How do you consume your raw cows milk??

[1love4ever]

Up til now we have been getting/drinking raw goats milk.  Goats milk does not separate into milk and cream, so that is what I am used to.  Today we got some raw cows milk for the first time, and of course there was about 2 and a half inches of cream on top.  The lady who delivered it to me said that she scrapes the cream off the top before drinking it so its not so fattenting.  I dont really believe in low fat diets so I dont really care about that, I am just wondering what everyone else does.  Do you scrape it off, and if so what do you do with the cream? (I dont have a lot of time to dedicate to making my own dairy products, but can do a little given some very detailed info)  Or do you just shake it up so it mixes in and drink it?  From the time the cow is milked, how long does it stay good for in the fridge?

Also, the milk is yellow which I have heard is because the cow is grass fed.  The goats that produced the milk that I used to get were grass fed as well, and they got some alfalfa pellets too, and the milk was white.  Just wondering if anyone has a comment on this!

DD seems to prefer the cows milk.  She has never had any other milk except breastmilk and goats milk, so its not because she is just used to cows milk(like me. I could not get used to the taste of goats milk).  Anyway, thanks in advance!  Any comments on the subject are welcome!!

[gypsymama2008]

Hmmm, I wouldn't call myself an expert on raw milk, especially raw cows milk but I've been researching it lately.  What a lot of people do is take the cream off the top and make it into butter, that's what the families I know who get raw milk do.  Here is a link about how to make it: raw butter.  I've heard raw milk can last at least a week after milking, probably longer.  I wish I had more info for you, hopefully when we start getting our own raw milk in a few weeks I'll know more :)

[ljc]

We either skim some of the cream and make butter or shake it in and drink up:)

[Contented73]

I usually buy three gallons of raw cows milk a week.  Because it takes a good 24 hours of stillness for the cream to totally separate, the first gallon we just open and start drinking.  The next day or two, I pour the cream off the second (and later third) gallon into a small jar.  DH and I use this in our coffee (yuummmmmmmMEEE!).   Usually I only get about 2/3 of the cream off the top (I don't use any special cream separator, so it is not perfect) and obviously the remaining cream we just shake into the milk each time we pour the milk to drink.  In my opinion, there is not really enough cream from just one or two gallons of milk to make a decent amount of butter, so that's how I justify our creamy-coffee habit.  If there is some cream leftover each week, I use it up in pancakes/baked goods/sauces/eggs, etc.  In my experience, if you get your milk the day the cow was milked, then take it right home and refrigerate, it will not start to sour for a good 10-14 days, especially if it remains unopened.  Remember, too, that once it starts to sour you can still drink it, although it tastes different and you might not like it.  I use my soured milk (if my milk ever lasts this long, lol) for baking pretty much anything that calls for buttermilk, milk, whey or yogurt.

[~Amy~]

We just shake and drink. I don't want to take any cream off because I want DS drinking whole milk. I purchase a quart of cream separately every week and use that for ice cream, coffee and butter. The farmer we buy from has a cream separator.