[oneKnight]

I always thought that "regular" storebought milk smelled and tasted like soured white colored water. I wouldn't drink it at all but DH did.

We switched to Organic Valley brand, it didn't say homogenized and didn't appear to be, but it didn't separate out very much either. It was thickish and tasted so good that DH and I drank it from the jug as soon as we got to the car. It costs about $6.50/gal here.

This past week they were out of OV brand, so I bought another more-local brand. It's a lot different! It doesn't say homogenized either and it DOES separate out a LOT. There is a thick layer of almost-butter cream on top (I suppose from shipping) and it makes a cream line on the side of the bottle as we use it. I took some of the thick cream and made butter in my hand the first night we got it. It was light yellow, which is encouraging to me since it indicates the cows eat well. DH thinks it smells kindof sour and he doesn't like the taste of it. I agree it smells and tastes different but not really sour and it tastes good. It's closer to $6/gal. It seems like this is probably what grass fed milk tastes like, but since DH grew up on that nasty stuff he thinks this tastes weird

I was just wowed at the difference, especially since OV is supposed to rate pretty good as far as milk goes. I would be tempted to buy the local, creamier (and cheaper) milk all the time except that DH doesn't seem to like it

Hmm, perhaps I see 2 kinds of milk in the fridge from now on? lol

 

[JElaineB]

Was the Organic Valley in a gallon jug (sounds like it) or in a half gallon carton? The gallon jug is pastuerized and homogenized. The half gallon cartons are homogenized and may be ultra-pastuerized (which is bad).The local milk you bought is not homogenized. Assuming it is also organic it is probably better than the Organic Valley since it is not homogenized. It may also be vat pasteruized (which is better than regular pasteruized) and grass-fed, hard to say without looking at the label. What brand is it? Maybe someone here is familiar with that brand.

Keep in mind milk is a natural product and the taste/appearance will vary with what the animals are fed. I would recommend that if you buy the local milk again to shake it vigorously to return the cream to the milk rather than to make butter from it. You essentially are comparing whole Organic Valley milk to skim local milk if you get rid of the cream off the top, so of course the Organic Valley will taste richer. I try to shake my milk every day when it is sitting in the fridge so the cream stays in the milk and doesn't form such a thick clot at the top, but if the clotted cream does form I shake it back in as best as I can.

ETA: It looks like Organic Valley does have a non-homogenized whole milk in half-gallon jugs, but it is clearly labeled as such:

http://organicvalley.coop/products_r...62&cat=1&sub=5

If that is what you got then I would say it would probably be as good as the local milk.

 

[oneKnight]

ah I see our OV milk did NOT say homogenized on the sticker but it didn't say 'cream on top' either. FWIW it's definately NOT the same info listed on their website. Ours said milk and vit D3 that was it. No Vitamin A Palmitate which is listed on the site here. So perhaps it varies a little.
We always avoid the ultra pasturized, I know that's bad!

This new stuff is from mountain Springs Creamery in Marshall, AR, it even gives an address on the same highway as the lake we often visit (except probably 2 hours north of here). It doesn't say organic though

In fact, it doesn't say much of anything except "Creamline Milk: grade A pasturized ingredients: milk with vit D3 added, creamery address, barcode, sell by date and nutrition info"
I am not making butter out of it, or separating it on purpose - but there is already butter made in the top of the jug which I suppose is from shipping. It doesn't re-mix in it just breaks up into smaller chunks and it's hard to get out because a spoon won't fit in the top of the jug. When I fished it out on my hand it was greasy and hard to wash off. Definately butter.
There is still some cream left in solution in the milk because it settles on top as it sits in the fridge and I just shake it back in to drink.

 

[oneKnight]

This must be really really really creamy milk. I made some cultured buttermilk and it turned out thick almost like sour cream instead! I added it to mashed potatoes with a spoon!

I just started straining the drinking milk through a small strainer to get the butter chunks out