Dear friends,
I have a new love.
And its name is milk.
Organic. Hormone free. Local.
I never knew milk could be this good. Parker did, s0 he spoke up and urged us to give it a try. (I have learned so many new things from that boy since he joined FFA. I heart FFA. And I heart the sight of my tall boy in his cordurory blue FFA jacket.)
Normally, I’m not a big milk fan. So when Parker told all of us that this is the best milk he’d ever tasted, I was skeptical. I mean, it’s not Chardonnay. What’s there to be “best” about it? Milk is milk, right?
Not even close.
This milk has a texture and a taste I’ve never experienced. It reminds me of a great wine that is considered to have a fine palate — its sweetness lingers in your mouth after you swallow and makes you want to take another drink immediately. And it is absolutely the freshest-tasting milk I’ve ever drank.
Maybe it’s the nature of organic milk to be so good — I don’t know because I’ve never purchased it before. Maybe it’s the fact that the milk is locally produced and bottled, meaning it ends up in my glass while other milk is still being trucked across the US. Maybe it’s the “vat pasteurization” process, which the company website says is a slower method that preserves the natural flavor. I don’t know the reasons — I just know it’s good. Good like no milk I’ve ever tasted. Who knew such a simple pleasure could make me so happy?
The fact that the milk is packaged in vintage-looking glass bottles that are returnable (and don’t end up in landfills) is all the better.
I wish I could buy a bottle for all of you. Since I can’t, all I can say is you should search for a source for local milk in your area. And if you can find organic, hormone-free, and vat-pasteurized milk, you’ll be a happy camper. You can thank Parker later.
With gratitude (for my new town where local produce, local meat, local dairy, and local honey are abundant},
Joan, who didn’t return her milk bottle for the deposit because she thinks it will make an adorable vase for wildflowers
Debt of Gratitude 
Yay, another convert to the pleasures of locally sourced, organic dairy products! You have tapped into a real passion of mine. Supporting as many local, sustainably sourced organic products as possible is an ongoing quest of mine as I feel it is the very best way to invest our food shopping dollars.
It all about freshness and terrior. Your local milk tastes different than mine (all part of the natural fun) as the dairy herds are grazing pastures and producing milk flavored by whatever predominant grasses are in season where they live. That taste will be slightly different season to season, and since you are drinking “just” your local milk as opposed to getting some super cooked blend from who knows where, you’ll actually be able to enjoy the unique flavor of “your” dairy.
Bottom line? Local organic milk always tastes best. It is provided by folks you can talk to in person and discover for yourself how a passion to produce the best dairy is enhanced by organic methods, smaller scale, and shorter delivery times.
And oh lady. If you are enjoying the milk, just wait until you try local organic butters! And eggs! Pinky swear you won’t ever go back (willingly) to using anonymous national chain brands.
Deb — local butter? I hadn’t even thought of that — but now I’m on a mission to find it! Yesterday I found a health food store in our smallish town (given a population of 18,000, we’re lucky to have one I think) and I saw local eggs, which I didn’t buy because we’re all stocked up, but I will next time. And I’ve been itching to learn how to make yogurt and ricotta, so I’m excited to try it with my wonderful new milk.
hmm… wondering if cream content might have anything to do with this new love? Just having that old glass jar on the table makes it taste better in my books.
Dana — I’m not sure . . . we’ve always drank whole milk in our home, fat content be damned. By the way, I alerted the dairy to my post. One of the owners replied to my email and thanked me, but wanted to make sure I knew the milk is “natural,” not “organic.” She shared this information: “Our cows are free to roam and pasture between milkings, but their main source of feed is silage that we grow ourselves. We use natural farming practices in that we do not use pesticides on our crops, we fertilize from our lagoon, and our silage is GMO-free. They cows are given a “barn” feed while they’re being milked (keeps them from wanting to kick us). The barn feed is purchased and is called “natural”, but it does have corn in it that is probably GMO corn. We are currently working with our animal nutritionist to develop a barn feed that is 100% GMO-free, but we are not there yet.”
How great is it in this day and age when you get a thorough answer from an owner. God bless the family farmers!
Love organic milk and LOVE supporting local farmers, too. Plus, I like the sound of the glass jars and how cute they look on the table.
I’ve enjoyed reading the comments, and have also familiarized myself with the background and history of this blog. A very interesting story! Ozark Mountain Creamery does hope to someday make butter with our extra cream. Right now the cost of the equipment to do so is a bit out of reach, but butter is definitely on the goal list. Our current products are whole, non-homogenized whole, 2%, skim and natural whole chocolate milk. The vat pasteurization does set us apart from all other milk processors in the state of Missouri. Our website is http://www.ozarkmtncreamery.com, where you can read more about our milk and also see a list of stores that carry our milk. Teresa