Finally found raw milk..

Here in Texas I found it a bit tricky to find raw milk. There are only a handful of farms in the state licensed to sell it (and Texas is a big @$$ state, if you haven't noticed) since the Texas ag laws require special inspections and processes that are more stringent than a typical dairy farm. Driving three hours to get enough milk to make 3-4# of cheese isn't my idea of a picnic.

I believe it was HenryHill who suggested on chat that I try looking for a CSA (community supported agriculture). A quick Google search turned up a local farm that gets raw milk every two weeks from a farm way out in the sticks. For $6.50 a gallon I can get raw milk and the farm is a 15 minute drive from my house.

I went out there today and got my milk. Tomorrow I make 2# of Gouda and 2# of fresh mozzarella using the traditional method. I'm stoked.

Sacc,

DONT MILK THE BULL!!!

hehe. I'll keep that in mind.

2# of Mozz the traditional way in the fridge, and 2# of gouda in the cheese press. I really noticed a difference in the texture and yield ... the raw milk is superior in both categories.

I found this site and found a few local resources. The texas list is huge!

http://www.realmilk.com/where1.html

HSM said:

I found this site and found a few local resources. The texas list is huge!

http://www.realmilk.com/where1.html

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Yes I started there but struck out because none of the dairies are within an hour and a half drive of where I live (Texas is a big state). The CSA gets milk from one of the dairies on that list, and since they bring it into town I only have to drive 15 minutes to the farm to get the milk.

Saccharomyces said:

Yes I started there but struck out because none of the dairies are within an hour and a half drive of where I live (Texas is a big state). The CSA gets milk from one of the dairies on that list, and since they bring it into town I only have to drive 15 minutes to the farm to get the milk.

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I found a dairy on the list that is about 40 minutes away that is state licensed. Might be a little inconvient for just a milk run but I plan to convert the family to raw only.

Made mozz and gouda three weeks ago with the raw milk, waxed the gouda yesterday we are still eating on the mozz which keeps getting more and more like an aged provolone every day. Both fantastic. I didn't have any problem making cheddar out of store bought milk but the raw milk had better yield and better butterfat for sure.

Cool that you found it
Sucks that its 2-3 times as much as milk in the store

It's counter-intuitive, at least it was to me, but the milk gets better in the winter when the cows are inside instead of outside eating grass. As teh guy we buy our milk for cheese explained it, grass is full of water. Grain, as we all know, is full of goodness. So your cheese will be better in the winter with grain fed cows.

Babalu, the guys we buy the milk from are down by you, Johnson Bros. farms, just off 105

PTN

paulthenurse said:

It's counter-intuitive, at least it was to me, but the milk gets better in the winter when the cows are inside instead of outside eating grass. As teh guy we buy our milk for cheese explained it, grass is full of water. Grain, as we all know, is full of goodness. So your cheese will be better in the winter with grain fed cows.

Babalu, the guys we buy the milk from are down by you, Johnson Bros. farms, just off 105

PTN

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Thanks Paul, PLEASE let me know next time your going, I'd love to tag along. You guys can stop in if you promise not to kick two kegs and leave pairs of shoes laying around

I might try to go down there this week, what is your schedule? I'm off starting tomorrow morning till Thursday when I work at the hyperbaric center 7-3 so anytime is good for me. How about Thurs afternoon? That will give me some time to get the cheese done before I go to Houston.

PTN

Smoke the gouda! PTN have you tried getting milk from Crescent Ridge in Sharon?

this S#!T sounds like fun. I gotta learn how to make Cheese. Point me in the right direction guys. I have a farm within 20-30min of me that I can get whole/raw milk from.
Cheers
Jay

Parker36 said:

Smoke the gouda! PTN have you tried getting milk from Crescent Ridge in Sharon?

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Ya, we tried but they won't sell unpasturized milk. Sucks cause I live less than 5 minutes drive from there.

PTN

Jaybird said:

this S#!T sounds like fun. I gotta learn how to make Cheese. Point me in the right direction guys. I have a farm within 20-30min of me that I can get whole/raw milk from.
Cheers
Jay

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This link is a good place to start. She's a little whacky but will certainly get you going in the right direction. I'm not really the one to ask about the cheesemaking, that is SWMBO's gig, I'm just the one who fetches the milk.


PTN

paulthenurse said:

I might try to go down there this week, what is your schedule? I'm off starting tomorrow morning till Thursday when I work at the hyperbaric center 7-3 so anytime is good for me. How about Thurs afternoon? That will give me some time to get the cheese done before I go to Houston.

PTN

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Thursday might just work out perfect. Now I gotta find all the other supplies needed

Oh i wish i could go with you guys!

The cheesemaking book from Ricki is the only reference you need to get started. It's great. The cheesemaking.com website and store are run by the author.

I would smoke the Gouda but I don't have a cold smoke setup... although, I suppose I could build one using a hot plate, a cast iron skillet, a couple of cardboard boxes and a dryer vent. Hmmm....