Home pasteurization?

[celestialdreamer]

I know this sounds like a crazy title to put in the TF forum, but I put it here for a reason I promise We have found a great source for raw goat's milk and we are looking forward to trying some out for our family.

I'm thinking I probably need to pasteurize a portion for my almost 4yo son because he has a serious autoimmune kidney disorder and is currently immunosuppressed from high dose steroid medication. He is in the process of a very slow wean off the meds (it will take months) and if he is doing well after that for awhile with no relapses, I plan to give him the raw milk then. It is from a very clean source, this person is currently giving some of this same goat milk to her newborn so she is *extremely* clean about it from what I've heard. He is just at very high risk of infection, even from normal organisms so raw milk is probably not safe for him at this time. We are currently following our own version of the GAPS/SCD diet and he's doing really well with it. We hope that it will help resolve his underlying gut/immune issues that caused him to be ill in the first palce.

I'd like to find out how to gently pasteurize the milk at home for him, if anyone can give me a good link or info I would appreciate it. I figure pastured local goats milk that is pasteurized at home is WAY better than the storebought UHT stuff.

[FiberLover]

Yep, much better still!

Get a good thermometer that starts low, a dairy thermometer is best.

Put milk on the stove, gradually heat to 140. Turn off heat, cover. Keep covered for 30 min. Voila! Pasturized milk . But not UHT.

I pasturize some raw milk for certain cheese making where it is safer...

[celestialdreamer]

Thanks! Any idea where I could locate a dairy thermometer? I'm picking up our first quart tomorrow to try, I'm really excited

[FiberLover]

Originally Posted by celestialdreamer

Thanks! Any idea where I could locate a dairy thermometer? I'm picking up our first quart tomorrow to try, I'm really excited

www.cheesemaking.com

Locally, they might be hard to find, most thermometers don't go low enough with small enough temp gradations IME.

[Ammaarah]

It would be smart to sterilize whatever container you keep your son's milk in, as well as pasteurizing his milk. There are a few methods you can use, or you can use your dishwasher's sterilization cycle if you have hot enough water. Otherwise, boiling the jar for 15 minutes will do it.

[celestialdreamer]

Originally Posted by Ammaarah

It would be smart to sterilize whatever container you keep your son's milk in, as well as pasteurizing his milk. There are a few methods you can use, or you can use your dishwasher's sterilization cycle if you have hot enough water. Otherwise, boiling the jar for 15 minutes will do it.

I do actually always run the dishwasher on "sanitary" because of him. It is so weird to have gone from being fairly against anything anti-bacterial and keeping things too sterile in a home, to having having to be so vigilant in keeping him safe from germs. I might just boil the jar for his milk to be on the safe side even though everything gets the sanitary cycle.

We've also avoided all homemade ferments for him (except for some coconut yogurt) and stuck to storebought probiotics only to err on the side of caution. I really look forward to when he is able to have raw milk and ferments safely, as I know they will be very beneficial to his long term healing.