Raw Milk: It’s Milk Without the Confusion

Almost every summer, when I was a kid, I spent on the farm where my Grandmother was born, some kilometers outside Warsaw, Poland.

Coming from Long Island New York, it was like stepping back in a time machine. If you wanted to make a call you had to phone a central switchboard and they would connect you. Primitive, right? Endless fields of wheat, a swimming hole, barefoot kids, chickens in and out of the kitchen, homemade everything AND raw milk.

Now, let me just say, I HATE drinking milk, the thought of it curdles my blood, I just don’t like the stuff, never did, even as kid; there’s just something about my body that doesn’t want milk inside of it.

That’s why, looking back on those summers, I find it strange; the only milk I could ever stand to drink came, in it’s purest, most natural form, straight from the cow.

Now I don’t pretend to know much about the raw milk controversy, how it’s supposed to be dangerous, or something, but I know enough to trust what my body likes.

That’s why I’m glad I moved here to Vancouver where across the hall I have a friend who’s bought into a cow share (I think, illegally) and has a plentiful supply of the stuff.

I’m sure next time I’m baking muffins, she’ll hear a knock on the door. . .

“Can I borrow a glass of milk please ?”

2 Comments

  1. kelly says:

    I was upset that we do not have raw milk here in Singapore. The government here would not think of having their milk unpasteurized.

    One question though, are the cows also devoid of high growth hormone injections? Antibiotic injections?

    • hellaD says:

      Yeah, good point. I can imagine the Singapore government would be horrified! Raw milk is such a touchy issue that the local dairies that offer it are very, very careful to make sure the cows are healthy. Also most of them operate with a small local community so that everyone knows who they are, and can find out for themselves how much dedication to happy, healthy cows they have. Those dairies that sell raw milk usually won’t feed their cows grain, but will just let them graze pasture. If a cow does become sick and need antibiotics, it’s milk isn’t used and the cow is kept out of the production until the antibiotic is out of it’s system. Hormone injections are not used.

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