My Family Cow

Plumpest Peach visits Family Cow

Butter.

Every time I think about freshly churned butter, I think back to elementary school when our teacher showed us how we could make it. She held out a glass mason jar with heavy cream in it and just started shaking it. We all sat in a circle on the classroom floor and took turns shaking the jar of cream. Of course everyone wanted it to turn to butter while they were shaking it, and after a lot of shaking, it finally did. I remember thinking how cool that was.

Up until I made that butter you're staring at, ("churned" in a food processor) I don't think I've thought about making my own butter since elementary school. I love all forms of butter, cultured, sea salted, French style, Irish brands, I mean really, what's not to love here? It wasn't until I was on a quest to make my own clotted cream, that I started thinking about how incredible it is that millions of value added dairy products are made from simple milk.

Tiki (cow)

Owned by Lindsay and Evan, Family Cow Farmstand is a micro-dairy farm located in Hinesburg Vermont. They own a small number of the most beautiful, happy, and healthy cows I've ever met. I found them while searching the web for raw (unpasteurized) milk in my quest to make clotted cream. My first Cream Tea experience was in Oxford at The Rose Tea Room. I fell hard for it. If you've had it, you know what I'm talking about: Devon clotted cream; so thick, rich and very yellow, there is no substitute. However, I was determined to make my own. And I figured I had a good chance of making something quite comparable if I could find some raw milk/cream. I thought finding a dairy farm would be the easy part considering I live in Vermont- but it had to be a business I could build a relationship with because I was pretty sure I would be seeing them often if this recipe was a success. Turns out I found exactly what I was hoping for.

Jemima

Let me guess, you have concerns regarding raw milk. Well I'm here to tell you to get over it, in a really polite and respectful way. I too had some concerns and turns out, surprise! my concerns were fueled with false information. So I'm here to set the record straight, super straight, on the basis of my experience with the Family Cow.

False statement: Raw milk has bacteria in it that makes you sick. As a matter of fact, it has good bacteria just like yogurt. This good bacteria is destroyed during pasteurization. The only thing that can make you sick from milk are pathogens. A pathogen being transferred from grass-fed cows to their milk is extremely rare especially when they are healthy. And healthy means they are living off of healthy pasture and organic grains, as opposed to corn and growth hormones and as a result, treated with antibiotics.

As I was taking photos of Lindsay's morning routine, naturally we got to chatting. While she was filling the milk jars she mentioned something I was completely unaware of. A simple fact that makes this whole "is raw milk safe?" question udderly clear. The cow's rumen in its natural state is not as acidic as a human's stomach. The natural state that I am referring to here is a cow that is grass-fed and not given any antibiotics or growth hormones. Since their stomach is naturally more basic in pH compared to ours, if the cow had any bacteria that could cause another cow to be sick, it wouldn't cause us to be sick because our stomach acid is stronger and would kill it off. This is a natural balance that exists in our favor. However, when we feed cows with corn, the cow's rumen becomes more acidic and this acidity can cause all sorts of health problems for the cow, and furthermore, for us. Once the cow's rumen is as acidic as ours, there is a danger of pathogens being passed to us. Enter pasteurization. It really saddens me to think how horrible this cycle has become because we have to produce large quantities of milk. We've made our worst nightmares come true in the large scale farms. The Family Cow's small dairy operation is able to facilitate the natural balance and reaps the benefits of it.

Still don't believe it? Need proof that they have the cleanest milk around? The VT State Agency of Agriculture Lab tests their milk twice a month and they have had a long track record of superb results. Their website has all the information you would ever need to understand what raw milk is and make and educated decision for what is right for you.

It is my opinion that pasteurization has a place and is necessary in large scale dairies. But I also think that through all that we have learned from the time before pasteurization existed until now, there are great benefits for a product like this. Predominantly because the flavor of raw milk can't be beat. I think if you have the opportunity to support a business such as this one, you should. If you don't have a small dairy around that you can trust to produce this type of incredible product, then raw milk isn't worth it.

I support Lindsay and Evan's business because I believe good things come in small packages. Lindsay and Evan are the salt of the earth and they treat their animals as such. They are passionate individuals that care about making a difference, and it shows with how little they meddle with the natural balance of things. Truly a lost art. It is simply a beautiful thing and I feel honored to be a part of The Family... Cow.