallon before freezing & our milk comes out of the freezer good.
I have bought the gallons online like Alice but I now save our Distilled water jugs & let them dry out then put the cap back on until I need 1.
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11/04/13, 06:21 PM
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Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 282
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My suggestion would be to make soap with it. 
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11/05/13, 07:47 PM
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II Corinthians 5:7
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Virginia
Posts: 8,102
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The way I condense my fresh goat milk depends on how I want to use it later. What I use for cooking is condensed a bit quicker as I want some curds in it. (Some I have carmalized and is....yummmmmy....for sweets.) What I want for fresh use later is condensed slowly. (Just slow heat it stirring frequently until it is about half gone. Then when you want to use it, add water to it...just like you would the canned milk you purchase in stores.)
Katie, I've not tried the Baking Soda but will to see if I like it when thawed.
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