I spent a year as a manager at a raw milk dairy farm in the UK. We tested our milk every week and had extremely strict cleanliness standards. And it was a lovely calf at foot dairy where the cows were well looked after. Nonetheless, bacteria count would creep up with changes in weather, unexpected external stress to the herd, and for other “who knew why” reasons. Ultimately I just don’t think it’s worth the risk because you can do everything right and there is just no avoiding the fact that you’re getting milk from an environment which is inherently risky. And pasteurised milk isn’t unhealthy or unsafe so there’s absolutely no reason to drink raw milk. If you really want to avoid industrial processing, find yourself a small dairy. That’s good for your local economy anyway.
I grew up spending a lot of time at my grandparents’ dairy. Cows have zero sense of sanitation. They can live a nice life roaming green pastures. They still shit all over other cows as they lay about enjoying their lives. Go ahead and install a filter to remove straw and grass and chunks of stuff. If you don’t pasteurize that milk, you get a lot of nasty bits in your milk. Buy lots of toilet tissue.
My friend: Peggy you should try raw milk.
Me: No thanks I don't like bacteria
My Friend: Well, we boil it & cool it first
Me: So you pasteurize it rather than buy milk already pasteurized?
My friend:
Sooooo dumb
Came here to say that. Like duh. The smart ones boil it…the dumb ones feed it to their children raw.
Oh my. It just isn't worth the risk, IMO.
I spent a year as a manager at a raw milk dairy farm in the UK. We tested our milk every week and had extremely strict cleanliness standards. And it was a lovely calf at foot dairy where the cows were well looked after. Nonetheless, bacteria count would creep up with changes in weather, unexpected external stress to the herd, and for other “who knew why” reasons. Ultimately I just don’t think it’s worth the risk because you can do everything right and there is just no avoiding the fact that you’re getting milk from an environment which is inherently risky. And pasteurised milk isn’t unhealthy or unsafe so there’s absolutely no reason to drink raw milk. If you really want to avoid industrial processing, find yourself a small dairy. That’s good for your local economy anyway.
I grew up spending a lot of time at my grandparents’ dairy. Cows have zero sense of sanitation. They can live a nice life roaming green pastures. They still shit all over other cows as they lay about enjoying their lives. Go ahead and install a filter to remove straw and grass and chunks of stuff. If you don’t pasteurize that milk, you get a lot of nasty bits in your milk. Buy lots of toilet tissue.