Hi All,
I live in a state where it is illegal to sell raw dairy to the public. I recently posted that I became a share owner in a farm and I’m now able to obtain local "real" dairy on a regular basis and another member asked me to share how I went about it. Credit goes to Mercola.com for introducing me to information about the health benefits, learning about the Weston A. Price Foundation and the foundation’s project “A Campaign for Real Milk”. I’ve been using the WAPF Nourishing Traditions cookbook to learn how to get the most nutrients from my foods, and have been making broths and other goodies for over a year now but I had continued to use pasteurized dairy, mainly because it seemed like a bit of a project to obtain raw.
Earlier this year, I decided to take time to address some lingering health issues. Along with adopting the Mercola nutritional plan, I had an IgG ELISA test done that indicated that my body reacted to Cow’s Milk, Yogurt, and Cottage Cheese. A bummer considering my new diet! I did not react to swiss or cheddar cheeses though. Through some digging I learned that one of the differences in the first 3 foods from the last 2 is the lactose content. Aged cheeses have much less of it, if any, than the other 3. I also learned that pasteurization removes component(s) in milk products that help the body digest lactose. I went a step further and contacted the lab where the tests were done, and they confirmed that these were indeed all pasteurized versions of these foods. So I strongly suspected that the real issue to be the way these products are prepared/processed. (Note that casein allergy is different but that since I had no reaction to cheese felt that casein was not the issue). Nonetheless, I did eliminate these foods from my diet for almost 3 months and when I was ready to reintroduce diary, I intended to do it with real dairy.
First, I ordered enough “pet food” (read about the Pet Food label on their website) from Organic Pastures in California (link below) and had it shipped to me. After a couple weeks use with no adverse reactions from my cats J, I decided to continue my search locally. Next, I went to the Campaign for Real Milk site, a project of the Weston A. Price Foundation. On the web site, there is a list of farms by state/country (link below). From there, I located a farm near me, made a phone call, went to the farm, became a share owner for a small fee, and obtained my dairy all in the same day. It was all very impressive, including the story of how the farm share became established and what these people have accomplished in a few years. The share owner programs may vary from state to state and even from farm to farm.
It’s been about a month now and I have had no digestive issues due to real dairy and it tastes great. Because I am a protein type I culture the milk first to reduce the carbs (also reduces lactose), and then I make cheese out of it, I also use cream and cultured butter, both also low in carbs and lactose.
organicpastures.com
Where can I find real milk
WAPF
Recent Mercola Raw Milk Article
EatWild.com – another source for obtaining pasture raised meats locally
Sorry - my hyperlinks didn't work in the previous post - here they are
http://www.organicpastures.com/
http://www.realmilk.com/where.html
http://wss.nourishingconnections.org/Site%20Files/homeWAPF.aspx
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/08/10/the-raw-milk-debate-reaches-the-new-york-times-and-the-washington-post.aspx
http://www.eatwild.com/
Very well researched article 12P Street, I raise my own dairy goats and drink raw milk and make raw cheese. There are lot's of us out there that have unpasturized "PET" milk , some states however may require producers to add a dye to color the milk. Alway's go to the farm and check out the farm, look at the animal's,look at their barn area and ask questions ,we that raise goats are very picky about our stock,we all strive to raise the best of breeds to produce the best quality of milk and are eager to show and tell you about our animals. Spring is a great time to locate fresh milk as there is a large supply of milk due to doe's kidding . Raw unpasturized goat milk taste nothing like store bought goat milk, raw fresh milk has no off taste,no buck taste or whang and no odor and ...... Fresh raw milk should taste just like wonderful half&half !
Could you share your process/recipee for making the cheese? When you say you culture the milk before making the cheese, are you using yogurt culture or kefir culture (or either one?)
I have tried 1 recipee for cheese that adds the culture and rennit at the same time and lets it culture overnight. It sounds like you're saying you do the culture first then make the cheese.... Anyway.... could you send me the process?
Thanks!