I follow a few dairy farmers on Facebook. One of them posts about raw milk. He said he will sometimes put a squirt of milk from a cow into his coffee. He says it is his cow from his dairy and he knows how the cows are cleaned, etc. He also cautions that he is used to the things in his dairy and still there is a risk and sometimes he has issues afterwards. He says he would never drink raw milk from anyone else's cows/dairy, etc.
We are not living in the good old days anymore.

There can certainly be issues with raw milk, even with proper precautions things can still happen. Right now we don't have any real contra-indicators. I do feel very confident in the farmer and animals. We did come during "business hours" but just dropped by and were welcome to take a look around -- that's what you want from a local producer, not a sorry, not allowed in the various areas (unless required by inspections).

A lot of our "believing" in this sort of thing isn't so much the raw milk -- is the sustainability aspects and the quality of life for all involved, farmer, cow, buyers, all involved. Is easier to be out of sight/out of mind. We are comfortable with the life and death nature of farm animals, and if we have the freezer by then, might go halves on when one of the older gals is turned into hamburger... something has to be done. We believe that even food deserves a good life. Is also a recognition of milk as a product of a live animal and not just a loss leader at the supermarket.

Yes, the cost is significantly higher. But that is the same sort of thing as why people can buy $100 completed quilt sets in a bag at Walmart (actually not sure what going rates are anymore) and we can't even buy the fabric for that.

It's terribly sad that people throw their trash and recycling into a ravine. Things that will compost are one thing; the rest... Ugh.

Having grown up eating the meat from old dairy cows that no longer produce, I will say it is very, very lean. I'd try to get a couple of pounds to try before you commit to a half, if you can.

Our younger grandsons love to make butter with heavy cream. This was discovered when DD had a quart that needed to be used up and had no plans for it. They are 4-1/2; it was a good way to burn some energy, lol. My grandmother had a churn; the butter was great but I was not a fan of the buttermilk.

Iceblossom, my husband just started making Kefir drinks. They're SO GOOD! And super healthy.

Re: milk. I have never liked milk! My Mom made me drink if of course but the minute I was old enough I stopped! LOL

The liquid left in the churn is called whey I think, at least that is what my grandmother called it. It wasn't sour or clabbered like buttermilk in the store.

Whey is the liquid that remains after making cheese. It is wonderful to use in breadmaking. Buttermilk is what remains after making butter.

I should clarify that my neighborhood does have trash pickup, and cans and bottles recycling. Just no yard waste pick up. And the ravine is full of critters and deer and all sort of assorted wildlife from turkeys to foxes to squirrels and everything in-between. LOL, we watch the backyard now just like tv (with a lot less action). There are some weird things back in the woods, remnants of a probably stolen motorcycle?? and someone came in and threw some old tires in someone else's back but it was thought to be a disgruntled former neighbor...

My goal is for a grass-free front yard, front is small but a good size for a specimen tree in the middle and wide beds around. Hubby still wants some grass, especially in the back and we plan to have large raised container garden beds, but will have to fence out both the deer and the squirrels... We don't generate huge amounts of grass and plant clippings, but more than I want to compost especially since most of our land is a 10 foot drop from the (small) yard level.

While hubby has not had raw milk before, he has had kefir and enjoys it. Maybe not so much the goat milk type, but he has tried goat milk as well. And after many years together, he finally tried the goat milk cheese on the cheese board!

Agree ... for the whey ... think of Little Miss Muffet, eating her curds and whey! :)

Another point to clarify ... the buttermilk that you purchase in the store is a cultured product and not the same as the buttermilk remaining after making butter.

Peaceandjoy, when using whey in breadmaking, do you substitute it 1 to 1 for the liquid in the recipe? How does it affect the taste? Can I freeze whey or will I have to co-ordinate my breadmaking with DH's yoghurt making?

If you happen to have a recipe, could you share please?

@GingerK ... You had me curious and you know what happens then ... ask Google! Found this, which may give you some insights about your yoghurt whey.

https://www.luvele.com/blogs/recipe-...650_zIdu4vCTVa

At the least, make some bread with it and see what happens!
Bon Appetit!! :)