The Glorious Advantages of Raw Milk

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One of the healthy new changes we have made in our home is the use of Raw Milk.  Glorious Raw Milk!!  Untouched by the human hand, in it's purest form as God intended it to be.  

There are so many arguments out there about the benefits and dangers of drinking raw milk, but we are surrounded by hundreds of healthy (Amish) families, and many other families that drink it and have drank it all of their lives.  We see daily proof that it is safe and healthy.  

Many of may not know, but I have osteoarthritis and have had it since my late 20's.  In looking for ways to combat it, I researched many articles.  The one topic that I began to see over and over was that pasteurized milk was hard on people with arthritis, any kind of arthritis.  The studies show that it actually caused joint issues and inflammation issues.  I began to look around to find others that could verify this and didn't have to look any farther than my own neighbors.  To find raw milk from a farmer close to you, go to Where Can I Find Real Milk?  

We even researched where pasteurization came from and why.  To give you a small idea, here is an excerpt from Wikipedia.  It reflects the same information we found in much of our other research.

Pasteurization of milk was suggested by Franz von Soxhlet in 1886.^[4] It is the main reason for milk's extended shelf life. High Temperature Short Time (HTST) pasteurized milk typically has a refrigerated shelf life of two to three weeks, whereas ultra-pasteurized milk can last much longer, sometimes two to three months. When ultra-heat treatment (UHT) is combined with sterile handling and container technology (such as aseptic packaging), it can even be stored unrefrigerated for 6–9 months

To see the whole article go HERE.

Our decision was based on the fact that we have stopped eating processed food that has had chemicals and preservatives added to it for longer shelf life.  Why would drink something that has endured a process to lengthen its shelf life?  We don't need milk that can last up to two weeks.  Milk doesn't last that long in our home.

Also, we have been realizing how much the big corporate industries have swayed us in regards to what we eat and drink.  The milk industry stands much to lose if everyone stops buying milk from the stores and begins to milk their own cows or goats.  We feel the same way about the beef industry too.  For that matter, the whole health industry stands to lose billions of the almighty dollar if people began to be healthier too, but I won't open that can of worms....yet.  

Here is another article from Dr. Mercola about processed milk being the problem:

Processing Is the Problem

The path that transforms healthy milk products into allergens and carcinogens begins with modern feeding methods that substitute high-protein, soy-based feeds for fresh green grass and breeding methods to produce cows with abnormally large pituitary glands so that they produce three times more milk than the old fashioned scrub cow. These cows need antibiotics to keep them well.

Their milk is then pasteurized so that all valuable enzymes are destroyed (lactase for the assimilation of lactose; galactase for the assimilation of galactose; phosphatase for the assimilation of calcium).

Literally dozens of other precious enzymes are destroyed in the pasteurization process. Without them, milk is very difficult to digest. The human pancreas is not always able to produce these enzymes; over-stress of the pancreas can lead to diabetes and other diseases.

The butterfat of commercial milk is homogenized, subjecting it to rancidity. Even worse, butterfat may be removed altogether. Skim milk is sold as a health food, but the truth is that butter-fat is in milk for a reason.

Without it the body cannot absorb and utilize the vitamins and minerals in the water fraction of the milk. Along with valuable trace minerals and short chain fatty acids, butterfat is America's best source of preformed vitamin A.

Synthetic vitamin D, known to be toxic to the liver, is added to replace the natural vitamin D complex in butterfat. Butterfat also contains re-arranged acids which have strong anti-carcinogenic properties.

Non-fat dried milk is added to 1% and 2% milk. Unlike the cholesterol in fresh milk, which plays a variety of health promoting roles, the cholesterol in non-fat dried milk is oxidized and it is this rancid cholesterol that promotes heart disease.

Like all spray dried products, non-fat dried milk has a high nitrite content. Non-fat dried milk and sweetened condensed milk are the principle dairy products in third world countries; use of ultra high temperature pasteurized milk is widespread in Europe.

To see the whole article go HERE.

Here is another terrific source for information at RealMilk.com and what the Scientific Literature really says HERE.

I share all of this with you, not to convince you that you should drink raw milk, but to explain the power behind our decision to drink raw milk.  If you do decide to drink raw milk, you have to be absolutely sure that it comes from a very clean source or raise your own animals for milking purposes.

Besides the health benefits from drinking raw milk, there are many things you can make yourself from raw milk.  In the picture above did you see the cream at the top?  No more having to buy ranch dressings, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, whipping cream, heavy cream, cheese of any kind including cream cheese, butter or yogurt!

It is amazing how self-sufficient you can be when you have raw milk to work with.  When you make all of these things your self, you don't have to worry about the chemicals and preservatives of all of these things.  What a relief!

Here are some recipes and tutorials to give you an idea of how easy and fun this can be!  These are the sources I use to make my own, so instead of re-inventing the wheel, I thought I would share the originals with you and give them all of the credit they so deserve.

Here is a real easy one, Ricotta Cheese for all of your lasagna and stuffed pastas.

Tutorial Source

Another easy one, Cream Cheese

Tutorial Source

Here is a terrific Yogurt recipe!

Tutorial Source

Yummy Ranch Dressing

Tutorial Source

Beautiful Homemade Mozzarella Cheese!

Tutorial Source

And the one constant around our home in it's purest form...

Tutorial Source

This butter tutorial tells how to make it by shaking your cream in a jar.  We still do it that way from time to time, but it's much easier to do by using your Kitchen Maid mixer.  Be sure to stand watch though or you will end up with whey all over the kitchen.  Believe me, I speak from experience!  Once it forms, it will plop around in the bowl causing the whey to splash everywhere.

One of my favorite things to do is to make all sorts of flavored butter like Cinnamon Honey Butter, Orange Honey Butter, Strawberry Honey Butter, Blackberry Honey Butter, Vanilla Honey Butter, Apricot Honey Butter, Garlic Butter and Herb Butter.  You can find all of these on my Butter Board.

If you have favorite recipes of your own, please share them with me!  I love to find new and exciting things to do with our raw milk!

Find me linked up at:  Homestead Revival, Nourishing Treasures, Growing Home, Far Above Rubies, Skip to my Lou, Penniless Parenting, Titus 2sdays, Raising Homemakers, Frugally Sustainable, Women Living Well, Raising Mighty Arrows, Deep Roots at Home, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Farm Friend Friday, Life as Mom, Farmgirl Friday