I'm buying a cow!
I finally found a farm about half an hour away where I can get raw milk. Since it's illegal to sell raw milk in Ohio, what they do is called a herd share or cow share program. There is a one time fee of $60 which buys me 1/20 of a cow, then a $22 a month fee for the board and care of the cow (I don't get to bring my 1/2 of it home with me).
It is perfectly legal to drink raw milk from your own cow, so the farmer dude will milk the cow daily and all the people that own a share of the cow get one gallon of milk a week.
I am purchasing my cow one day next week. I'll get to see the cow at that time. I want to pet her. And I will take a picture. So if I ever figure out how to post pics here, I'll post one.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
What are the benefits to raw milk? Why do you want it? How will you get the milk, do you go pick it up? I understand that raw milk doesn't last very long, so how are you going to use a whole gallon in just a day or so?
The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me. ~ Ayn Rand
I do believe there are some health benefits to raw milk, too. For instance, milk is supposed to contain some "good bacteria," just like yogurt does. Pateurizing the milk kills that bacteria. It also destroys some of the enzymes in the milk. Many people that are lactose intolerant can actually drink raw milk because it contains plenty of lactase, the enzyme that helps you digest lactose. Pasteurizing milk kills the lactase, though.
Yes, I will have to go get it once a week. He told me there are some other people that own part of a cow that live near me and that they sometimes take turns going to get their milk. So I might pick up mine and someone else's and deliver it to their home near mine one week, and then they would deliver mine the next week. And I have to have my own container to put it in, the farmers don't bottle it.
It doesn't last as long as pasteurized milk, at least that's what I've heard too. It should keep for a couple days, though. I will have to take a cooler with ice when I pick it up because it can't keep outside a fridge as long as pasteurized milk, either. A 30 minute drive is too long for it to be out.
I'm going to make a lot of yogurt and I'm also going to make butter. I don't drink a lot of milk myself, though my partner sometimes eats it on cereal. So he will need to eat cereal for breakfast on the days we have milk. And if I plan to do any cooking or baking that uses milk, I'll just do it on those few days. But a good deal of it is going to become yogurt because I love yogurt and eat a ton of it.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
I like the idea of buying a portion of my own cow. I think that is awesome.
Thanks for sharing your experience and I look forward to hearing more about your foray into dairy farming.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
That is awesome! My husband's grandparents opperated a dairy farm before they passed away. I loved visiting them, but secretly my favorite part was the raw milk! I am lactose intolerant and can't handle pasturized milk, but for whatever reason, I never had a problem with raw milk. And its oh so yummy! I should see if there is something like that in our area!
You are in Minnesota? I bet they have herd shares there. You got lots of cows in Minnesota, don't you?
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
