Our thoughts on raw milk
grownandgathered
Recently, we have been asked a lot of questions about raw milk: why it's good, how we milk our cow, and information on the current raw milk laws (in particular in Victoria, Australia). So here are your answers.
WHY IS RAW MILK SO "GOOD" FOR YOU?
Raw milk has good bacteria, that is good for our digestion and immune system. Additionally, it has been proven to combat health problems such as asthma and allergies. Heat treated, or pasteurised milk does not have this bacteria in it anymore.
DOES RAW MILK "GO OFF"?
No. It simply sours due to healthy lactic acid producing bacteria. So even ‘off’ raw milk won’t make you sick.
WHAT DO WE DO?
- We are big believers in the nutrition of raw milk.
- We hand milk our cow, as it was done traditionally. We don't use machines and we believe that machines, are often where the risk of "contamination" of milk can occur - due to difficulty cleaning pipes/lines.
- We believe in building a relationship with our cow, and her calf. We see them as a part of our family.
LAWS
- Every country and state is different. In many countries (such as the UK and NZ), in parts, it is legal to purchase raw milk at farm gates.
- Where we live: Victoria has a new law, where raw milk, once labelled as "bath milk" can, as of January 1st 2015, only be sold with a chemical in it (similar to anti-freeze) which illicits a gag reflex when consumed.
FACT
- The chances of becoming sick from raw milk is 1 in 6 million.
WHAT IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS RAW MILK?
We understand not everyone has access to it, and in this case - the second best thing is to buy from good, small producers which use minimal processing. Look for words like "pasture raised", unhomogenised, organic, full cream, milk when purchasing your milk.