thursday. milk.

mother's day came early for me this year!

i had the lovely experience of taking a class on saturday with one of the owners of spokane family farm (local dairy farm)! topic of the class? how to make greek yogurt and fresh mozzarella! see my next post for more information about THAT part of it! i've known about the local dairy farm for about a year now, it's a great place to take the kids—baby calves, fresh ice cream, milk and cookies, chickens, donkeys, goats, the works! an awesome place to visit on a weekend.

but, aside from being a super-fun place to visit, it's the only place to get 'real' good-for-you milk in spokane. literally. i won't go TOO much into the science behind it (there's a lot). but, i will say, with access to this farm, my family will not be drinking store-bought milk. and for any of you that live in the spokane area—look into it.

as i mentioned, i won't detail you to death. but, here's a bulleted list of reasons i will no longer buy store-bought—bullets don't really count as reading, you can just skim, ha ha—lame pun, totally intended:

• it tastes amazing. and i control the fat content by how much or how little cream i leave on top and shake back in.

• spokane's family farm milk goes from happy cows to your cup in less than 72 hours. this is total time from cow to you buying it in the store. i buy mine from the farm (it's cheaper!), and cuts that time by a LOT.
  

• my kids love it, and it still comes in a regular milk jug just like all milk does, so my kids don't question it with 'how come it looks funny?'

• regular commercial pasteurization includes heating milk past the boiling point, we're talking like in the 245 degree range ... this kills ALL bacteria to extend shelf life, and removing any bacteria, vitamins, or minerals that were good for you.

• because the 'good stuff' was ruined during the process, they add fortified vitamins and other nutrients back in with not-natural ingredients.
  

• spokane's family farm pasteurizes to make your milk safe, but does so at the lowest FDA temperature, 145 degrees—because their milk doesn't need a several-month shelf-life. this lower temperature keeps all the good stuff intact. safe and healthy ... works for me!
  

• i can skim the cream off the top and make things like butter.

• homogenization forces the milk through a series of screens at high pressure to keep the cream from separating and coming to the top. when you drink the processed homogenized milk, your body cannot digest the cream in this unnatural state and the fat in the cream gets absorbed by your stomach lining and passes straight into your blood stream which deposits itself in your arteries.

• the homogenization process physically changes the fat molecules from round to long and sharp. extremely not cool when 'long and sharp' means the fat is more likely to enter your bloodstream and adhere to your arteries causing all kinds of issues.
  

• when you drink non-homogenized milk, ( when the cream is left in its natural state) your body can digest the cream and use the fat that is in the cream for energy and nutrients that your body needs.

• i can make yogurt, cream cheese, mozzarella, and so many other things that you CANNOT make with store-bought milk.
  

and the number one reason i will buy milk from the farm? hearing from an extremely reliable source that the local dairy farmers of a VERY well-known dairy company won't allow their own families to drink the milk that comes out of their cows.

that's a good enough reason for me. it's no wonder people have dairy issues these days.

let me end this post with a disclaimer. i am in no way a scientist. i do not know all. my information comes from research, first-hand sources, experience, and more research. i am not legally stating any of this. it is all my own opinion, and you have every right to yours.