When I tell people our family of four sometimes consumes 6 gallons
of raw milk a week, I usually get laughed at. And then follows the
actual question of “How CAN you go through so much milk?!”.
Let’s think about the average family of four and how much milk or
milk products they consume for a minute. Plain milk, butter, hard
cheeses, cream cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt,
sour cream,
creamy salad dressing base,
buttermilk, heavy cream, and half and half. When we really think about
how much “milk” or “milk products” we consume in our daily lives, it’s
actually quite a lot!
Having a family milk cow has brought so much joy to our lives. Not
just the companionship of a bovine, but for the blessing she brings our
bodies. Every year she blesses us with a calf (to sell or eat later) and
as much as 540 gallons of milk. Yes, you read that right! Just about 2
gallons a day on a once-a-day 9 month lactation cycle. Now given a few
factors, it is usually less than that. However, she blesses our bodies
and kitchen every day!
All that being said, what can you do with all that milk? With a
family a four, there is definitely some excess. But the family milk cow
has been called “the mortgage lifter” for some very good reasons. Waste
not, want not in my home. Here’s how to use up all that raw milk ol’
Bess gives you.
1.
Drink it up! Raw milk is unbelievably nutritious
for you! Raw milk from a healthy grass-fed cow is a raw living food, it
is alive! Consuming it in its natural raw state provides you with a
complete and balanced meal all in one glass!
We consume a small glass with each meal. My husband always drinks a
glass between meals to stave off hunger. But our favorite treat with raw
milk is what we call “The Farmer John”. Mix 2 cups raw milk with 2
yolks from your hens, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1-2 T grade B maple syrup. This
provides you with an added energy boost between meals. And its like
drinking ice cream!
2.
Share the wealth. I give our cats and dogs raw
milk with every meal. It does amazing work on their skin and coats. Just
a little will do, although they’ll ask for more! Any excess can be
clabbered for the chickens or soured for the pigs. Clabbering fresh raw
milk does not make it go bad, it only increases its vitamin and nutrient
content.
To clabber milk its best to use 1-2 week old milk and let it
“clabber” on the counter. I take the lid off and leave it in a safe
place for a few days. You’ll know its clabbered by the separation of the
whey. Left out for a long time, you’ll get curds and whey!
3.
Make kefir. Kefir is one of those things that
many people don’t know about but it is gaining in popularity. You’ll
find it at the store, but its pennies to make at home. You can order
kefir grains online, but you can also find someone who has extra and
they usually are happy to share their wealth!
Milk kefir is a fermented beverage which is high in beneficial bacteria for our gut. A healthy gut is a healthy mind AND immune system.
There are different ways to use kefir but our favorite way is in
fudgesicles,
pancakes and
smoothies
in the morning! You can also make kefir cheese by taking the thick
kefir and letting the whey drip out over a periods of 12-24 hours.
Simply add your strained kefir to a colander double lined with
cheesecloth. Tie the ends together and hang above a bowl. Over the
course of 12-24 hours, the whey will separate, dripping down into the
bowl. After awhile, you’ll have kefir cheese which you can put fresh
herbs and salt into and enjoy spread on crackers or bread! And then,
you’ll also have whey to feed to any animal or use it to jump start your
fermented vegetables. Whey can be stored in the fridge for up to 6
months.
4.
Make yogurt. No fancy yogurt maker needed! I
simply take a half gallon of milk and heat it up slowly on the stove to
around 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Then I take it off the stove and let it
cool to 90 degrees. Once it gets to 90 degrees I take 1 cup of the milk
and 1/2 cup of yogurt from the store (or a previous batch) and mix it
together. I then place that mixture back into the pot and whisk it all
in. Place, with lid on, in an oven with only the light on and let
culture for 8-12 hours. If after 12 hours, it isn’t thick, I let it go
longer. If I need to use the oven before its done (like to make dinner) I
simply remove the pot and cover it with a towel til dinner is done.
Sometimes that extra boost of heat from making dinner will speed things
up.
You can also strain the yogurt the same way you strain kefir, as
stated above. This gives you greek yogurt or yogurt cheese. Flavor the
yogurt cheese the same way as the kefir. Yogurt cheese is not as tart as
kefir cheese.
5.
Make farmer’s cheese. This is by FAR the easiest
cheese to make, hence the name! As a farmer and homesteader, my time is
limited but I love making this cheese, salting it up and snacking on it
all day! Slowly heat up a gallon of raw milk to a boil. Add in 1/2 cup
white vinegar or lemon juice (more if it doesn’t curd right away) and
stir until all the curds have formed. What will be left in the pot is
the cheese and whey. Strain off the whey in a colander double lined with
cheesecloth. Save the whey, or throw it to the pigs, salt the cheese
and let hang for a couple of hours. Simple.
6.
Freeze It. There will come a time when your
family cow is dry. That period lasts for 2-3 months. But when she
freshens, or gives birth, again she will be loaded with milk. Freeze the
excess! And then you’ll have plenty of milk for the dry period. Once
you are used to fresh milk, being without it is torture!
You can either freeze in plastic milk jugs (ask your friends for
their clean jugs) or you can also freeze in glass jars. For tips on
freezing in glass,
read here. Now I realize that when SHTF, your freezer will not survive. But let’s just pretend for a minute.
7.
Feed your garden. Yes, I have heard of farmers
spraying their fields with raw milk! Like I mentioned above, raw milk is
a complete food. It has all the vitamin and minerals we need.
Therefore, adding it to our gardens and fields adds vital minerals to
the soil which in turn produces a healthier crop. Now I know what you
are thinking: You want me to milk my cow and then spray it on my garden?
Here’s how to do it: Drink your gallon of milk but save the jar, don’t
rinse it out. You’ll have a little milk left on the sides and the bottom
of the jar. Simply fill it with water, swish it around and you’ll have
cloudy water. What was left over in the jar is still filled with
vitamins and minerals! Simply water your garden with that. You’ll have a
great harvest this year! Save your money on expensive organic
fertilizers and use leftover milk!
Ashley can be found blogging at
The Browning Homestead where she writes about life on a homestead, farming, raising farm kids, and enjoying the good life.
