Strong Tasting Cow Milk

[crazycow]

I was wondering if any one could tell me how to get my cows milk from tasting so strong.I strained it and heated it untill it started to boil then put it in the fridge overnight and this afternoon tryed it an it was strong.
Thanks

[AlchemyAcres]

Huh?

Is this a joke?

~Martin

[danville]

Can you futher describe " strong"? If you are only comparing home milk to store milk then you need to know that these are two different tasting products. Home milk has all the things in it that store milk has taken out. If this is the case and you prefer store milk, then just buy your milk at the grocer. On the other hand, milk takes on the flavor of the feed and pasture plants that the cow grazes on. What is the cow dining on? Would you please supply more information.

[AlchemyAcres]

Lets just start with the boiling..LOL...why did you boil it?


~Martin

[crazycow]

Ok,the reason I heated up the milk was I was told this would kill any bacteria but i only heat it to the point boiling the turn it off.
The cow is eating grass hay and a mixture of corn,soy,selinium,molasses & 2-1 minerals.
I was just wondering if their was something i could do so my kids would like it better. I guess I will try chocolate mix with ti to get them going.
Thanks

[CarolAnn]

We always CHILLED the milk as fast as possible.

Does your cow have access to wild onions or other aromatic weeds?

[bookwormom]

lol, my kids grew up on raw milk and when we finally had to buy store milk they did not like it, it did not taste like the milk they were used to. store milk is deodorized so it does not really taste like real milk.

[crazycow]

So thats what they do deodorize it. My boys have never had raw cow milk so this will be a challenge to get them used to it. Our pasture has ferns,a little grass and a few pin cherry trees.The soil is very poor here,it is all blow sand so not much of any thing grows besides weeds,mostly ferns.

[crazycow]

Has any one heard of giving baking soda to goats to take out the strong taste of the milk? If so would it work on the cow?

[AlchemyAcres]

If you give the cow baking soda you risk screwing up the PH of the rumen....you don't want a sick cow, right?
Never ever give a cow large quantities of baking soda unless she's eating large quantities of silage!

The boiling of the milk will no doubt make it taste strong and cooked!!!
You don't need to be boiling the milk to pastuerize it!
If you have a healthy cow...pasturization isn't necessary anyway...!!!!

No doubt, real milk is nothing like that crap from the store!!!!!


~Martin

[crazycow]

Thank You so much,this really helps me out. I think i might try mixing the fresh milk with store bought and gradually add less store bought to get every one used to it. My cow came from 200 head and never been touched by a human untill i got her.She had her first calf in the spring and let me tell ya it sure has been something getting her broke in .She is now alot better but we are still working on trust with her.

[lsg]

A cow's diet has a lot to do with how her milk tastes. *A cow that is on spring grass will have different flavored milk than when she is on a diet of hay and grain. *You don't need to boil your milk to kill the bacteria. *You can get a used pasteurizer on ebay . *If you don't have a pasteurizer you can use the double boiler method.
In pasteurization, the milk must be heated and stirred well with agitation in such a way that every particle of the milk, including the foam, reaches a temperature of 145 degrees F sustained for 30 minutes, or 161 degrees F, sustained for 30 seconds.
I use an automatic pasteurizer. *Everyone who has tasted our pasteurized milk says it is very good.
Pasteurization is a matter of personal preference for me because we sometimes share our milk with friends and family.

[crazycow]

Thank You, this does help me.So when you pasteurize it does it take out some of the strong taste? I was also wondering what You thought a reasonable price would be to buy one off of e-bay.
Thanks

[MadTripper]

We grew up on fresh milk but haven't had it in many years. I wonder if separating the cream would give a less "strong" flavor. I remember having to shake or stir the milk before we used it to get things back together.

Tripper

[lsg]

Thank You, this does help me.So when you pasteurize it does it take out some of the strong taste? I was also wondering what You thought a reasonable price would be to buy one off of e-bay.
Thanks
Our cow's raw milk doesn't really taste strong, it just tastes different from when it is pasteurized. *Make sure you leave the lid off your milk jar until the milk is completely cold. *That makes a big difference in the taste. *You might try setting your milk container in an ice water bath and stirring the milk until it has cooled. *I would still leave the lid off in the fridge until the milk was cold. *
Make sure you scald out your milk jars, *milk bucket and strainer before use and wash and dry the cow's udder before milking. *This can help keep the bacteria count down.
I wouldn't pay any more than $50.00 for a used pasteurizer on e-bay; and then I would make sure the seller guaranteed it to be in good working order. *You can get a new stainless steel one from Hoegger's for $295. *That may sound like a lot; but the cord on their pasteurizer is heavy duty and that on the Safeguard model is not. *I know because I have owned both. *If it was me, I would bite the bullet and get the new stainless model. *

http://www.hoeggergoatsupply.com/xcart/product.php?productid=3320&cat=49&page=1

[AlchemyAcres]

So when you pasteurize it does it take out some of the strong taste?

Taste is subjective. What do you mean by strong? Sure, milk tastes different depending upon what is fed...but it's usually not a huge difference or objectionable...the milk should still taste sweet.
To my taste...pasteurizing makes milk taste 'stronger'.

~Martin :)

[lsg]

So thats what they do deodorize it. My boys have never had raw cow milk so this will be a challenge to get them used to it. Our pasture has ferns,a little grass and a few pin cherry trees.The soil is very poor here,it is all blow sand so not much of any thing grows besides weeds,mostly ferns.
Are you feeding hay now? If your cow is eating the leaves and bark off the cherry trees along with ferns, that could make her milk taste off. Give her some good hay and grain and see if that makes a difference in a week or so.

[crazycow]

When i say strong i mean it taste like her burps smell LOL. Like grass i guess but the milk is not sweet at all. That is a good point about the cherry trees,i did see her chomping on them now that you said that. She was out getting bred for three months and i just brought her home on holloween. She is shorthorn jersy cross.I traded her 6 mo. old steer in for a six week old steer and i did not have to pay for feed,the breeding or her horns took off. Her steer was half charlios, he was draining her down too much.If i would have kept him i would have had to seperate for sure like i will this one after a while. Thank You guys so much for all the info,it has really helped me.

[AlchemyAcres]

.... the milk is not sweet at all.

Would be a good idea to do a formal test for subclinical mastitis (high-somatic cell count).

http://www.infovets.com/demo/demo/dairy/D100.HTM

~Martin

[crazycow]

Wow,Thank You Martin.I will for sure have to do that.If she does have mastitis should we even drinking the milk?

[lsg]

If you are pasteurizing the milk, it should be ok to drink it.

[Rancher]

The comments you have received are all correct. Our family has used the raw cream from our own milk cows (we do not pasturize and we do not use the skim milk) for many generations to the present. (We feed the skim milk to the hogs and chickens and the baby calves with additives to the skim milk for the calves.)
The flavor of the raw milk is greatly influenced by what the cow eats. The cream, skimmed from the milk tends to not have as much flavor difference as does the skim or whole milk. A cow eating onions, leeks, certain strong flavored wild plants, etc, will definately have varied flavored milk, sometimes almost un eatable.
I too notice the difference in flavor of the milk sold in stores and that of our own raw cream. I believe that commercially sold milk is produced and pasturized in standard format and standard feeds to produce a standard flavor. We prefer our own dairy products over commercial products.

[lsg]

crazycow, someone on another forum told me that wilted cherry leaves were poisonous. Just thought you ought to know in case your cow is eating them.