Once I got past my resistance to goat milk (merely on the grounds it was unfamiliar), I finally tasted it and found very little difference compared to conventional cow milk. However, goat milk has some benefits not found in cow milk.The significant differences for me are: fat molecules in goat milk are small and stay in suspension, eliminating the damage on cell structure by the process of homogenization. Additionally, some people who do not tolerate cow milk (the A1-A2 debate?) often tolerate goat milk, which is all A2. It is the preferred milk in most of the world outside the United States.According to The World's Healthiest Foods, goat milk is an excellent source of calcium, protein, phosphorus, riboflavin (vitamin B2), potassium and the amino acid tryptophan. I am using it to make yogurt, and fresh goat cheese.Goat milk yogurt makes a wonderful base for savory dips. Simply mix in your favorite herbs and spices and serve with veggies for dipping, or as a spread on crackers. Top sliced tomatoes with goat cheese, fresh basil and drizzle a bit of balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil on top. YUM!
I have switched to pasteurized goat milk (when I can find it) for my homemade yogurt because all goat milk is A2 milk, and doesn't give me the digestive problems of A1 milk yogurt.
I incubate my yogurt in my Excalibur Dehydrator because it's easy to control the temperature. I also incubate my yogurt at a lower temperature than most, and for longer. Another difference is that I use NO powdered/dry milk in any yogurt I make. (Most of it is from China anyway.)
I thought I'd show the steps I use, in case someone is leery of making yogurt, or using goat milk for yogurt. Let me first say it is delicious, and has a slight tang. If you've ever eaten fresh Chevré, you know the tang!
Making yogurt is actually very easy; you just need milk and a starter culture full of active bacteria. Many off-the-shelf supermarket yogurts are 'cultured' in the container after it is sealed, and contain few (if any) live cultures. Look for yogurt for a starter that states it contains live cultures of Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, and/or Lactobacillus acidophilus (which is optional but not found in traditional yogurts).
The lovely Greek yogurt I use has L. bulgaricus, and S. thermophilus but no L. acidophilus. I have read not to use any cultures containing any strain of Bifidus because it can overpower other bacteria in the all-important gut. I strongly suggest an unflavored, unsweetened yogurt as the culture; it doesn't matter if it is low-fat. I only make full fat yogurt, and I like to think a full-fat (whole milk) yogurt for a culture is best even though I have had success with non-fat Greek yogurt as a starter culture.
I sterilize some half-pint canning jars and lids, and all my utensils and let them cool before I begin. I keep the yogurt starter culture unopened until I am ready to add it, as there are live microbes unseen in the air and even on our skin.
Heat the milk slowly to prevent scorching. I heat to at least over 165ºF and no more than 185ºF. Do NOT boil!
Below: The heated milk is chilling, down to just about 110ºF. If the milk is too warm when the culture is added, it will kill the good bacteria in the culture. My tap water is cold enough that I don't need ice in the bath.
Below: I have added the culture to about a cup or two of heated and cooled goat milk. I do this so I can use a whisk to be sure I have evenly distributed the thick Greek yogurt used for the culture. I failed to do this once, and had lumpy yogurt!
Below: my half gallon of goat milk, plus the container of Greek yogurt used for the culture, made 9 half-pints.
Below are the filled 8 oz. canning jars in the Excalibur, ready to incubate. The jars sometimes seal (like in canning) but that is not a necessity since yogurt must be refrigerated after it has thickened. I heat the unit for half an hour or more, checking temperature. I prefer about 110ºF - 115ºF, and a 12 hour (or more) incubation. If temperatures are too low, it won't thicken; temps too high and you will kill the microbes.
One further step is not shown here, and that is straining through cheesecloth after 24 hours. Goat milk yogurt tends to be slightly thinner than cow milk yogurt and I like a thicker yogurt, usually. I find by straining a bit of the liquid off, I can accomplish three things.
One is that I get a thicker yogurt. The second is if I strain some of it even longer, I can produce a lovely spreadable fresh goat cheese. And lastly, the strained-off whey mixed with 9 parts water makes a nourishing 'treat' for the microbes in the soil around my vegetable plants!
Wow! I'm learning new things everyday, and some are visual treats as well as taste treats. Butter is one of them...
I know the yolks of free-range hens are much more yellow (even to almost orange) compared to factory eggs, and of course that is reflected in taste and nutrition. What I didn't know is that the same is true of butter!
I had the opportunity to buy some butter (on sale!) from grass-fed cows recently, and when I opened it to add more butter to the last bit of conventional butter in the butter bell, I was surprised by the richer yellow color long before I got to the delicious taste. There really IS no comparison to conventional butter! This particular butter was also what is called 'spring butter', made when the cows are munching on new grass.
New grass produces higher amounts of Vitamin K1, which the cows turn into the Vitamin K2 our bodies need to interact with Vitamins A and D (and also calcium) for tooth and bone strength and development. You can read more about Vitamins K1 and K2 here. Cows pastured on spring grass have milk (thus cream and butter) that also has higher levels of anti-oxidants, CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), plus higher Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.
The spring butter I bought is a US product called 'Pasture Butter' made by Organic Valley, and it is also a 'cultured butter'. That means the pasteurized cream has a bacterial culture added (like yogurt) which allows the bacteria to change some of the solids into lactic acid (improving flavor) before it is churned into butter. When making butter from raw milk cream, the addition of a bacterial culture is not necessary, as it will 'sour' (or clabber) on its own from the bacteria in the cream if left in a warm spot, although some folks prefer to use a culture anyway.
Since most butter made in the US has less butterfat content (min. 80% by law) than European butters which can be 86% or more, I also bought 2 different imported brands to try: Lurpak from Denmark, and Kerrygold from Ireland. They are both quite wonderful, but outside my budget for ordinary use (although I'd buy them in a heartbeat if I could afford them.)
The Kerrygold is grass-fed and the Lurpak doesn't say; the Lurpak must be cultured because they advertise it 'has a delicate subtle lactic taste' and the Kerrygold doesn't say whether it's cultured. Either way, both stand head and shoulders above standard American Dairy butters, as does the Organic Valley Limited Edition Pasture Butter.
There are a couple more grass-fed butters I want to try the next time I have a few extra bucks. One is Anchor, from New Zealand, and one is Pastureland, made in Minnesota; both are available online. I just found another one today, a cultured butter with 86% butterfat from Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery.
Of course, at the very top of my list would be local butter made from raw milk from grass-fed A2 cows!
Note: toxic compounds like pesticides, mercury and dioxin in plant soils and water accumulate in the fats of non-organic meats and dairy, so please avoid them wherever possible.
I still haven't found a local source of A2 milk. Right now I am away from home, house-sitting, and I found a grass-fed farm nearby, Gryffon's Aerie, when I was here two weeks ago. They raise heritage Milking Devons, which are a bit different than Beef Devons, slightly smaller, and more tender meat.
I went out to their farm today and bought a bunch of beef for my freezer. Plus, I treated myself to a tiny filet mignon! I also got a big bag of marrow bones which I shall roast and use for stock... and a beef heart. The owner said her husband loves beef heart, and I'll have to ask for a recipe. (I've only cooked chicken hearts before.)
I'm really impressed by the dedication this family has to raising healthy, grass-fed meat.They do not run a dairy (or sell any milk), just raise the beef, plus a few heritage hogs (Tamworth) and lambs (Cotswold). However, they do keep a couple of Devon milk cows for family use, and they are A2 milk. Unfortunately, both have just calved, and they leave the milk just for the calves for the first 3-4 weeks. I really wanted a taste. Sigh.
Yes, there IS a controversy over milk from black cows versus milk from brown cows, but actually it's the A1 milk vs the A2 milk. Color matters.
HUH??
For several years now scientific testing of milk has been turning up some interesting facts that vary the healthfulness of milk from certain cows. Milk contains casein, which is a protein... more specifically, beta-casein. Beta casein contains an amino acid called BCM-7, a powerful opiate linked to negative health effects such as Type 1 Diabetes, heart disease, neurological impairment including autistic and schizophrenic changes and auto-immune disease.
Beta casein from older breeds of cows (like the brown & white Jersey and Guernsey cows) contains an amino acid called proline. (There will not be a test, so don't worry!) These cows typically produce A2 milk where the proline bonds to the BCM-7, which keeps it OUT of the milk.
In newer breeds of cows like the black & white Holstein cows, the amino acid proline has mutated to one named histadine. Histadine does not bond to BCM-7, so BCM-7 gets INTO the milk; that's called A1 milk and it is typically produced by Holsteins.
Why haven't we heard any of this? It's Easy. Follow the Money... The predominant cow for dairy products in the US is the Holstein cow. No one outside the dairy industry has any interest in paying for milk research, and the dairy industry likely won't pay for the research because it would be financially devastating regarding their herds.
Nonetheless, I understand many American and Canadian breeders are routinely testing herds for A2 genetics and breeding accordingly. There is still much research needed in order to be fully conclusive about A1 or A2 milk and disease.
I'd also like to see some conclusive evidence that grain-fed, pasteurized CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) milk is dangerous. Let us drink healthy raw milk if we so choose!
Because dead milk is dead milk, whether the cow is brown or black, I'll just find someone who sells raw milk from a brown cow and buy half the cow.
For more information: The Bovine; Real Milk.
