Freezing raw milk - Vol 2

[keepitlow]

I'm male, so hope men are welcome. Found this forum from a search on 'freezing raw milk.' Sorry they closed the original tread, good advice in it,

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=563247

Who would ever have thought finding real, honest food would be so tough nowadays. I have to drive 125 miles to buy raw milk and grass fed beef. If I don't get lost, I can make the round trip in just under 3 hours.

As far as costs?

Raw milk cost $9.60 a gal. Grass fed beef for stew, cheapest cut of top round is $8 a pound. Don't forget to tack on the $22 gas for the car.

I had a few questions from the old thread.

When making kefir doesn't the raw milk have to be pasteurized like it is with yogurt? If so, what would be the big deal with buying raw milk? Why not just buy organic pasteurized milk if your going to cook it?

Now, if your raw milk is from grass fed cows, then the omega 3 should be there. So they don't have to add algae oil as they do with organic grain fed pasteurized milk they sell in the supermarkets. So this may be a reason to seek out raw milk from grass fed cows to make into fermented milk products.

As far as the separation of fat when freezing? If you shake the product for a few minutes, is the fat still separated? Or will only blending with power machines do the job of homogenizing?

And drinking sour raw milk? How would one know when it is going to cause stomach problems from getting too sour?


Thanks

[krankedyann]

NO, you don't have to pasteurize to do kefir. I don't know anyone who does.

We pour some out of the jug, shake it really well, then pop in the freezer. When it thaws, we shake it as often as we walk by it. Then we give it a wuick whizz with a hand blender once it's thawed.

Drinking soured milk is a personal preference. I can handle it much more sour than most people, and it doesn't bother my stomach at all.

[keepitlow]

Kefir must be strong stuff. If I put yogurt in un-sterilized milk nothing happens

Will have to give it a try.

[mamadelbosque]

youcan make raw milk yogurt too some culture dont require heating or not to high temps

[Razmatazz]

kefir is absolutely fine in raw milk - some yogurt cultures dont last too long in raw milk or don't propagate because the bacteria in raw milk compete with the yogurt culture, but kefir does just fine in raw milk.
Not sure about your freezing raw milk question as i don't freeze milk (except buffalo milk which has smaller fat particles, so there isnt a problem with clumping fat).
Sour milk is perfectly safe to drink, it is acidic which prevents growth of pathogenic bacteria. I've made kefir and kept it in the fridge for weeks with the grains still there, continually souring the milk, and it was absolutely fine - nice and tangy and i didnt get any stomach upset. In fact the really sour kefir improved my digestive health because i distinctly remember feeling really good after consuming it.