Raw Milk

According to WAP Foundation raw milk is a superfood, it is a traditional food that was in most peoples diets until the past hundred years or so. Supposedly cow colostrum contains some of the same antibodies that humans produce so it can be used as an antiviral when someone starts feeling sick.
Who here drinks raw milk? Do you have your own dairy animal or do you buy it? If you buy milk do you have a cow or goat share, buy directly from a farmer? For those of you with your own dairy animal, did you drink raw milk before getting your first dairy animal?
What health improvements have you seen in yourself since switching to raw milk? How do you address nay sayers who think it is not safe to drink real milk?
Have you ever had bovine colostrum? Did you notice a faster healing process when you did?

Been drinking raw milk for almost 15 years.  Purchase direct from local grass-based farmers. Also consume raw milk cheese.   Run a buying club that has made it available for almost 15 years (Louisville Whole Life Buying Club).  Seen amazing health improvements for many people on raw milk (our club has helped around 2000 people access it over those 15 years).  Just one part of my healing from seasonal allergies so bad that Benedryl sent me free stock options, duodenal ulcers, and constant other illnesses and issues.  

Per safety, there is really good data at the Real Milk website, compiled by a number of professors and researchers.  

I got my own dairy Sheep. It was scary at first because of all the bad information out there. Was never a milk drinker until I got the sheep. Raw milk is delicious as are all the foods you can make with it. The most noticeable thing was clearing up digestive issues and joints feeling better.
Great excuse to have sheep but it is a lot of work, time and expense.

I all but gave up milk 30 years ago, when I moved away from my 'raw' source.  But just last year, a young man I know took the lead at his parents farm which is just around the bend from me, and he formed a food freedom club.  His invitation included "grant me the simple ability to freely choose the food I eat and the ability to freely choose where it comes from, without government oversight and interference. I don't wish for the USDA to be abolished, I reasonably and politely ask that I, and everyone who wishes to, can opt-out of the USDA's "protection of the public" and exercise what I would confidently call the most basic and uncomplicated human right. Freedom of food choice."  I'm in, and raw milk is back in my diet.  (btw, my young friend just returned from the Rogue conference, VERY energized and excited:  "What John Moody said Saturday is true, 'if there was ever a hill to die on, this is it.'"  It's sad we need to FIGHT for the right to choose what we feed our bodies, but we're fortunate there are those willing to lead the charge.  THANKS!!!)

JohnW Moody wrote:Been drinking raw milk for almost 15 years.  Purchase direct from local grass-based farmers. Also consume raw milk cheese.   Run a buying club that has made it available for almost 15 years (Louisville Whole Life Buying Club).  Seen amazing health improvements for many people on raw milk (our club has helped around 2000 people access it over those 15 years).  Just one part of my healing from seasonal allergies so bad that Benedryl sent me free stock options, duodenal ulcers, and constant other illnesses and issues.  

Aside from a few transitional times in my life I've only drank raw milk. When my oldest kid first had store bought milk, they looked at me and said 'Mama why does my milk taste like corn?' I couldn't taste it but it did not have the flavor or texture of real milk! It's wonderful to hear how real milk helped you heal several issues you have encountered! Do you prefer cows or goats to keep and/or their milk?

Kris schulenburg wrote:I got my own dairy Sheep. It was scary at first because of all the bad information out there. Was never a milk drinker until I got the sheep. Raw milk is delicious as are all the foods you can make with it. The most noticeable thing was clearing up digestive issues and joints feeling better.
Great excuse to have sheep but it is a lot of work, time and expense.

Wow! That must be a lot of work. I have only known one person in real life to keep dairy sheep. I think the variety was Fresians, they were also good for their wool. Do you keep your sheep for dual purposes or only milk? Do you mind my asking why sheep and not goats?

We have had milk cows for about 19 years. I was the primary milker of the family cows in my teen years. My favorite of all the types? Of course, the jersey!

I noticed that when I had to drink store milk, that I quickly gained weight & my stomach hurt badly, like I wanted to die. The stuff tastes like it was overheated & like plastic. It is nothing like raw milk. I have learned since that there is a lot that changes the milk composition from the start, by choice of dairy feed supplements (milk is ruined already right here), all the way through the processing, to the store. I will never drink it again. Raw only is the way to go...and it is certainly financially worth having your own animal. There is so very much you can make with the raw milk that saves money.

As far as naysayers, I just let them be. They will most likely never understand. I know what works. They really don't know what they are missing.

I have known a few people who could not drink the conventional stuff be able to drink raw with no issues.

As far as colostrum, some cultures eat it as a pudding. We tried the stuff as is and tried the pudding. It is very powerful, both medicinally & in flavor. It has the worst flavor in our opinion. BUT it is regularly used to save calves that lost their mother's, and we have seen it extend a dying dog's life (from totally down & almost limp to running around), kittens who would have died within hours to the pudgiest, strong little furballs. The egg and other things we tried didn't match the colostrum's power. It is certainly a miracle-laden superfood.

If I had to use it for myself, I don't know if I could bear to taste it...but it makes me wonder what aches & pains might disappear if I could.

I make raw milk into raw yogurt instead of consuming it as a liquid.

I'm not a "milk drinker" person. I feel weird drinking milk by itself for some reason... maybe I'm broken.  But I love yogurt.  I use a crock pot and temperature controller to keep the temperature at 120°F, high enough for the yogurt cultures to work but hopefully not high enough to kill the beneficial organisms in raw milk.  I suppose you could also use the low temperature yogurt cultures but they don't make a nice, thick yogurt in the end.

I make raw milk kefir, my wife drinks the milk as is. We get it by the gallon from a regional small farm that milks two pastured Jerseys. We also buy raw butter from them too when they have it. We've been doing this for 6 or 7 years now. Since my wife and I now have some land and are starting a small farm of our own, we plan to milk our own cows/goats in the near future.

Gail Jardin wrote: How do you address nay sayers who think it is not safe to drink real milk?

If it does come up in conversation, I agree with them that I would never drink milk raw from a commercial or confinement dairy operation. I do my best to explain that cows mammaries are not de facto contaminated with pathogens and fresh milk is safe, and that any contamination results from infection through external contact from environments such as unsanitary living conditions or unhygienic handling & packaging processes.

Ben Veenema wrote:I make raw milk into raw yogurt instead of consuming it as a liquid.

I'm not a "milk drinker" person. I feel weird drinking milk by itself for some reason... maybe I'm broken.  But I love yogurt.  I use a crock pot and temperature controller to keep the temperature at 120°F, high enough for the yogurt cultures to work but hopefully not high enough to kill the beneficial organisms in raw milk.  I suppose you could also use the low temperature yogurt cultures but they don't make a nice, thick yogurt in the end.

What strains of yogurt do you make? I have recently discovered counter cultures like villi, flimjolk, pima and matsoni. I am wondering if the good bacteria in the raw milk will compete with the strains of bacteria or not? I may try heating up the milk then cooling it just to be sure it wont. But then that kind of defeats the purpose of having a room temperature culture where I don't need to heat up the milk.

Laurie Kroeker wrote:

As far as colostrum, some cultures eat it as a pudding. We tried the stuff as is and tried the pudding. It is very powerful, both medicinally & in flavor. It has the worst flavor in our opinion. BUT it is regularly used to save calves that lost their mother's, and we have seen it extend a dying dog's life (from totally down & almost limp to running around), kittens who would have died within hours to the pudgiest, strong little furballs. The egg and other things we tried didn't match the colostrum's power. It is certainly a miracle-laden superfood.

If I had to use it for myself, I don't know if I could bear to taste it...but it makes me wonder what aches & pains might disappear if I could.

Wow! Thanks for the anecdotal evidence about the healing power of bovine colostrum! I wonder if it were mixed half and half with raw honey it would be palatable while ill.

Ben Veenema wrote:I make raw milk into raw yogurt instead of consuming it as a liquid.

I'm not a "milk drinker" person. I feel weird drinking milk by itself for some reason... maybe I'm broken.  But I love yogurt.  I use a crock pot and temperature controller to keep the temperature at 120°F, high enough for the yogurt cultures to work but hopefully not high enough to kill the beneficial organisms in raw milk.  I suppose you could also use the low temperature yogurt cultures but they don't make a nice, thick yogurt in the end.

Ours is cultured at 110°F. One gallon of milk warmed (preferably still warm from the cow...it speeds up the heating), yogurt culture added & whisked in, put in the jar, wrapped 2 huge fluffy towels, and set in a warm place for 8 hours. Temp @ 120°F sounds a bit high. I get my best results at 110.

We get a raw milk share from a local farming family.  Ownership changed recently and the new owners are getting the milk tested regularly, which is nice I suppose but we never had any problems.  We've been drinking raw milk pretty much exclusively for a couple years now.  I've helped with the milking.  The milk comes out of the cow into the bucket, goes through a strainer and directly into jars which go into ice chests.

People who think that factory-produced animal products are safer than what you get from a local farmer you can drop by and visit any time you want, and who feeds the same food to their own family - those people are victims of a well-funded lie.

Wow! That must be a lot of work. I have only known one person in real life to keep dairy sheep. I think the variety was Fresians, they were also good for their wool. Do you keep your sheep for dual purposes or only milk? Do you mind my asking why sheep and not goats?
I am recently learning to do things with their wool which is an awesome adventure.
I got the sheep because my husband wouldn’t let me have a cow. Lol. Sheep’s milk has about 2x the solids of goat or cows milk so you get about 2lbs of cheese per gallon instead of one. It also freezes well and will still make cheese after being frozen. Also sheep are supposed to be easier to keep contained than goats. My sheep are Icelandic x Freisian.

Gail Jardin wrote:What strains of yogurt do you make? I have recently discovered counter cultures like villi, flimjolk, pima and matsoni.

I actually just use grocery store, plain, greek yogurt as a starter.  I make sure there's no extra nasties in it and dump a few tablespoons into a gallon or so of raw milk.

I've wanted to try getting specific cultures and discovering the best one for me, but it's just so easy to grab a small yogurt container from the store and I've always been happy with the results.

Laurie Kroeker wrote:Ours is cultured at 110°F.

I'll have to give it a go at 110°F again. I used this before I learned about post culture processing, like straining and didn't like the results. Now that I have a more refined process it's probably worth revisiting.