raw milk questions

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

Hello...

How do you pasteurize milk? I know it's necessary to heat it to a certain temperature, but how long is it kept at that temp?

How long does fresh raw milk keep?

Does it keep just as long after pasteurization?

We now have an inexpensive source for raw milk (our beyond the sidewalks land cannot humanely or inexpensively support livestock) and we would like to learn to make cheese, butter, and yogurt safely.

Can anyone help?

Any suggestions would be welcome.

Thanks, Shannon Cooper

-- Shannon Cooper (myark@tri-lakes.net), July 05, 2001

Answers

You don't need to pasturize milk if you know the dairy is clean. We have been drinking unpasturized milk for years now. It will keep about 6 days in the fridge, but you can use sour milk in baking and yogurt making too. Look in the archives for recipes. Mary

-- Mary Fraley (kmfraley@orwell.net), July 05, 2001.

You heat it to 165 degrees, give it a big stir and then cool it quickly. The cooling, and straining before hand are the keys to keeping it from tasting cooked. Yes of course pasturised milk will stay longer the fridge because you have killed most of the bad bacteria that alters taste and makes it go bad. It also give you a more consistant base product for your cheese, yogurt, sour creme, etc. You will be making butter with raw cream, then pasturising the milk.

Good luck with this, their are tons of great books on using up your milk like this, also tons of good websites, mostly geared towards goats. You don't mention what species your milk will come from, but folks who mention butter usually aren't talking goats :) Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), July 05, 2001.


Please DO NOT pasteurize your milk for any reason. Pasteurized milk is one of the worst inventions of all times. Raw milk has the enzymes and whole fat molecules you need to stay healthy. Cooked fats of all kinds are robbed of their enzymes and are bad for your health.

Do not heat any of your milk, whether for drinking, cheese, or kefir. Yogurt may require heated milk. Don't do it. Instead make kefir using unheated, unpasteurized milk.

-- Rick7 (rick7@postmark.net`), July 05, 2001.


I wholeheartedly disagree, especially if you have children in the household. Why take a chance with unpasteurized?

-- athome (athome@home.com), July 05, 2001.

Rick are you talking about homogonizing or pasturization? And what exactly type of cheese you making without heating it? Just curious! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), July 05, 2001.


Thanks for your responses!

The main reason I wish to change to non-store purchased milk is that I have a son that is nearly old enough to start on cows milk. I want the very best for him. I will not take any chances with his health by not pasturizing.

The dairy is Amish run, though I haven't seen it yet, and can't vouch for the condition of the milking barns or cattle at this point. They do not give their cows hormones to aid/force them to giving more milk. The cows are grain and pasture fed and there are large tank trucks that come and pick up the milk a couple of times each week. I assume (but will ask to make certain) that the milk meets government standards (however poor or great)to be able to sell the milk. The cows are Gurnsey and Jersey.

More questions...

Did I understand correctly, pasturize the milk, but not the cream?

Why the difference? Is it the same for butter, cheese, and yogurt?

Are there medications that cows get that are harmful to humans?

What other questions should I ask the dairy?

Above all I wish to protect my family from harm.

Shannon

-- Shannon Cooper (myark@tri-lakes.net), July 05, 2001.


Here are a few links to information on raw milk: http://www.odomnet.com/rawmilk/index.html http://www.sumeria.net/health/price.htm http://lilipoh.com/issues/articles/rawmilk.htm

By the way, as far as making cheese from raw milk, how do you suppose the art of cheesemaking was invented and perfected? In Europe, cheeses made from raw milk are prized for their flavor and healthful qualities. I personally have made some really good Colby and Mozzarella from unpasteurised milk.

Here is a link about making cheese from unpasteurised milk, (and I am sure there are more articles out there if you would do a serch on "raw milk cheese":)

http://www.odomnet.com/rawmilk/article_raw_milk_and_cheese_production. htm

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), July 05, 2001.


As long as you are comfortable with the diary personel. Do they test their cows for Johnnes? Must they be TB and Brucelosis free in your area? Any chance for a visit to the farm to see the overall health of the stock. In goat dairies their are two types of places, clean sparkling places and nasty gross ones, and rarely are there ones inbetween. Someone who is proud of their stock, and especially with names, and hearing ages of the older cows. Having older stock of any animal still on the milk string, just about guarantees you some excellent herd health going on. Like all antibiotics, wormers etc. everything has a milk withdrawl, you would have to be allergic to the product for it to hurt you in the milk residue.

This is great that you even know about this, for your son. Though over the years we have indeed stopped pasturising our milk for ourselves, I don't recommend it, and didn't sell it, for young children, the sick or elderly. I also wouldn't purchase milk from somebody I didn't know personally, and feed it to a child, unpasturised! Good luck with this. Maybe one day some stock of your own will make this eaiser. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), July 06, 2001.


I would like to thank each of you that responded to my questions! I truly appreciate ALL of the opinions and help offered. It's wonderful to know that fellow countrysiders are there to help when needed.

Shannon

-- Shannon Cooper (myark@tri-lakes.net), July 06, 2001.


I guess I listened to my dairy extension father-in-law give his speech one too many times, but I did start pasteurizing and am glad of it. I have young children and I often take cheeses and other dairy products to church functions or club meetings. You never know when seemingly healthy people may have health conditions that weaken their immune systems. Also, this society is so into the anti- bacterial everything, that we've created both resistant bacteria and not very resistant immune systems. I bought a home pasteurizer and it takes very little time to run my milk through it. Read up on tuberculosis and brucellosis in humans and see what awful things they put up with before pasteurization.

-- Sheryl in Me (radams@sacoriver.net), July 06, 2001.


I just happened to find this file, its from the Breeders choics ezine. The topic is zootonic diseases. In a sec the article. i just want to throw my 2 cents in here, we don't pasturize milk for our own use, however, we do for sales. Even though we are Tb/BNruc free, certified and accredited and I am very clean about our milking practices, i still think its taking a risk not pasturizing milk to sell to strangers. Notice i said strangers. Folks who don't know you, etc. Anyhow, here is the information:

RAW MILK is milk which has not been pasteurized. Although raw milk from a healthy animal which has been properly cooled and handled might be safe, the list of disease agents which can be transmitted through unpasteurized milk includes viruses, bacteria, rickettsia, fungi, and protozoa. BRUCELLOSIS is caused by a bacteria, Brucella sp. which is shed in large numbers in the milk and placental membranes of infected cows, sheep and goats. Iin goats the mammary gland may become infected and severe mastitis result. The disease in man is disabling: recurrent fevers, infection of the bony spine and scoliosis, and infection of testes. Q FEVER is a disease of sheep and goats caused by a tiny, rickettsial organism. Placentas and birth fluids contain a high concentration of the infectious agent, as may milk. Avoid direct contact with the placenta or birth fluids. This organism may cause death in humans, although more common are flu-like symptoms. CONTAGIOUS ECTHYMA (ORF) causes mouth sores in sheep or goats. It can cause painful ulcers on the hands of humans who handle infected animals. TOXOPLASMOSIS is caused by a tiny, one celled parasite which can infect virtually all warm-blooded species and spread throughout the tissues of the body. The greatest threat is to pregnant females (women and other animals), since infection of the fetus may lead to abortion or severe birth defects. Many people and animals are infected at some time in their life but show no clinical disease and the organism stays dormant in body tissues. Should any animal abort, one should wear gloves to handle theplacenta and aborted tissues and be certain to wash hands thoroughly after removing the gloves. LEPTOSPIROSIS is a bacteria which may be transmitted to humans by the urine of infected animals of all species. The organism may also enter through minor skin lesions and probably via the conjunctiva. The disease in man ranges from inapparent infection to severe infection and death. Prevention includes early detection of the disease in the animals and personnel observing proper handwashing procedures. COLIBACILLOSIS The bacteria is shed in large numbers in the feces and humans may become infected by not washing hands well after handling manure from infected animals. Raw milk and undercooked meat products can also contain pathogenic strains. In humans, the enterotoxigenic strains may cause profuse and watery diarrhea, abdominal colic, vomiting, dehydration and death (remember the deaths due to undercooked hamburgers from Jack in the Box?). Prevention for humans includes: good handwashing procedures, not drinking raw milk or eating undercooked meat.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), July 07, 2001.


-- Vicki McGaugh TX said,

Rick are you talking about homogonizing or pasturization? And what exactly type of cheese you making without heating it? Just curious! Vicki

Pasteurization, but homogenizing also is a bad idea.

The idea that milk needs to be pasteurized is a load of BS from the milk processing industry. If anyone out there is skeptical, you might take a step-wise approach. Drink a little raw milk, wait a couple of days, drink a little more raw milk, wait a few more days, introduce to your oldest child, wait a few days ...

What will the result be? An improvement in health.

-- Rick7 (rick7@postmark.net), July 09, 2001.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ