The state dairy inspector came rather late this month, and so here it is June 30th and I finally received my results and can write this post now.
As per usual I have exceeded my test goals...
Somatic Cell Count (SCC) <100,000/mL (below the minimum detection level for the test)
Standard Plate Count (SPC) <2500/mL (below the minimum detection level for the test)
Coliform <1/mL (none detected)
Somatic cell count (SCC) can indicate the health of the udder, whether or not the cow has mastitis. When a cow has an injury to the udder, this number can also be elevated without anything being wrong with the milk. Standard plate count (SPC) is the total bacteria, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Coliform is environmental contamination type of bacteria, including, but not limited to, fecal bacteria.
This means the milk you are drinking and serving to your family, and that I am drinking and serving to my family is extremely safe and of very high quality. In order to keep your milk fresh as long as possible, keep it cold, below 40 degrees F, covered, and in sterilized containers.
I am, of course, very happy with these awesome results on my monthly state-required milk test. It makes me very pleased to know that I am serving and selling such high quality milk. The results for ALL raw milk producers is a matter of public record, and I encourage you to inquire with the Idaho State Department of Agriculture at the Dairy Bureau about the results for any raw milk producer you are considering buying from in the state. Your family's health is worth it, and the Dairy Bureau is happy to provide this information, at no cost to you.
Showing posts with label milk freshness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label milk freshness. Show all posts
Monday, June 30, 2014
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Milk Expiration Dates
If you've been a customer of mine for any length of time, you will notice that the milk you buy is day-old milk. That means I milked the cow, filtered the milk, cooled the milk and put your name on it for you to pick up the next day. You may wonder, "Can I just pick up the milk the same day that it came from the cow?" Well, the short answer is,"no."
If you want the long answer, read on.
Here's why...
Raw milk doesn't act the same way that pasteurized milk does. When it ages, it goes sour instead of rotting. So, this means even if you have milk that isn't tasting as fresh as you like to drink, it can be clabbered, at room temperature, which has a variety of culinary uses. For drinking, I guarantee the milk for 7 days from the date on the jar. That doesn't mean it will taste the same on day 5 as it did on day 2. Milk is an extremely perishable food, and it will change flavor as it sits in the fridge. You will notice slight changes over the course of the week, but it will be drinkable. It will be drinkable, as long as it has been kept between 33*F and 40*F (cooler in this range is better than warmer) and has not been transferred into any less-than-perfectly-clean containers (see how to properly wash milk containers). Other perishable foods also change while in your refrigerator. Anyone who has ever had fresh-from-the-garden vegetables, or fresh-caught fish knows that vegetables or fish on ice for several days are not the same as they are when you first obtain them. They aren't inedible, but they have changed.
Just in case you were thinking you might use a milk jug from store-bought milk, I highly advise against that. For starters, the milk jugs from the store are shaped in such a way that you can never really get them all the way clean. Also, the type of plastic that is used is very porous and cannot be fully sanitized for a second use. Plastic milk jugs are really for one-time use only. If you would like to transfer your milk to a pitcher, I recommend the ones that are available at Cash n Carry. They are shatter-proof, and have clear, straight, smooth, non-porous sides that can be cleaned. Before you use the pitcher, wash it using my instructions, and you should have no problem with your milk going sour too soon.
Having said that I guarantee the milk to last 7 days before going sour, I must qualify that with my own personal experience and the experience of several customers. I have milk in my fridge right now that is 10 days old, and I'm drinking it. It tastes just fine. In fact, most of the milk my family drinks is at least 5-7 days old before we rotate through it. I guess we are slow milk-drinkers sometimes. It tastes good. Very sweet. I have had customers drink milk that was 14, 16, and 19 days old and they have reported that it tasted fine. The point I am making is that the milk is very likely fine to drink, even after the 7 day guarantee, and it's a matter of your personal preference.
So now you know why your milk is day-old when you pick it up, and how long you can expect it to last. Enjoy your milk! <glork, gulp, ahhh> ...the best stuff on earth...
If you want the long answer, read on.
Here's why...
- I am required to cool the milk before selling it. This is actually a really good thing, because when milk is transported before being fully cooled, it stays at a warmer temperature longer than if it is fully cooled and then transported. By law, the milk must be cooled to 40*F within two hours. I do this by putting it into an ice-water bath inside my fridge. If milk is put straight into the refrigerator right after being milked, without the ice-water bath, it will take 8-10 hours to get to 40*F or lower. In order for milk to stay fresh as long as possible, milk must be cooled as quickly as possible.
- I'm a very busy human being, with all sorts of variables that change from day to day, with teenagers and babies to look after. Because of this, I don't always milk at the same time every day. I milk twice a day, but it's not an exact 12-hour schedule. Because of this, sometimes I am milking at 11 PM at night, and the milk won't be guaranteed to be fully cooled until 1 AM (though, in my experience, it is usually cooled to 40*F within 30 - 60 minutes). Most people don't want to pick up their milk in the wee hours of the morning, and being that I live at the milk pick-up site, I am thankful that most people don't want to get their milk at such an hour!
- Sometimes, in order to get a full jar of milk for a customer, I have to use milk from the morning and evening and combine it together. It's not a good idea to add warm milk to already cooled milk, so I don't do that. It would increase the bacterial growth and could cause the milk not to taste as fresh. So, I wait until the evening milk is also cooled and then I add the cooled evening milk to the cooled morning milk (always using the oldest jar as the date of the milk, because when two milks are combined, all of it is as old as the oldest milk). I've never stayed awake until 1 AM, until the evening milk is cooled, to do this consolidating of milk. I always do it the next morning, hopefully before the customer gets there. That brings me to my next point.
- The advantage to getting milk that is day-old for you as a customer is convenience. You don't have to check with me to be sure the milk is bottled and cooled before you pick it up. You know you can pick up your milk ANY time the day you have reserved (but hopefully if I had to combine AM and PM milk, I've done it before you get there... usually done by 9 AM). The advantage for me is that I don't have to have customers calling me and asking if I've milked the cow yet. Gosh, my life is really, really crazy sometimes, and that would probably push me overboard on one of those insane days.
- To compare the milk I sell to raw milk which can be purchased at other local food markets, I am sure it is much fresher, being day-old milk, than you can get at any store. I have purchased milk from these local markets in the past, and have been very disappointed in the taste of it, even right after purchase. Once I was at the store when the milk producer was bringing milk into the store. So, I asked about the sell-by date on the milk. How old was that milk when it reached its that date? The producer told me that it was up to two days old when it came out of the bulk tank, and they put the date 10 days out from the date it was pulled from the bulk tank. So, it could be up to 12 days old before it is sold, and I guess they expected it to last 19 or more days by the time the consumer actually drinks it. Wow. I never bought raw milk from one of our local markets again, and that explained clearly why I was so disappointed.
Raw milk doesn't act the same way that pasteurized milk does. When it ages, it goes sour instead of rotting. So, this means even if you have milk that isn't tasting as fresh as you like to drink, it can be clabbered, at room temperature, which has a variety of culinary uses. For drinking, I guarantee the milk for 7 days from the date on the jar. That doesn't mean it will taste the same on day 5 as it did on day 2. Milk is an extremely perishable food, and it will change flavor as it sits in the fridge. You will notice slight changes over the course of the week, but it will be drinkable. It will be drinkable, as long as it has been kept between 33*F and 40*F (cooler in this range is better than warmer) and has not been transferred into any less-than-perfectly-clean containers (see how to properly wash milk containers). Other perishable foods also change while in your refrigerator. Anyone who has ever had fresh-from-the-garden vegetables, or fresh-caught fish knows that vegetables or fish on ice for several days are not the same as they are when you first obtain them. They aren't inedible, but they have changed.
Just in case you were thinking you might use a milk jug from store-bought milk, I highly advise against that. For starters, the milk jugs from the store are shaped in such a way that you can never really get them all the way clean. Also, the type of plastic that is used is very porous and cannot be fully sanitized for a second use. Plastic milk jugs are really for one-time use only. If you would like to transfer your milk to a pitcher, I recommend the ones that are available at Cash n Carry. They are shatter-proof, and have clear, straight, smooth, non-porous sides that can be cleaned. Before you use the pitcher, wash it using my instructions, and you should have no problem with your milk going sour too soon.
Having said that I guarantee the milk to last 7 days before going sour, I must qualify that with my own personal experience and the experience of several customers. I have milk in my fridge right now that is 10 days old, and I'm drinking it. It tastes just fine. In fact, most of the milk my family drinks is at least 5-7 days old before we rotate through it. I guess we are slow milk-drinkers sometimes. It tastes good. Very sweet. I have had customers drink milk that was 14, 16, and 19 days old and they have reported that it tasted fine. The point I am making is that the milk is very likely fine to drink, even after the 7 day guarantee, and it's a matter of your personal preference.
So now you know why your milk is day-old when you pick it up, and how long you can expect it to last. Enjoy your milk! <glork, gulp, ahhh> ...the best stuff on earth...
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Milk Cooling- It’s So Important!
I have been asked why I cool my milk in an ice water bath inside my fridge. Well, simply, it's the fastest way to get milk cooled that I have available to me, and having the ice water bath inside the fridge makes it so I don't have to remember to transfer the milk to the fridge after it is cooled. It takes up a fair amount of space in the milk fridge, but having quickly cooled milk is essential to the best quality raw milk. The speed at which milk is cooled can have a great effect on how long it lasts and how good it tastes. I want the milk from my cow to last at least a week, if not longer, and to taste excellent. When I first started home dairying, I had goats and cows, and came across this excellent resource in one of my goat milk cheesemaking books. It has since been published online, and so I decided to share the link here.
Milk Cooling- It’s So Important!
And here it is, cut and paste:
Are you getting good grades when it comes to cooling your home milk supply? One of the most important factors in great quality milk is how quickly the milk is cooled.
Milk is perfect medium for bacteria (that’s why it works so well for cheesemaking). Unless you are doing a good job of cooling the milk to slow down the development of harmful bacteria,
they
can be multiplying by the millions. This is even more important if you
are using your milk raw. Pasteurizing the milk kills E Coli as well as
many other harmful bacteria.
How close to Grade A are your milk cooling practices? Many of you have various ways of handling your milk and think you are doing a good job. Have you taken the temperature of your milk to be sure that it is getting cooled quickly?
If you are at least a Grade B give yourself a pat on the back. This rating is very good for home use. Most of us cannot meet Grade A standards without the use of commercial coolers.
I did some milk cooling testing to find out just how quickly each method cooled the milk. Below are the results.
Grade A:
The milk is placed in bulk cooling tanks, which are refrigerated, and the milk is quickly cooled while being stirred. This method assures the milk will be at 40 degrees in less than 30 minutes. Usually it is at the temperature instantly then held to just above freezing.
Grade B:
Milk is placed into containers small enough to place into tubs or a sink of ice water. This is acceptable for home use. This method cooled the milk to 48 degrees in 30 minutes, 42 degrees in 60 minutes and 40 degrees in 90 minutes. Results would be considerably better if some form of stirring the milk could be used to speed up the cooling. Using a home pasteurizer would do an excellent job too.
Grade C:
Milk is placed in a small container and placed in a sink of very cold water with the water being changed 2-3 times during the cooling process. Water temperature from our well here in Michigan comes out at 50 degrees. If you live in an area where the water comes from the faucet even warmer, this would not be a great method to use. The milk would only get as cool as the water.
Grade D:
Milk is placed in the freezer. I tested a one-quart jar and it took 30 minutes to reach 66 degrees. In 60 minutes it was at 50, in 90 minutes it was 43 degrees and finally after 105 minutes it was at 40 degrees. If using a container bigger than 1 quart the results would be even worse.
Grade E:
Milk placed in 1 quart jars and put into the refrigerator. In 30 minutes the milk was at 76 degrees. In 60 minutes it was at 67 degrees, after 90 minutes it was 59 degrees. 3 hours later it was at 51 degrees and finally after 8 hours the milk had reached 40 degrees. This is way too long. By now the bacteria count has become very high. Results would be even worse if using containers bigger than 1 quart. Many home dairies use this method, but this is the absolute worst way to cool the milk.
By Mary Jane Toth, author of A Cheesemaker's Journey and Goats Produce, Too!
Milk Cooling- It’s So Important!
And here it is, cut and paste:
Are you getting good grades when it comes to cooling your home milk supply? One of the most important factors in great quality milk is how quickly the milk is cooled.
Milk is perfect medium for bacteria (that’s why it works so well for cheesemaking). Unless you are doing a good job of cooling the milk to slow down the development of harmful bacteria,
they
can be multiplying by the millions. This is even more important if you
are using your milk raw. Pasteurizing the milk kills E Coli as well as
many other harmful bacteria.How close to Grade A are your milk cooling practices? Many of you have various ways of handling your milk and think you are doing a good job. Have you taken the temperature of your milk to be sure that it is getting cooled quickly?
If you are at least a Grade B give yourself a pat on the back. This rating is very good for home use. Most of us cannot meet Grade A standards without the use of commercial coolers.
I did some milk cooling testing to find out just how quickly each method cooled the milk. Below are the results.
Grade A:
The milk is placed in bulk cooling tanks, which are refrigerated, and the milk is quickly cooled while being stirred. This method assures the milk will be at 40 degrees in less than 30 minutes. Usually it is at the temperature instantly then held to just above freezing.
Grade B:
Milk is placed into containers small enough to place into tubs or a sink of ice water. This is acceptable for home use. This method cooled the milk to 48 degrees in 30 minutes, 42 degrees in 60 minutes and 40 degrees in 90 minutes. Results would be considerably better if some form of stirring the milk could be used to speed up the cooling. Using a home pasteurizer would do an excellent job too.
Grade C:
Milk is placed in a small container and placed in a sink of very cold water with the water being changed 2-3 times during the cooling process. Water temperature from our well here in Michigan comes out at 50 degrees. If you live in an area where the water comes from the faucet even warmer, this would not be a great method to use. The milk would only get as cool as the water.
Grade D:
Milk is placed in the freezer. I tested a one-quart jar and it took 30 minutes to reach 66 degrees. In 60 minutes it was at 50, in 90 minutes it was 43 degrees and finally after 105 minutes it was at 40 degrees. If using a container bigger than 1 quart the results would be even worse.
Grade E:
Milk placed in 1 quart jars and put into the refrigerator. In 30 minutes the milk was at 76 degrees. In 60 minutes it was at 67 degrees, after 90 minutes it was 59 degrees. 3 hours later it was at 51 degrees and finally after 8 hours the milk had reached 40 degrees. This is way too long. By now the bacteria count has become very high. Results would be even worse if using containers bigger than 1 quart. Many home dairies use this method, but this is the absolute worst way to cool the milk.
By Mary Jane Toth, author of A Cheesemaker's Journey and Goats Produce, Too!
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Milk and Egg Customer Instructions and information
Milk
Jar washing instructions:
- Always rinse milk jars in lukewarm water right away. Use lukewarm water, because hot makes milk proteins stick to the jar, and cold makes butterfat stick to the jar. Do not allow milk to dry in the jar. Milk proteins stick to the jar when dried on. You can’t see them, but they build up over time and can cause off-flavors in the milk. Special dairy acid can remove milk protein build-up. I rinse all jars with dairy acid twice per year. Even if you can’t do a full washing of a jar right away, always rinse it with lukewarm water immediately. Rinse until the water appears clear, not opaque.
- If you have a dishwasher, run the jar through a full cycle, with a heated dry. If you do not have a dishwasher, hand wash with hot, soapy water, preferably with a brush, or all stainless steel scrubbing pad, rather than a sponge or rag. Sponges and rags are notorious for carrying numerous bacteria. If you can have a dedicated brush or ss scrubbing pad for this purpose that would be best. After hand washing, rinse with 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach per 1 gallon water.
- Allow the jar to dry completely before replacing the lid. If any moisture is in the jar, it will be a medium for bacterial growth, and will soon be bad enough to gag a maggot. Blegh!
Thank you for taking the time to clean your jars as per my instructions. It saves me so much time, and protects you, me, and all the rest of my customers from getting sick (or just having milk that tastes "off")!
For your information:
- My raw milk ISDA permit number is RCM 061. The milk you are buying is raw, unpasteurized, whole milk.
- My cattle have been tested for tuberculosis and vaccinated for brucellosis. The milk is tested at least 4 times every 6 months by the Department of Agriculture. Each batch must be negative for drugs (medications for the cows) and must meet coliform bacteria and somatic cell count standards. Milk must also be cooled to 40F quickly. I do this by placing the milk into an ice water bath inside my refrigerator. Usually it reaches 40F within 30 minutes.
- Milk jar deposits are $4 per jar. If at any time you choose to discontinue buying milk, your $4 deposit per jar is 100% refundable, with the return of jars with lids in good condition. You can avoid paying the $4 per jar fee if you purchase the exact same jars and fitting lids that I use, and bring them to me. They can be purchased at Container and Packaging Supply in Eagle, Idaho. The website is www.containerandpackaging.com and the product number is G004 for the jar. Lids are L247 (in any color), or L465. Do not purchase the type of lids with liners. Bring the number of jars you plan on using per week.
- Please contact me 208-794-5016 (text or Facebook) 24 hours before you plan to pick up milk so that I can write your name on the jars. I need to rotate milk, and the most effective way for me to do this is by marking the jars with your name. Just tell me how many gallons you want. Sometimes it can be several days before I have any milk available, depending on what orders I have already received, but I will fill your order as soon as possible, inform you what day I have milk available, and will tell you if there is ever a problem with your order.
- Please write yourself a receipt when you pick up your milk and eggs (I need a copy for my records), place payment in the envelope provided and put it into the cash box. You will need to bring exact change, or write a check. If you wish to pay using paypal, my paypal email address is Laura@bestbirth.com and you must send the payment as a gift, so that I will not be charged a service fee. If using paypal, payment must be made within 24 hours of picking up your milk, and please make out a receipt and mark it “Paypal” so that I will know to look for your payment. Clean, return jars should be placed on the counter, to the left of the sink. Also, please take note of the refrigerator temperature, and alert me (text or Facebook me) if it is above 40F.
- Prices for 2014 are as follows. Milk is $6.50/gallon. Eggs are $2.50/doz. Jar deposits are $4 per jar. If you bring 20 empty egg cartons in good condition, you may have a free dozen eggs, but please make a note of it on the receipt. If a jar breaks while in your possession, the lid is still usable to me, so go ahead and bring it back, please.
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