Raw milk is milk that is not pasteurized or homogenized. Pasteurization is a heating process that kills off all the bacteria (good and bad) and prolongs the shelf life of the milk. Homogenization is a process that keeps the cream from separating from the milk. From what I've read, the main benefits of raw milk are the fact that it is a nutritionally complete food (meaning it contains proteins, vitamins, fats, and carbohydrates), it has more calcium and other nutrients than pasteurized milk, and supports the immune system with good bacteria that helps out in the intestines. The question about rBGH still is not definitively answered for me, both because of conflicting studies and because even cows that are not given the synthetic hormone still produce it naturally. How it affects puberty is undetermined.
So, armed with all this confusing knowledge, we decided to go ahead and try it. Jason and I drink skim milk but raw milk proponents recommend only drinking full fat milk because most of the immune boosting nutrients are in the fat. We couldn't bring ourselves to switch to full fat milk and, after trying raw skim milk that had separated, Jason said he wanted he and I to go back to milk from the store. We still buy whole raw milk for our kids.
The taste of raw milk is a little different than store bought milk. I think the taste is better. Our kids seem to like all milk, raw or pasteurized, whole or skim.
Another thing that keeps us going back, in all honesty, is the experience. The drive is lovely, the dairy is small and family owned, and if you get there at the right time, you can see the cows milked. They also sell delicious raw and pasteurized cheese, cream, and local honey and jams.
A friend and I take turns driving out each week (although ideally we'd have a few more families to share that task with) to save time and gas.
These photos are from our trip today:
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