How to store and use raw milk with confidence

Raw milk is one of the most misunderstood foods. Is it safe? Should I pasteurize it? How do I store it? Let’s see if I can help build your confidence, no matter where you are in your raw milk journey.

You can drink Miller’s Bio Farm milk raw or pasteurized.

People have consumed both raw AND pasteurized milk from different animals for thousands of years. The farmer believes this is absolutely a personal choice.

Most modern folks who choose to drink raw milk do so for the abundant health benefits. If you’re interested in learning more, I recommend checking out www.realmilk.com or www.realmilkinstitute.org.

Most modern folks who choose to drink pasteurized milk do it either as a culinary cultural tradition or because of the fear of potentially dangerous pathogens. 

Using modern technology, Miller’s Bio Farm aims to produce the safest milk possible.

As with any raw food (including lettuce), there’s always a risk of potentially dangerous pathogens. Especially when you are producing raw milk, safety is so very important. 

We go above and beyond to provide you with an ultra low risk product. We utilize modern testing and bottling equipment to do this. You can read more about our milk safety standards here.

If you’re new to raw milk, take it slow.

This is exceptionally important if you eat a diet of “dead” and pasteurized food, which usually results in a struggling digestive system. 

When you start drinking raw milk for the first time, start with a ¼ cup, slowly increasing day by day. This will help your body acclimate to the new beneficial microorganisms you’re introducing.

Store milk in the fridge.

The proper temperature for a fridge is 38-42 F. If you don’t have one already, I recommend getting a simple fridge thermometer. Many are less than $10. Maintaining milk (and all food for that matter) at the proper temperature will help it stay freshest longest.

You can also freeze raw milk.

Raw milk can be frozen for up to 3 months without (major) damage to the enzymes or fat-soluble vitamins. You can freeze milk longer, and it's safe to consume. But, the longer it's frozen, the more probiotic loss.

It’s recommended to freeze milk when fresh, right after you receive it. Make sure to leave at least 1” head room in the bottle to account for expansion when freezing. You can freeze milk in plastic or glass, but there is of course the chance of glass breaking when frozen or while thawing.

When you’re ready to thaw the milk, put it in the fridge and let it thaw completely. Then, shake to recombine the fat.

Raw milk naturally sours over time. The “best buy” date points to the date when we think the milk will be too sour to palate.

The lactase enzyme in raw milk slowly digests the lactose (milk sugar). This is what makes raw milk get slowly more sour over time. This fermentation happens even when the milk is kept sealed in the fridge. The only way to stop it is to pasteurize the milk and kill the lactase.

When the best buy date passes, it doesn’t mean the milk is instantly “bad”. The best buy date is more of an indication of when to expect the milk to be too sour to palate and drink cold in a glass.

If you choose to pasteurize or boil your milk, please do so within the first 3 days of receiving it.​

The longer you wait, the more the milk will sour. The more the milk sours, the greater the chance of having an off putting flavor or separating when heating.

Here are instructions for pasteurizing: (1) Heat milk at 145F in a stainless steel pot for 30 minutes; (2) Remove milk from the heat and put in a sink or a large bowl filled with ice water, stirring constantly until the milk temperature drops to 40F; and (3) Store pasteurized milk in the fridge at 38-42F.

If you’d like, you can reheat pasteurized milk and drink warm.

Have any questions? Need any help? I love helping customers. Contact us here.