It's OK... I'll get the milk !!
I try not to take things for granted, but am perplexed when I read in some posts about the high status given to grass fed cows, the horror of additives in milk etc....this is strange to me as all our cows are grass fed in New Zealand. Yes there are times when Silage and hay and other supplementary feed is used (usually in winter or in droughts) but generally, we have paddocks for our stock. So I thought I'd share about something as simple as me going to get a bottle of milk.
Although there seems to be some debate over Raw Milk, I personally love it. So I thought I'd show you how I get my milk.
Just on the outskirts of our Suburb, a mere 10 minutes away from my home, is a little farm called Walnut Tree farm.
It makes for some juggling on the farmers behalf, ensuring there are enough cows to milk year round, as typically the herd is "dried off" over winter. The cows are bought in daily for milking, usually about 8-10 of them.
From the milking shed, it goes straight to the vat and mixed constantly under very chilled conditions. From there it is directly fed into the dispensing machine and into my bottle.
Strict regulations have been bought in by our Government to ensure the safest possible handling of Raw milk to the consumer. Test are carried out daily on the batches of milk and very strict hygiene measures are taken at all times. A register is also required to be filled out every time you make a purchase, so that in the event anything IS wrong, all those concerned can be contacted. All that aside, if you had any doubts about consuming raw milk, it can be heated to 70°c for a minute, it is now pasteurized. (kinda defeats the purpose?)
A lot of cheese makers require raw milk and I have made my very first batch of cheese with it, Holumi,(?) it was awesome!
That's great - I didn't realise you were into raw milk too - we are a raw milk pick up point from our porch.
I wouldn't touch pasteurised milk with a 10 foot pole, but Fontera have some serious clout when it comes to making bogus regulations... (all those strict regulations are about protecting Fontera's profit margins)
http://www.frot.co.nz/design/real-milk/
Oh wow, you dont have to go far then! Yes, I will always try to support the little guy. They face an uphill battle with Giants like Fontera. Thanks for the comment
Great post! We drink raw goat's milk from our own goats. Here in the US you never know what is in your food, what hormones or antibiotics were injected. Even cut meat can be injected with preservatives. Our chickens are free range and produce almost orange eggs compared to light yellow or even white eggs that you would buy in a store. It is awesome that you have easy access to truly healthy food!
I love goats milk! Yes, you really have to stop and think about what is actually going into your body. Great you have your own goats they are expert escape artists!!
Ha they were experts until we got an electric fence.
What a great way to get milk, and see the cows you are drinking from at the same time! It looks like a fun adventure to get the milk, I might have to try it myself. Thanks for once again sharing an interesting insight into your world!
Your so kind with your comments! Thank you.
All the right ways! You are fortunate here in the U.S. They have made the sale of raw milk illegal. I believe everywhere. There are still some cows that are raised on grass but most of those also receive supplemental feed to get them as fat as possible as fast as possible to get them to the slaughter house.
Very nice post!
Thank you so much for such a great comment @anothervoice. I value your input alot