Fresh milk products

So I am always reminded of all the health benefits of natural farm products which is why I moved out of the city so I could grow my own everything!!!!! I have chickens, turkeys and ducks and have tried all of them and love the homegrown taste. This year I will starting my very first garden and have have also been thinking lately about getting a cow or goat for both milk and meat production. It might not be in my books this year but would like to start learning more about it for sure. I have read a ton of posts and am a little nervous about the time commitment for milking but I would love to try some goat milk, cheese, butter or cow milk, cheese, and butter or other products. I know you can't legally sell this stuff I think you can't anyway but I would live to buy some from anyone in the Edmonton area or if someone is willing to meet me at a sale it would be much appreciated. If you don't want to post on here you can PM or email me.

If you do decide to pursue a cow or goat, it is possible to milk once a day. You can either leave the little one on during the day and separate them at night when it is old enough, or you can actually milk once a day without the calf in the picture. We found information on this in a very indispensable book for having milk cows. It is by Dirk van Loon, and is called The Family Cow. Even before you get a cow, GET THIS BOOK and read it. It will help you know what to look for and what to avoid. You will also gain valuable information that you can use later. It should help boost your confidence.

You can also find information on this for milking goats on the Fiasco Farms website. We milk our jersey early in the morning and we have the rest of the day that is ours.

We do still feed some barley in the evening to keep the cream content up. Cows are not really a lot of hassle as some may tell you. You need a fence, an electric fencer, pasture, hay for winter feeding, a lean to for winter wind protection, straw for bedding and a place to milk, some barley (best choice for cream production) a strainer, good straining cloths, a bucket of hot water and dish soap for cleaning the udder and a vinegar/water mix for disinfecting the udder and keeping the flies off the cow. Nothing has to be fancy. You don't even need a separator. Just skim the cream off the top. We made our milking area with stuff we had laying around. We have a dirt floor that is sloped out toward the door. We prefer the dirt to concrete for comfort for the cow and cleanliness reasons as odd as that sounds. We have never had to call a vet. Overall, the health of our animal(s) are great! We have saved a lot of money over the years milking our own cow, so even if we can't sell it, it makes us money in that way. Oh, and I have lost weight by drinking raw milk...6 lb. in 7 days. I changed nothing else. It has never returned.

We will never by choice be without a good milk cow again. If you look around, and depending on your location, you may be able to find one for a good price. Just know what you are looking for and be willing to pay for one with no issues. It is worth it. Don't go cheap unless it is a great cow with no former or current problems. Know its heritage. That can pay off for you too. We did not want a cross, as we wanted to know what we were getting. We didn't want any holstein blood. We wanted a high milk producer with a high ratio of cream, & so we chose a jersey. I would love to try a guernsey and/or a milking shorthorn but they are VERY pricey in comparison here and the shorthorn is very rare. We have an excellent source for registered jerseys nearby. We paid only $500 each time we got one from the dairyman and this last time got the top producer (with NO health issues or problems whatsoever) in the herd at 3 years old. We have never regretted it. I am so amazed at what they charge on the west coast for one that isn't even close to the top quality one that we got.

Can you tell that I love jerseys and their "cousins"?

If you ever need cheese recipes, you can get goat milk cheese recipes on that site, or you can pm/email me for cow's milk recipes. I have many and many links to good cheese making advice. I can also direct you to some good sources for supplies that you might need. There is nothing like real cheese.

You are correct, in Alberta you cannot legally sell or even give away raw milk. The same goes for the province I am in, Manitoba. It is a sad thing really. I wish it wasn't so.

Anyway, I hope that you can get a taste of raw milk. We have no problem "sharing" in house if someone comes for a visit. We have no bought milk that comes through our doors, and I am thinking that that might be a good way for you to get a taste legally. If you are a guest, what can "they" say?

I will make this short and sweet as I am currently making Mozza and cream cheese...from my beautiful Jersey girl who just freshened (had a baby) last week
I cant tell you how worried I was about time commitments. Im a mother of 3 kids. 2 in school and 1 in part time preschool. Im busy. ANd lazy. No really...I am a lazy procrastnator and that can make everything a little trickier to fit in a schedule
HOWEVER...Im doing it. ANd really if there is anything I love to do each day, its milk the cow. I leave my kiddos in the house watching tv, and putting themselves to bed (haha ya right - if that ever happens I will have heart failure Im sure) and that is my quiet time. ABout half an hour every mornign and half an hour every night I get to sit all alone and tell my cow all about my wonderful/lousy day. And she just listens. Occasioanlly she doesnt like what I have to say and swats me with her tail. But it is something I look forward to even more than figuring out what the heck Im gonna DO with all this milk
I hope to get a dairy sheep and goat too very soon and compare milk, but I love my Jersey and hope to get another to keep her company this year. Perhaps a Dexter? Not much to choose from in my area.
And on the note of once a day milking...it can be done. Not immediately, but gradually you can get your cow to once a day, once every other day etc. Its really just the first few weeks that you are a crazy person running around milking, sterilizing, milking, looking for jars, milking, checking for milk fever and mastitis, milking...you get the picture ;l) Then once everything calms down and you fall into a routine it is such a joy. As joyful as finding a dozen eggs from a dozen chickens each morning

Jaclyn

Oh these tales of the family milking cow. This is old stuff, many of you have heard me ramble before about this. We had a milk cow, Candy was her name, she was a beautiful Jersey. We shared this cow with my Sister and her family that lived with us in Deroche, this is east of Mission in B.C. We lived in a communal family environment for some time and the duties of milking our beloved Candy was shared. She provided enough milk and milk by products for both families, easily, and some left over....those things we made from the cream of that girl. As Hidden was saying, some of the most beautiful memories of my life came from those quiet times with that Candy girl, in the cool unlit barn, only a lantern when the nights were dark -- beautiful and most precious times with the Candy girl, oh, oh, I feel a little offtopic ramblin' comin' on. Pardon, but this is the way I am. Time passed and people moved on. We moved away closer to our work places, which was a 1.5 hour travel each way. One day I will have a milk cow again, just a small milker. With Husband and me retired, we don't drink as much milk, but I still have enough people that would be part of our family cow to consume all of the products, happily. I yearn for the taste of the sweet and beautiful milk of the cow and one day it will happen.

When I read the post Niglefritz made (what an odd handle by the way, smiling that big smile), about only milking once a day, that has spurred me to more desire of one day having a sweet gal to provide nourishment for our food tables. I would become more informed about this. As this is certainly something that has held me back from my intense and deep desire to nurture my family with raw milk and those products. I actually never realized this was possible, and am listening and now would endeavour to get this book, so I could become more informed. (My Son-in-Law actually kidded me about a month ago "this would be something for Mum -- it was an ad for a Jersey milker, smiling"), I told him one day, one fine day...but the responsibility holds me back . People who have the joy of having a milker, pat yourself on the back, you are doing yourselves an enormous goodness for the glory of making your own products for your food table and the health you are also providing in-home, this is a most wonderful thing. Have a most beautiful day, CynthiaM.

I have many memories too. I started milking when I was a teen. It was my time away from my family. I would de-stress out there, sing songs to the cow with the rhythm of the milking. I had to watch that I didn't relax too much, however, or sing a slow song...my rhythm would change too much. It did keep the cow relaxed, though. I enjoyed the cleaning out of the barn too. It was good, hard work, and I loved the smell of the fresh straw and the new hay put out for the calf. I love the smell of the fresh milk, the sound of the milk hitting the pail/milk in it, just the general milking process in general. The only exception to this was when it was super cold in the barn or there were lots of flies/mosquitoes or when the cow was in a bad mood or kicked the pail over. That I didn't like.

We have other stories from more recently. One in particular is quite entertaining. It involves a young pig, our first curious, crazy cow (really, she was very unique), and my husband. The little pig jumped out of the small trailer that we brought her and some buddies home in...popped right out and started running. Well, my husband saw and chased the pig and the cow, who was abnormally excitable, took chase and chased them to one side of the pasture to see what the excitement was all about, then they all turned around, coming out of the bush full speed ahead. So there was the little pig, running for all it was worth, my husband, and the cow, breathing down his neck. Oh it was good to watch! He didn't think so, but from my vantage point, it was hilarious. I only wish that I could have had the whole thing on video. We laugh about it now. It is a good memory.

One thing that I should have mentioned about once a day milking is that when we did do exclusive once a day milking with no calf involved, the amount of milk dropped to 75% of her full production. If the amount dropped further over time, we could pick it up again somewhat by milking twice a day for a few days.

CynthiaM, I got the name "niglefritz" from my son. We fondly call him Schniglefritz on occasion and he likes it too. When he was younger, he couldn't say it properly. This is where I came up with the name. My grandma would call some little ones Schniglefritz on occasion, so it is a fond memory for me to begin with, and this just makes it more special. I love the whole sound of the word. It makes me smile.

Rosies wrote:I would love to try some goat milk, cheese, butter or cow milk, cheese, and butter or other products. I know you can't legally sell this stuff I think you can't anyway but I would live to buy some from anyone in the Edmonton area or if someone is willing to meet me at a sale it would be much appreciated. If you don't want to post on here you can PM or email me.

Calgary is not really close to you I quess, but I know a family that sell goat milk and products at the Kingsland farmers market.
If you ever go south, it's every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

This is what I found on facebook;
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"Some of our new products...Peppercorn Goat Cheddar, Goat Gouda, Goat Butter and Non-Fat Greek Style Goat Yogurt!"
And a little video about there business;
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[quote="Anna"]

Rosies wrote:I would love to try some goat milk, cheese, butter or cow milk, cheese, and butter or other products. I know you can't legally sell this stuff I think you can't anyway

I don't think there are laws against selling goat milk and products of the goat milk. But I could be wrong. This where I just don't get where cow milk is illegal to sell, freaky laws eh? Have a wonderful day, CynthiaM.

It is illegal in Manitoba. We asked a goat dairy owner once about trying raw goat milk and she said that the stuff in the store is ruined and she would love to have us taste the raw product, but couldn't do it legally.

The one at Kingsland Farmers Market is doing this legally. They have a "Dairy Industry Act Goat Milk Processor Licence"
I have a soft goat cheese with sundried tomato & garlic in the fridge.
It says; ingredients; 100% pure goat milk, bacterial cultures, kosher salt, vegetable rennet.

niglefritz; We asked a goat dairy owner once about trying raw goat milk and she said that the stuff in the store is ruined and she would love to have us taste the raw product, but couldn't do it legally.

I don't think the product I bought from them is "ruined", it taste delicious

I remember that she was very nervous about giving us even just a small taste if we came to her farm and said that she couldn't do it legally and did state that the store bought milk was ruined. To clarify, raw milk and milk products always taste a lot different from anything pasteurized, as the pasteurized product is heated which that alters it quite a bit and that is probably what she was meaning. She, as well as my family and I, prefer unpasteurized for not only the flavor, but the many health benefits that it provides. There is NOTHING like the flavor of real raw milk cheese.

I checked out the links. The license mentioned is provincial (only for AB), so they can sell off farm as a processor and by law can only sell pasteurized products.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] So, that being said, even though they have 100% real goats milk, it is still pasteurized.

We would still love to taste the raw goats milk first before buying a goat, but if we can't, that is just how things are for us.

You'd have to check into this... But I believe it's legal to sell raw or "Natural" goat/cow/sheep milk for the purposes of pet food and animal supplementation.

Just saying... *Grin*