HA! Me too. 
I think the reason I never get seriously sick is because I grew up on raw milk and played in dirt as a child. 
Or butter. Laws, laws.
Any tips on making cheese for somebody who knows nothing about cheese?
Oooh, we have been to Mark’s place. It is awesome! What a great tour. And the samples after were great, too! It was so cool to see the actual cows that I get my milk from. I belong to a milk buying co-op based here in Sacramento. We get an order every other week. My best friend started the co-op.
Sanders, All I can say is for $1.50/gallon, it would be an absolute sin to not at least give it a try. We love raw milk so much we are willing to pay $11/gallon for it. I would not even consider pasturizing the milk if I were you. I would also recommend reading this book, The Untold Story of Milk, which explains why pasturization came about in the first place and why if milk comes from a small, well cared for farm, the is no need for pasturization.
Well, I’m really intrigued, but I need more description from all you raw milk lovers! Why does it taste so good? Is it creamy? sweet? tangy? cheesy? I remember reading some version of Heidi wherein she noted her fresh (goat’s in that case) milk tasted like regular millk but with sugar and cinnamon in it, or something. Does it have subtle hints of flavors, and of what if so?
I don’t have the words to describe it. Creamer, is as good as any. A few weeks ago I purchased a carton of “safe” pasteurized milk from a supermarket. The next morning I got up and got ready for work. The last thing I did before leaving the door was to open up my “fresh” carton of “safe” milk from the supermarket and took a big, hearty gulp of milk. It was fucking spoiled, rotten and rancid. I nearly puked. Thank god the government was there to keep me safe once again. :rolleyes:
I live alone and have no qualms about drinking straight out of the carton, BTW.
Moving thread from IMHO to Cafe Society.
I, too, grew up drinking raw milk, and look how I turned out.
Start here! There are some recipes, and her book is excellent. She started as a home cheesemaker who eventually wrote what’s probably the definitive book on home cheesemaking, as well as running a cheese and cheesemaking supply shop.
No practical advice, but remember what Jesus said about the cheesemakers.
“Blessed are the cheesemakers for they shall salt the curd.”
Haha, I still shake it too! Every single time I get it out of the refrigerator and in college my friends would always wonder why I’m doing that. I grew up on a farm and always drank raw milk. My family would never even consider buying it from the supermarket. However, my father would not sell it or give it to people other than family members. He did not feel comfortable just in case something happened or if they had a bad reaction to it - not that something like that ever did happen.
Anyway, when I go home to visit my parents I will always bring a gallon of raw milk back home with me. There really is nothing like it!
I drank raw milk still a bit warm from Bessie when I was in Kamchatka, Russia. I figured I’d probably die but instead it was some of the yummiest milk I’ve ever had. Well okay, maybe not the yummiest, but really not bad at all, to this 2% pasteurized ice-cold milk drinker.
I have deduced that you all are either Doctors, Police, Lawyers, or Reporters, or Pussies. Enjoy the milk without worry and disregard the Food Police.
I’m trying to figure out what thread you’re reading. There’s a few people talking about legality of sale, which is an issue for the farmer and not the OP, and a couple others warning about keeping it from anyone with a compromised immune system. That’s about it.
Me, I don’t like the taste of milk that much, doesn’t matter where it’s from. My grandfather had a farm, I know what raw milk tastes like - I’m even from Wisconsin originally. Milk aftertaste is an awful thing. I like cheese and yogurt though, especially making either at home. (I just get milk from an Illinois producer and it works fine.)
I’ve made this with store-bought milk, and it’s lovely. No rennet required, so it’s easy, and no drying or aging, so it’s instant gratification.
How to Make Ricotta Cheese
1 gallon of whole milk
1 quart of buttermilk
cheesecloth
a rubberband
- Fold rinsed cheesecloth into layers and use it to line a colander or sieve in the sink.
- Pour the milks into a large Stainless Steel, Glass, or Ceramic saucepan. Don’t use aluminium or copper which will react to the acids in the milk.
- At this point I like to attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan, it will come in handy later in the proceedings.
- Put the pan over high heat and stir with a rubber spatula, scraping the bottom of the pan to make sure the milk doesn’t burn.
- Once is the milk is warm, stop stirring and continue to heat.
- You will start to see lumps forming in the milk - these are the curds. Once the temperature reaches between 175 and 180 F, the curds and whey will separate. At that point remove your pan from the heat.
- Using an Asian Skimmer or other large flat ladle with holes, very gently transfer the curds to the lined sieve and leave them to drain.
- Once the draining has slowed to a drip, carefully gather the edges of the cloth around the cheese and secure with a rubberband, into a bag shape which can be hung from your faucet or tap.
- Drain further until the cheese cools down and dripping completely comes to a halt.
- Remove from the cheese from the cloth and refrigerate. For absolute freshness, consume as quickly as possible.
There are some dairies which sell raw milk in MA. They are actually having “Massachusetts Raw Milk Dairy Day” on Sunday, September 9, 2007. See this site for more information: http://www.nofamass.org/programs/organicdairy/rawmilk.php#info .
Also; Shaw’s (not the grocery store) Dairy in Dracut sells a low temp pasturized, and a non-homogenized product, and the best Ice Cream in New England! Shaw Farm | Farm Store | Ice Cream, Fresh Milk, Baked Goods, Produce, Local Products | Food, Milk, Delivery | Merrimack Valley | Dracut, MA
$1.50 a gallon! I just saw that. Unbelievable! Geez, I’d be buying gallons and gallons of that stuff - cheese, butter, yogurt, mmmm!