My family is really going through the raw dairy these days. I got the idea for this post when we – yet again – ran out of any and all raw dairy a full 24 hours before the next farm delivery. I even added a whole extra gallon to our order at last pickup and here we are out once more!
Do I run to the store and pick up a half gallon of ultrapasteurized organic milk to tide us over?
No way! Organic Valley or Horizon organic milk from the store is horrible, health-robbing stuff. I would never buy it. It is way better to go without until you are able to get more milk fresh from the farm.
We haven’t always consumed as much as we are now. It’s just that my oldest is starting puberty and drinking about a quart a day – maybe even more?
My other two kids have all of a sudden gotten into drinking it as well. I’ve always had to pretty much force them to drink their milk in the past (you know the drill – drink your milk or no bike ride after dinner or whatever).
Now they are gulping it down and asking for more.
I know this seems like a lot, but at the moment, our family of five is easily going through 4 gallons of grassfed cow milk and 2 gallons of foraging goat milk.
Per week!
Oh, I almost forgot. Add a half gallon of raw milk yogurt to that.
And 1-3 quarts of raw cream (for raw ice cream of course). Who can live without ice cream? We do a lot of milkshakes at our house.
Plus one pound of raw butter.
That’s a lot of full fat dairy for a family of five. But then again, we don’t buy any sodas, boxed breakfast cereal, and other processed foods so even though the fresh dairy is expensive, it fits within the budget.
Just my opinion, but I would go from two cars to one or move to a smaller house if necessary to afford our raw dairy. You can’t put a price on health. It is more important than any possession.
“Health is the first wealth” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
In light of how much saturated fat my family is consuming, some of you might be thinking that we surely must be a family of large people.
As it turns out, none of us has a weight problem. It’s really true – eat your whole, unprocessed fats and don’t skimp! It really does help keep you trim!
How much raw dairy does your family consume? I want to know and I’m sure others would too!
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist.com
We are six in our home and can easily consume 8 gallons of raw jersey milk a week. We drink it raw or make buttermilk or kefir. Plus about 2 pounds of butter. We LOVE our dairy!
@ Amanda give this article a read and also peruse the site. I have come to the point of agreeing with his premise that we are all individuals and need to learn to listen to our bodies and find out what nourishes our own particular metabolic type.
We are a family of 2 adults and one 8 year old and we consume 2.5 gallons a week plus about a pound of cheese, not so much butter only because I get such a savings on coconut oil online so we use tons of that-so maybe 1/2 pound of butter. Much of our milk is consumed as kefir since we adults are on GAPS. Every once in a while we do run out and so we just go without. Cannot stomach the idea of anything but real milk!
Keria- I pay no attention to my grocery bill. I also buy 100% organic and people think I’m nuts. We have cut back on additional costs as much as we can and find new ways to save every day so that our health can come first!
Keria – I completely agree. I’ve found also that when you buy nutrient-dense food you need to eat SO much less!
Exactly! Much easier to say no to the sugar fest surrounding us 24/7 when you are eating plenty of good, whole fats and the blood sugar is beautifully steady. THEN – whether or not you eat dessert becomes a CHOICE and not a COMPULSION.
My son and I go through about 3 gallons of raw milk a week. We also orderd raw milk cheese and butter a few months ago for the first time and will be placing another order for those as well. I love it!
Hey 🙂 Just wondering before you started purchasing raw cheese, cream, & butter…. when a recipe callsed for any of these things, what would you use?
I’m assuming raw cream you could use coconut milk (Although I cannot source bpa free coconut milk in Australia) and for butter you could use coconut oil or olive oil, just curious if anyone has ideas as raw cheese cream & butter simply doesnt exist where I am (although I’ll soon be making my own butter 🙂
And I also love your quote, “You can’t put a price on health.” People often balk at our grocery bill because I buy 100% organic and raw foods regardless of the cost. We only have one car and don’t have many of the other “extras” other people find so important but for me my theory has always been that if I am going to spend my money anywhere, it is going to be on my health, and for me that first and foremost means, the food we put into our mouths. =)
I wholly agree – I have adult children who seem to have NO passion at all about what goes into their bodies and that of their children, and I cannot understand it – especially with all the information out there right now about what’s healthy and what’s not. Does it really make sense to brag that you are able to feed six people for $75. a week??? When my children see us eating real Parmesan cheese, instead of the powdered stuff in the cans, they can’t stop talking about how much money we spend on food! Or my other daughter who is low-fat, and low-carb about everything. And she can’t understand why she has such a hard time getting pregnant! It doesn’t help either that everyone, from our medical professionals on down, are telling these kids that low-fat and low-cholesterol, and vegetarian diets, are good for them!
Ann,
My grown children are the exact same way about healthy eating. One of my granddaughters ask me the other day if I make “everything” homemade. I laughed because I think she is getting the point and she is only 7.
Ann, I totally get what you are saying! My oldest is a whole foods, traditional foods foodie and left for college this summer. We drive her raw goats milk to her every week or two. She just can’t bring herself to eat conventional foods. We stock her little dorm room with what we can…especially real protien. My hubby, isn’t as dedicated. He wonders why she doesn’t just eat a the caf.
Meant to add about my “budget” conscience friends and family. Argh! As Joel Salatin says, “If you think organic food is expensive, have you priced cancer lately?” And actually, once I cut out the snacks, cereals and other packaged food, and increased my organic foods, my grocery bill stayed about the same, or less! ;o)
Oh, I LOVE that quote! I need a T-shirt and a bumper sticker that says that!
I have a husband and two kids (though one child is breastfed so she doesn’t consume any Cow’s milk). We go through at least 2 gallons a week (my husband travels a lot or that would be more) plus 2 quarts of yogurt and 1 quart of kefir. Wow, after reading this we would probably up our intake!
When I was young I’d rather have milk than Kool-aid or any other drink. I’d run in from playing and have a glass of milk. My family has always drank a moderate amt., for 3 we went through 2-3 gallons a week. Then somewhere in the middle – late 90’s we heard it was bad for us. We hardly drank any. Then when 2 of us went back to drinking it, it was as if we were lactose intolerant. I overcame it, my son did not. :o( Now, it’s hubby and I, we go through (guessing here) 1.5 gallons a week. Mostly due to my kefir making. We don’t have the luxury of raw milk. So, I hope it’s not going to be bad news saying to stop drinking it again.
By luxury, I didn’t mean price, I meant it’s illegal in NJ. 🙁
Jan, I live in NJ and get raw milk delivered every week. Email me if you are interested.
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Jan, I live in New Jersey and get raw milk from the Amish in PA. It is wonderful. We have nine children and drink 18 – 20 gallons a week. It is a miraculous food. I have struggled with colitis and illness all my life. I am currently drinking raw milk exclusively and am feeling better than I have in years!
We were only going through a gallon a week, but we were only just starting out with raw milk. We were dairy free before that. Now that we all love it so much, and it allowed me to have the most amazing 1st trimester I’ve ever had (only threw up twice the whole 13 weeks instead of twice a day as I did with the other 3 pregnancies) that I’m hooked now! We upped our farm order for October to two gallons a week. Oh and the farm fresh eggs—-yummmmmmmmmmm