How do you consume your raw cows milk? (x-posted)

[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). 

Thanks in advance!  Any comments on the subject are welcome!! 

[Bantams]

I shake the cream in!  I can't stand skim milk, so I don't ever skim our drinking milk.  But the cream can be used for whipping, for coffee, for cooking/baking with, and for butter.  Yum!

With the leftover skim you could make a quick ricotta using citric acid.

Cow milk is yellowish because cows convert Vit A into beta-carotene.  But goats (and Ayrshire cattle) don't - the milk is always white, no matter what they are fed.  The color varies by breed - grassfed Holstein milk is usually whiter than non-grassfed Jersey milk.

Good raw milk should last 10 days.  I usually tell people that you can count on 7 days, usually 10, and if you store an unopened bottle properly, it might last 2 or more weeks.  I've found it takes 2-3 weeks for a bottle to sour, but after a week the taste starts to fade.

[1love4ever]

Thanks!  Thats what I have been thinking I will do is shake it in unless I have some other need for it at the time like whipped topping or a recipe that calls for cream.

[porcupine73]

I shake the cream in. Don't throw it out! Even if you didn't want to drink it, you can use it make excellent butter! I noticed a bit of a yellow color in some I just got, the lady said one of her cows had given birth recently and the milk was exceptionally rich in cream right now. mmmm good.

I usually drink it cultured, as clabber, yogurt, buttermilk, or kefir.

I've had the raw milk last two weeks in the fridge and still taste good. But I actually like it soured so I might just not notice any off taste. I keep my fridge just above freezing.

[1love4ever]

How do you make butter?  I have been shaking it in, I love it, so does DD:)   Thats pretty much the same as getting whole milk at the store right?  It is the milk with all the cream, none taken out?

[porcupine73]

I haven't tried making butter yet, but the easiest ways I've seen online to do it are to let the cream separate to the top of the milk, then siphon that off (or use a cream separator, which is basically a large jar with a spout at the bottom, so you can pour off the milk portion until all that is left is cream). Then put the cream into a blender or food processor and whip it until the butter and buttermilk are formed. Then you put that into a wooden bowl and press it with a spatula to work out the buttermilk. Then you can wash the butter with water (makes it keep longer) and that's about it. You can culture/ferment the cream first - that's the way I'm planning to do it when I try it.

[LCBMAX]

Maybe I'm too gentle with my raw milk... somehow I picked up the idea that I wasn't supposed to shake it, just gentle agitation to blend the cream in. Some delicate little beneficial thing in the milk can't handle a nice shake? Would love to know if anyone has a real fact to share on this.

Meanwhile, my answer is - gentle agitation and then cupfuls a day for me and my son.

[1love4ever]

I know you arent supposed to shake breastmilk because it can destroy something? in it, and I have always tried to be careful with my raw milk too as well:)

[CookAMH]

Originally Posted by 1love4ever 

I know you arent supposed to shake breastmilk because it can destroy something? in it, and I have always tried to be careful with my raw milk too as well:)

I have never heard of this and I feel I have read a good bit about nursing...

To the OP I shake our jug a couple times before pouring. Twice now I have brought a new gallon in from the garage while family was visiting and they cracked into it first to pour on their cereal...didn't know to shake and poured off all cream!