Where Can I Find Goat Milk in Central Minnesota?

Last week I visited Missy Isder's Sparkling M's Dairy Goat Farm in Little Falls, MN and took home three gallons of fresh, raw goat's milk. You can buy raw milk in MN if you purchase it on the farm and bring your own container. Goat milk tastes quite a bit like cow's milk, with just a hint of an after-taste that is a smidgen different, but not unpleasant. Try it, and don't forget to scoop some of the cream off the top and eat it right off the spoon - amazing! Make sure you leave the milk whole, the butterfat contains important enzymes and other properties crucial to your health and the bacteria-fighting nature of raw milk.

Once we got home, we made mouth-watering ricotta cheese, and Boursin-style herbed, creamy cheese to die for, and drank the rest of the milk right off. Later in the week we visited the Little Falls Farmer's Market next to Zoomski's restaurant and bought a carton of truly delectable sun-dried tomato and basil goat cheese from Becky Lindholm of Scandia Valley Dairy. Wow - I have to make this cheese next! In the meantime, I will just grab some more at the Farmer's Market when I am in town on Wednesdays and Saturdays. You can contact Missy at sparklingms@hotmail.com and Becky at goatdairy@q.com.

If you are concerned about safety, know that raw milk is inherently disease-resistant and hypoallergenic. Pasteurization does extend the shelf-life of milk (and profitability, tax revenue, processing fees, etc.), and destroys potentially harmful bacteria, but also eliminates beneficial bacteria that otherwise makes raw milk naturally disease-resistant. This includes 65 percent of raw milk’s lactoferrin, a protein the FDA has approved for use as a spray to prevent contamination of meats with E. coli, and 69 percent of its xanthane oxidase, an enzyme that potently inhibits the growth of E. coli and Salmonella enteritidis, at concentrations naturally present in raw milk.

Heat also denatures the milk proteins which renders milk more allergenic and difficult to digest. In fact, a 2006 study found that people who drank more raw milk were less likely to suffer from eczema and allergic disorders. Those who are lactose intolerant often find they can drink and enjoy raw milk without any of the stomach upsets normally associated with pasteurized dairy products. Among a host of other ailments, supporters have credited drinking raw milk with relieving the symptoms of autism, behavior problems, frequent infections, deafness, asthma and allergies and other serious health conditions.

If nothing else, buying raw milk directly from the farmer supports the local economy at the source. If you are concerned, heat the milk at home per the guidelines provided at www.foodsci.uoguelph.ca/dairyedu/pasteurization.html.

I was raised on raw goat's milk as I had a severe allergy to cow's milk. Since recently experiencing a resurgence of lactose intolerance I've returned to raw goat's milk products with great satisfaction. I still love goat's milk and since their first drink, so do my kids (human kids, not goat kids, although . .  never mind.) For more info read my Examiner.com article.

Resources:

“Minnesota Dairy Goats,” Mills Farm Life, Fall 2008, p.4
“Response to Anti-Raw Milk Article Published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, January 2009 Prepared by The Weston A. Price Foundation,” http://www.realmilk.com/documents/ResponsetoInfectiousClinicalDiseaseArticle.pdf, accessed on May 31, 2010
“Where Can I Find Real Milk?” http://www.realmilk.com/where3.html#mn, accessed on May 31, 2010

More reading:
The Raw Milk Revolution: Behind America's Emerging Battle Over Food Rights
Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats: Breeds, Care, Dairying
Raising Goats For Dummies
Raising Milk Goats Successfully
Powdered Goat Milk (good for baby formula):
Meyenberg Evaporated Goat Milk, 12-Ounce Cans (Pack of 12)
Meyenberg Powdered Goat Milk, Vitamin D, 12-Ounce Cans (Pack of 3)
Meyenberg - Meyenberg Goat Milk (Powdered), 12 oz powder
Milk, Goat, Powder, Instant, Can, 12 oz.