Anyone drink Raw milk?

[Pigeon]

We used to before we moved to our current location. It is incredibly delicious--much better than the heavily processed stuff. We knew the farm and the farmers and it was a much different place than your typical (filthy) factory dairy farm.

We don't have a source for it now.

 

[AnnaS]

I have. Many, many years ago when I was a small child and lived in Italy.

 

[krcit]

I can't even drink whole milk anymore, I'm so used to 1%. I think raw milk would be way too rich for me plus I have a bit of a food phobia so I would be too nervous.

 

[Debbie7452]

We used to before we moved to our current location. It is incredibly delicious--much better than the heavily processed stuff. We knew the farm and the farmers and it was a much different place than your typical (filthy) factory dairy farm.

We don't have a source for it now.

Milk does not come from "factory farms." We haul milk from dairy farms to the bottling plant(the PLANT is a factory) and they are all from family farms. Most of them have been in the same families for generations...They are all struggling now. They are not getting enough $$ for their milk to cover expenses. It is very sad. Organic dairies have higher bacteria counts generally, so I don't think I would drink it raw from there but to each his own. There are so many misconceptions about milk out there...

 

[bookgirl]

I love milk, I drink milk, I love all dairy, well except butter. I have looked at the various forms of milk available.

My mom grew up on a dairy farm, drank milk straight from her own cows. It didn't kill her and obviously it was a common practice in farm commnunities in the mid century. The day she left the farm was the last day she ever drank a glass of unpasturized milk. If she won't drink it I'm sure not going to. I do know that some people do prefer it and raw milk cheese, but every doctor/professional, heck even my optomitrist says that they won't feed thier family unpasturized milk. I decided to stick with my pasturized fat free milk.

On the same token I didn't like the ultra pasturized milk either.

 

[Pigeon]

Milk does not come from "factory farms." We haul milk from dairy farms to the bottling plant(the PLANT is a factory) and they are all from family farms. Most of them have been in the same families for generations...They are all struggling now. They are not getting enough $$ for their milk to cover expenses. It is very sad. Organic dairies have higher bacteria counts generally, so I don't think I would drink it raw from there but to each his own. There are so many misconceptions about milk out there...

I've visited several large dairy farms and the term factory farm is applicable. They were also much, much dirtier in general, than the place where we got our raw milk. They may have been owned by families, but they were very large.

 

[npmommie]

oh goodness, I didn't want to debate the merits of raw milk! since I said in my OP I have read info on the pros and cons of it.
I think getting it from a clean organic 100% pastured farm is vital, and also if you are getting raw milk, to get it from one certified to sell raw milk.
I was just curious if others use it.

 

[tuckerkeys]

LUCKY YOU! Having an organic farm right down the street from your house!

We go to Vermont every weekend in the winter to a family ski house. We drink raw milk all winter long. I even break the law & transport it across state lines

It is, hands down, the best milk we have ever had. The farm I go to is spotless. They invite anyone to tour the grounds. There is a website that lists state by state any farm that sells raw milk & any health violations regarding botulism and the like...

My son thinks it's like drinking ice cream! I will say that all winter both my kids did not get sick ONCE! The woman who owns the farm I go to told me that apparently if you drink the raw organic milk it has health benefits, keeping colds at bay is one of them. We skied and snowboarded all winter, were outside more than inside, and all remained healthy as horses. Was it the milk? Who knows...but I like to think so as this was the 1st winter of drinking it exclusively and not 1 of us got sick!

It is very rich in taste. Very good very cold!! It's the 1 thing I miss about the winter, having raw milk all the time!!!

I do have some co-op places in PA I can make a trip to, but, the farms closest to me have all had health violations.....Also raw milk only lasts 4 days in the fridge. You CAN boil it to make it last longer if you want but it looses all it's nutrients and flavor at this point.

Any cheese made from the milk is also the bomb as well!! ENJOY if you decide to try it!!!

 

[Ember]

I drink skim milk, so I'm sure raw milk would taste terrible to me! I find 1% to be thick!

 

[disfan07]

I know a couple of people who do but even if I wanted to I am not allowed to because of the medication I'm on. I cannot have anythign that is unpasteurized. Too many risks.

But, I also don't really like plain milk so I would probably find it disgusting

 

[FireDancer]

oh goodness, I didn't want to debate the merits of raw milk! since I said in my OP I have read info on the pros and cons of it.
I think getting it from a clean organic 100% pastured farm is vital, and also if you are getting raw milk, to get it from one certified to sell raw milk.
I was just curious if others use it.

There is a lot of mis-information on both sides of the issue, and some of the links posted here were pretty biased.

I don't drink much milk at all but would get raw milk from time to time if it were legal here. You are very right about needing to get the milk from a reputable farm that has a good safety record and doesn't shoot their cows full of hormones or processed feed. If you know of a good farm I say go down and try some. I imagine they would sell a small serving for you to try.

Unfortunately the pasteurization process kills all bacteria which is vital to a good immune system. As a PP mentioned, I do know people in other states that drink raw milk and very few of them get sick. Of course they also live generally healthy lifestyles but I do think the raw mill, and raw foods in general, contribute greatly to their health.

JMO of course.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

There is a lot of mis-information on both sides of the issue, and some of the links posted here were pretty biased.

I would apppreciate your pointing out any misinformation contained in the links I posted.

You do realize that E Coli can cause kidney failure, and even death, right? Children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems are especially at risk, as are people drinking raw milk for the first time.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

You couldn't pay me enough to drink the stuff. And I would never consider give it to my kids. It's like playing Russian Roulette with your health and well being, IMO.

npmommie, I don't see how you can't debate in a thread like this. It's not just about taste, texture and fat content. There are real health risks from drinking it.

 

[Nancyg56]

I would be very careful about drinking raw milk. My DH was raised on a dairy farm and had raised dairy animals for years. He would bring milk home for us and I was comfortable drinking our own milk. I knew what his animals were fed, how they were cared for, that they were not injected with any medicines, and that they were clean. I also knew that he used every precaution to ensure that our milk was safe. Unless he oversaw every step that went into milking I would probably not touch raw milk from anyone else.

Not too long ago there was a town sponsored farm not too far from us that was selling raw milk. I have no idea how they could do that but someone got pretty sick and that was the end of that.

I will saw that that milk was so good! I used to skim the cream off and make ice cream and butter. The milk was way too rich for us (meaning me) to drink without removing most of the cream.

 

[siouxi31]

I'm a raw milk fan.

Currently, I'm not drinking it but it isn't because of concern over the milk, it's because it's difficult to get. In Illinois, I had to join a co-op to get the milk and then drive several miles weekly to pick up the milk.

If it were ever to be widely used and available in stores, I'd be concerned about drinking it because it would be difficult to discern the cleanliness of the farm and cows where the milk came from. With the co-op, we knew the farm, farmers, and cows. That made all the difference in my decision to drink the milk.

I have no idea if raw milk contributed to this or not but around the time I was drinking it I had not been sick. For 3 years straight I had no cold or flu. One year after not drinking it I got a nasty 5 cold that lasted for 5 weeks. I often wonder if it aided my immune system.

As for the taste, sometimes I didn't like it and sometimes I did. It may have depended on the cow's diet at the time. Since we're in a cold weather climate they are not always eating out at pasture. In the winter they would eat more hay. In the winter, the cream (I was also buying cream from them) would be the consistency of marshmallow fluff without the stickiness. Wow, did I love that cream! The milk would also have a different hue.

 

[npmommie]

I would apppreciate your pointing out any misinformation contained in the links I posted.

You do realize that E Coli can cause kidney failure, and even death, right? Children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems are especially at risk, as are people drinking raw milk for the first time.

I realize what you are saying, and I know you know, its not all strains of E Coli, there is a toxic one, and that is the one to be afraid of. and in my opinion you take that chance every time you buy Hamburger meat from the grocery store, which could also have that toxic ecoli strain in it. ( and has )

Pea, I thought your links were good, I didn't see any mis information..........just the bad and good about raw milk.

You couldn't pay me enough to drink the stuff. And I would never consider give it to my kids. It's like playing Russian Roulette with your health and well being, IMO.

npmommie, I don't see how you can't debate in a thread like this. It's not just about taste, texture and fat content. There are real health risks from drinking it.

I believe there are health benefits too. and yes there can be some risk. but like i said, I would have to know the farm, see everything, and the one I am thinking of is certified in our state to sell it, I have been there to buy meat for hubby and it looks very clean, maybe I will ask them if there have been any outbreaks at their farm.
I am not even sure I am going to try it, I just see it when I go there, and it got me curious


LOL, I should have known a debate would start, but really I was just wondering how many others use raw milk,

I'm a raw milk fan.

Currently, I'm not drinking it but it isn't because of concern over the milk, it's because it's difficult to get. In Illinois, I had to join a co-op to get the milk and then drive several miles weekly to pick up the milk.

If it were ever to be widely used and available in stores, I'd be concerned about drinking it because it would be difficult to discern the cleanliness of the farm and cows where the milk came from. With the co-op, we knew the farm, farmers, and cows. That made all the difference in my decision to drink the milk.

I have no idea if raw milk contributed to this or not but around the time I was drinking it I had not been sick. For 3 years straight I had no cold or flu. One year after not drinking it I got a nasty 5 cold that lasted for 5 weeks. I often wonder if it aided my immune system.

As for the taste, sometimes I didn't like it and sometimes I did. It may have depended on the cow's diet at the time. Since we're in a cold weather climate they are not always eating out at pasture. In the winter they would eat more hay. In the winter, the cream (I was also buying cream from them) would be the consistency of marshmallow fluff without the stickiness. Wow, did I love that cream! The milk would also have a different hue.

helping the immune system is one of the supposed benefits to raw milk.

 

[SDSorority]

one of the farms nearby sells raw milk, I go there sometimes to pick up grass fed steak for dh.
I am tempted to try the raw milk,
the farm is 100% organic, certified, 100% grass fed cows, and certified to sell the raw milk.
right now I get our milk from another grass fed dairy farm, but they pastuerize and homogenize the milk.

anyway, i have read the pros and cons of raw milk, but just wondering if others drink it

My sister does. I've heard that the processing of pasturizing the milk causes excess estrogen and is the main reason why men need viagra. We're also 's though...

 

[FireDancer]

I would apppreciate your pointing out any misinformation contained in the links I posted.

You do realize that E Coli can cause kidney failure, and even death, right? Children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems are especially at risk, as are people drinking raw milk for the first time.

I'm apolgize, I misread one of the articles. I went back and re-read it. Mea culpa.

I was one of the lucky folk who got E-Coli from the spinach incident in 2006 so I know it isn't pleasant but as that incident showed you can get the bacteria from food that is cross contaminated no matter what it is. That is why it is important to know your provider and not just purchase it from anywhere that sells it.

 

[Deb in IA]

There is a lot of mis-information on both sides of the issue, and some of the links posted here were pretty biased.

Actually, you are the one who is mis-informed.

Unfortunately the pasteurization process kills all bacteria which is vital to a good immune system.

Wrong, and wrong.

Pasteurization is not the same as sterilization. Pasteurization is not intended to destroy all pathogenic micro-organisms in the food or liquid. Instead, pasteurization aims to reduce the number of viable pathogens so they are unlikely to cause disease (assuming pasteurization product is stored as indicated and consumed before its expiration date).

E. coli is a type of bacteria that normally lives in the intestines of humans and animals without causing any problems. However, there are over 700 serotypes of E. coli, some of which are very pathogenic. E. coli O157:H7 in particular, caused significant illness and a few deaths. It resides in the cow gastrointestinal tract, and produces the Shiga toxin. It has been identified as the source of contamination in ground beef, venison, sausages, dried (non-cooked) salami, unpasteurized milk and cheese, unpasteurized apple juice and cider and others.

 

[Kykatt]

I GREW UP drinking "Raw Milk".. and I WILL Drink that kind of milk WHEN EVER I HAVE THE CHANCE.