LTLT stands for “low temperature long time” and is also known as “batch pasteurization”. The milk is heated to 145F for 20-30 minutes. Then it is immediately cooled down.
Side note: Other pasteurization methods are HTST (high temperature short time) and UHT (ultra high temperature).
This is the lowest temperature that you can pasteurize milk at. And, farmer Aaron and I assumed that, especially since the milk is NOT homogenized, it would not change the taste or structure of the milk and cream.
We were wrong! You can see the difference. Here is Miller’s raw and pasteurized milk that sat for 3 days in the fridge:
As you can see, our raw milk has a hefty and easy-to-see cream line, about a third of the way down from the top of the container. The pasteurized cream top milk has a cream line, too. However, it’s harder to see and only about a tenth of the way down from the top of the container.
When you take a spoonful of cream out of each container, there’s a stark difference as well. The raw cream is smooth and thick and coats the spoon. The pasteurized cream is clumpy and sticky, almost like a pudding skin at the very top.
I read a few scientific articles about why this happens. As it turns out, pasteurization alters the fat in milk.
With unprocessed raw milk, any interaction between milk proteins and milk fat is limited. Milk fat is contained within the “milk fat globule membrane”, and the casein and whey proteins are found predominantly in the watery part (AKA the “serum phase”) of the milk.
But, processes such as heating can alter these structures. The fat globule membrane can be broken, which makes it easier for the fats to mix in with the watery part of the milk. Scientifically this can be called “better emulsion stability” or “creaming stability”.
The less the milk is heated, in temperature and time, the less the fat and cream is altered. Miller’s Bio Farm chooses LTLT processing, because it’s the lowest possible temperature for pasteurization. And now, we’ll need to look into HTLT processing (high temperature low time) to see if it’s possible and if it causes less damage.
Even though the amount of fat is the same in both Miller’s raw and pasteurized milks, they present themselves differently. As usual, there are pluses and minuses to both.
When you drink raw milk, the downside is that there’s an extra step. You typically need to shake the container to recombine the fat before pouring. The plus side is that it’s much easier to separate and utilize the cream to make butter or whipped cream.
When you drink pasteurized milk (even when non-homogenized), the plus side is that shaking is not as essential. The fat is more evenly distributed in the milk. The downside is that the cream is not as abundant.
Both are absolutely delicious. But, there are both invisible and visible differences when it comes to raw vs pasteurized milk.
How do you take or use your milk? Raw or pasteurized? Do you heat it or cook with it at home?
I’d love to hear from you. Comment below (no account required, start typing and post as a guest option will appear) or contact us.
Raising Pork the Old-Fashioned Way: Miller's Bio Farm's Commitment to Quality
At Miller's Bio Farm, we're not trying to reinvent the wheel, we're bringing back the farming practices that sustained communities for generations. As an Amish farm, we understand that good stewardship of the land and animals isn't just about business; it's about honoring creation and providing wholesome food for families.
When you buy pork from us, you're getting more than just meat. You're getting the result of careful, intentional farming that puts the well-being of our animals, our land, and your family first.
Let's be honest: most grocery store pork comes wrapped in pretty words like "natural" and "humanely raised," but these labels often don't mean much. It's easy to put nice words on a package, much harder to actually do the work of raising animals properly.
We'd like to show you how we do things differently here at Miller's Bio Farm.
What Makes Our Pork Different
Good pork starts with good practices. For us, that means healthy soil, happy animals, responsible harvesting, and thoughtful management of everything that happens on our farm.
Here's what that looks like in practice:
Pasture-Raised the Way Nature Intended
Pigs aren't meant to spend their lives standing on concrete in windowless buildings. They're curious, intelligent animals that need fresh air, sunshine, and room to express their natural behaviors, rooting in the dirt, foraging for food, and socializing with other pigs.
On our farm, hogs live outdoors on pasture in the woods where they can do exactly that. We move them regularly to fresh ground, which keeps them healthy and gives the land time to rest and regenerate. This practice, sometimes called rotational grazing is farming wisdom that's been passed down for centuries.
When pigs root and forage on fresh pasture, they're naturally fertilizing the soil and helping plants grow back stronger. The land becomes more fertile season after season, storing carbon and building topsoil instead of depleting it. No chemical fertilizers needed, just pigs doing what pigs do best.
This kind of farming takes more work than confining animals in one place, but it produces better results for everyone involved: healthier pigs, healthier land, and better tasting pork.
Raising Animals with Respect
Our approach to animal care reflects our values as an Amish farming community. We believe animals deserve to be treated with dignity and respect throughout their lives.
Processing with Care
When harvest time comes, we work with a small processor who shares our commitment to humane treatment. Our animals are handled calmly and respectfully, with immediate stunning to ensure they feel no distress.
This isn't just the right thing to do, it also affects meat quality. Animals that are stressed at slaughter produce tougher, less flavorful meat. Properly handled animals yield tender, delicious pork that you can taste the difference in.
Studies also confirm what traditional farmers have long known: animals raised on pasture produce meat with better nutritional profiles, including higher omega-3 fatty acids and more vitamins.
Wholesome Feed, No Shortcuts
We raise heritage breed pigs, traditional breeds known for their hardiness and flavor. These animals thrive on pasture with supplemental non-GMO grain, and they don't need antibiotics or growth hormones to stay healthy.
In industrial pork production, antibiotics are mixed into feed daily to prevent disease in overcrowded conditions. This practice is creating drug-resistant bacteria that threaten public health, a problem we don't contribute to.
Our pigs build strong immune systems naturally through good nutrition, clean living conditions, and low-stress environments. It's the way farming worked for centuries before shortcuts became the norm.
Caring for God's Creation
As stewards of the land, we take seriously our responsibility to leave it better than we found it. That's not just good farming, it's part of our calling.
Building Soil, Not Destroying It
Industrial agriculture depletes soil through intensive tilling, chemical dependence, and continuous monoculture cropping. This approach might boost short-term production, but it's not sustainable.
We farm differently. Our rotational grazing actually improves soil health year after year. As pigs move across pasture, they naturally incorporate organic matter into the ground. Rest periods allow plants to regrow with deeper roots, which prevents erosion and captures carbon from the atmosphere.
The result is living, fertile soil teeming with beneficial microorganisms soil that produces nutritious forage without synthetic inputs.
Handling Waste Responsibly
Large scale pig operations often store waste in enormous lagoons that leak pollutants into water supplies and release harmful gases into the air. These systems create environmental and health problems for surrounding communities.
Our approach couldn't be more different. Because our pigs are spread across pasture and woodlands in manageable groups, their manure distributes naturally as valuable fertilizer rather than concentrating into a waste problem.
When winter weather requires us to bring pigs into shelter, we bed them deeply with straw or wood shavings. This creates a composting effect that safely breaks down manure without environmental contamination. We also plant diverse pasture species specifically chosen to absorb nutrients and maintain ecological balance. Not all pigs like to go in the open shelter in the winter time and that's perfectly fine with us!
The Real Story Behind Your Pork Chop
Many people wonder which type of meat is most environmentally friendly. The truth is, it's not so much about whether you're eating pork, beef, or chicken, it's about how that animal was raised.
Take beef as an example. You've probably heard that cattle are terrible for the environment. That criticism applies to feedlot operations where thousands of cattle are confined in small spaces and fed grain-heavy diets. But cattle raised properly on well managed pasture actually improve the land and sequester carbon. The animal itself isn't the problem; the farming method is.
The same principle applies to pork. Factory farmed pork has serious environmental and ethical problems. Pasture raised pork from a regenerative farm like ours is a completely different product.
One challenge specific to pork is that pigs need grain as part of their diet, they can't survive on grass alone like cattle can. This means sustainable pork production requires access to sustainably grown grain, ideally non-GMO corn and soybeans from farmers practicing regenerative agriculture.
On our farm, we're committed to sourcing feed from responsible growers who share our values of soil health, biodiversity, and chemical free farming.
What You're Really Buying
When you purchase pork from Miller's Bio Farm, you're not just buying bacon or pork chops. You're supporting a way of farming that's been proven over generations, one that respects animals, regenerates land, and produces genuinely nutritious food.
We're proud to raise pork the right way, even though it's more work. Because at the end of the day, that's what good stewardship looks like.
And that's something worth bringing home to your table.
Check out our:
✔️Corn & Soy Free
✔️ Vaccine, Drug, GMO-Free
✔️Heritage Breeds
✔️Woodland Raised
PORK COLLECTION HERE: https://millersbiofarm.com/sto...
Well now, friends, let me tell you about eggnog - it's no yolk, this drink has been around forever! While history scholars are still whisking through different stories, most agree it sprouted from a Medieval drink called posset.
Posset was hot milk curdled with wine or beer, served in a two-handled pot when folks caught the sniffles. Yup, that's right, I said sniffles. The warmth would settle your bones, the milk kept your strength up better than a day of plowing, and the alcohol and spices worked like nature's own medicine chest.
Posset recipes were as varied as quilting patterns, every homestead had their own way to make it, and from this patchwork of kitchen wisdom grew a whole crop of milk based treasures, including... eggnog itself.
Eggnog is a rich, chilled, sweet dairy drink that'll make you smile like you just finished morning milking. It's made with milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks, and spices, simple as that! Most folks only raise a glass during a short spell around Christmas.
It was those fancy British folks in the 1700s who turned eggnog into a holiday tradition. They'd add expensive spirits and spices to milk to preserve it through winter (yep, aged eggnog, just like preserving pickles in the cellar).
Eventually, eggnog crossed the ocean to the Thirteen Colonies. As times changed and food became easier to come by, common folk adopted it as a cherished holiday drink.
Today, food is everywhere you look, but finding the right kind is harder than finding a needle in a haystack. Store-bought eggnog is stacked in every store, but I won't hitch my wagon to it.
Store-bought eggnog is cooked up in factories to taste good and stay the same every time. But it's packed with additives, loaded with more sugar than a honey wagon, and has less than 2% egg yolks. Might as well call it milknog! And don't get me started on all that pasteurization business.
If you've got the time, eggnog is easier than feeding chickens. Here's what you need:
4 egg yolks (fresh from the henhouse)
⅓ cup maple syrup (the real stuff, tapped honest)
2 cups raw milk (straight from Bessie, if you're blessed)
1 cup raw cream
1 tsp nutmeg (or whatever spices suit your fancy)
3 oz bourbon or rum (if you're of a mind to)
You can mix these ingredients raw (like we do on the farm) or you can warm it up. Your barn, your rules.
For a fuller eggnog, beat those yolks until they lighten like sunrise. Then fold in the rest.
For a frothy eggnog that'll make you grin like a cat in the creamery, beat 4 egg whites until soft peaks form, then stir them into your finished batch. I highly recommend doing this whether you bought it from a farm stand or made it yourself. It's wonderful.
So please, enjoy your eggnog this winter season. When you raise your glass, think on what you're celebrating. Toast to home remedies, good health, the wisdom of those who came before us, and honest food that comes from the land.
Tallow might sound old-school, but this grass-fed goodness is pure skin food. Packed with vitamins A, D, E & K plus CLA, it mimics your skin’s natural fats for maximum absorption. The result? Happy, nourished, glowing skin, without the chemicals
