I try not to take things for granted, but am perplexed when I read in some posts about the high status given to grass fed cows, the horror of additives in milk etc....this is strange to me as all our cows are grass fed in New Zealand. Yes there are times when Silage and hay and other supplementary feed is used (usually in winter or in droughts) but generally, we have paddocks for our stock. So I thought I'd share about something as simple as me going to get a bottle of milk.
Although there seems to be some debate over Raw Milk, I personally love it. So I thought I'd show you how I get my milk.
Just on the outskirts of our Suburb, a mere 10 minutes away from my home, is a little farm called Walnut Tree farm.
Here, the cows graze on beautiful green pastures.
(there is also fresh produce / plants grown spray free available, by honesty box)
It makes for some juggling on the farmers behalf, ensuring there are enough cows to milk year round, as typically the herd is "dried off" over winter. The cows are bought in daily for milking, usually about 8-10 of them.
here's the small milking shed
From the milking shed, it goes straight to the vat and mixed constantly under very chilled conditions. From there it is directly fed into the dispensing machine and into my bottle.
Viola !! easy as one two three.
Strict regulations have been bought in by our Government to ensure the safest possible handling of Raw milk to the consumer. Test are carried out daily on the batches of milk and very strict hygiene measures are taken at all times. A register is also required to be filled out every time you make a purchase, so that in the event anything IS wrong, all those concerned can be contacted. All that aside, if you had any doubts about consuming raw milk, it can be heated to 70°c for a minute, it is now pasteurized. (kinda defeats the purpose?)
A lot of cheese makers require raw milk and I have made my very first batch of cheese with it, Holumi,(?) it was awesome!
You can purchase glass milk bottles if you forget your container, there is also local honey for sale.
The little shop has become a great place to catch up with locals, and to check out the noticeboard for up-coming events. It is a real little hub of information and I love going there. Sorry I took you on such a grotty day, but I needed milk!