store bought raw milk-any good?

[kwiathellen]

I just bought a half gallon raw milk (pure jersey milk- claravale farm- that's what it says on the bottle). Can I just drink that or should I try to find a local source of raw milk.

Does anyone know where I would be able to find raw milk in the Bay Area, California??

[californiajenn]

It's what I used to buy when I lived in CA. I liked it better than OP.

[Magelet]

I think claravale is good stuff. It's not 100% grass-fed, but it's way better than organic pastures (the other brand you sometimes see at the store.)  (They are on pasture when it is ecologically viable to do so, and eat fresh grass, hay, and grain.  Their website has an interesting discussion of it. for them, it's partly about the taste, and partly about not irrigating)

Your only other option for raw milk in California is a quasi illegalish herd share.  There are some farmers with herdshares in petaluma I think.  I've had some of two farmer's, and both were the most amazing milk I've ever tasted, and run price-wise about the same as claravale.  They are legally run in that you own part of the cow, and pay the farmer to take care of your share of the cow, and then you get some of "your" milk.  I don't know how legal it is.  The local WAPF chapter might know of some herd shares.

[velcromom]

I wouldn't hesitate to use store - bought raw while you look for  a local source. OP is grassfed too, and I don't think Claravale is available in some places - it's worth asking about where you shop, though, often a store will try to order a requested product.

[maudi]

Claravale is not organic, they are grassfed cows but if need be, they can be given antibiotics. I like both Claravale and Organic Pastures. The plus about Claravale is that it comes in glass bottles whereas, OP comes in plastic. You can purchase both in the Bay Area.

[Bantams]

When I compared both of these milks (from glass bottles) years ago, I thought the Claravale tasted much better.

Now OP bottles in plastic, which totally destroys the taste of raw milk. 

[kwiathellen]

Thanks fo your responses everyone! We keep buying Claravale Farm milk while I'm trying to find a local source of raw milk:)