Sunday, March 20, 2011

Whole Milk in Glass Bottles!

I am so excited that Nova Scotia finally has glass bottled milk. While we lived in BC we could buy glass bottled milk at the local grocery store (although it wasn't "whole" milk, nor was it that fresh or local). These bottles make me think of old time milk delivery people... except at my parents house they still have a milk "man" who delivers milk once a week, takes the cash out of the mason jar, peruses the list and leaves the change (he arrives at 5am ish).

Ouuu, aren't they pretty bottles? Love!

Fox Hill Cheese House, a local farm that sells at the Halifax Seaport's Farmer's Market has started selling milk in glass 1 litre bottles, as far as I know the only of it's kind provincially. Fox Hill Cheese is located in the Annapolis Valley (a few hours away from Halifax) and they have a "small" herd of cows that for the past four years have been exposed only to the farm's own nutrients.

When we stopped in last week to pick up our first bottle, the lady at the counter felt *very* strongly that we should try the milk, as it's whole milk and a higher fat percentage (about 4ish). I tried to tell her that I don't typically like milk 'straight up' so it really didn't matter what it tasted like, I was gonna suck it up and use it in my coffee. Which of course resulted in a weird look... so I took the little cup. Honestly? It tastes like milk. I don't like milk. So there ya go. I was really nervous I would hate whole milk, and since it just tasted like regular milk to me, I am hugely relieved.

Andrew on the other hand LOVES it. When we order coffee there is no "non-fat" part for him, it's always "yes fat". Since we don't drink a lot of milk, I really don't feel that bad using milk with a few extra fat percentages thrown in.

Our friend J. lets the milk set for 72 hours in the fridge to allow the fat to separate, takes an eye dropped and sucks up a bunch of the cream on top. She uses this for baking or coffee. Andrew clearly informed me I wasn't allowed to "steal" his fat. hah.

Today when we brought the bottle for an exchange, we learned that the milk was acquired from the cows (the milk was milked?) on Friday, bottled and sold to us on Saturday! Super fresh and local.
 Note the bilingual bottles- Yay two official languages :)

A few differences between regular store milk and fresh local milk:
  • By purchasing local milk we're making sure all our money stays in Nova Scotia and sending a clear message to the agriculture industry that sustainable and ecological farming matters to us.
  • Fresh whole milk is minimally processed which means the nutrients are more readily available for our body to benefit (yay!)
  • Lack of preservatives (and homogenization) allows for us to process the milk without synthetic additives.
  • Less plastic! If you don't exchange the bottle (which would be silly, since you'd pay a deposit every time) you can of course recycle the glass easily. The lids, sadly are #4 plastic.
  • We're investing in our health and the future of our ability to sustain ourselves with farming.
We did chat with a dude on Saturday about the bottles (I just think they are so beautifully designed) and their choice on #4 plastic lids. Unfortunately it would appear he wasn't aware that HRM doesn't accept anything but #1 and #2 plastic. I did tell him that we collect our plastic bottles and bring them to the Aveda salon on Spring Garden as they send them away to recycle. He informed us that strangely enough, when they called the company to complain about the plastic number choice (for their other products as well) the company, Ropak, indicated they were the first and *only* company to complain.

Regardless, we are in love with our glass bottled, sustainable and nutrient rich milk! If any of you were nervous about drinking whole milk due to taste (or even fat content), I hope this helps give you a little nudge. Check out your local farms and Farmer's Markets to see if you can get some glass bottle fresh milk too :)


article and photographs copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

10 comments:

  1. They're beautiful bottles! I actually thought for a moment that they were 2 litre bottles, as they're quite wide.

    Still waiting for glass bottles here, although at least we do have very local milk - from about 1 km away - now THAT'S local! Depending on which brand we choose, we can get milk from two properties away (our neighbour's neighbour).

    I'm still contemplating getting dairy goats. All I have to do is convince my husband. But that may take some time!

    Enjoy the milk! :-D I bet it makes good yoghurt!

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  2. i've been drinking local milk in glass jars from farmers markets for a few years now...recently started drinking raw whole milk and there's definitely some things i'm learning, like needing to strain the cream out of my milk after the first week or so when it starts to separate, and the fact that raw milk never really goes bad and you can turn the soured milk into other dairy products! i made butter with cream from the farm and am gonna try to make some cheese with this milk soon..

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    Replies
    1. Hi, do you live anywhere near Halifax? I would love to get raw milk. Can you tell me where to get it? You can email me directly: sauerrafuse@gmail.com
      Thanks
      Christine

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  3. I am so getting some next weekend! I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of their milk but couldn't make it to the market this weekend! Happy Spring!

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  4. I love it! And, I think whole milk is the only way to go. I would love to have fresh milk.

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  5. I am fortunate that where I live in the U.S., glass-bottled grass-fed whole milk is pretty readily available. I was raised on whole milk and have never drunk anything else, and I think it's a shame that people strain the lovely rich cream out of it or buy low fat. Grass feeding provides beneficial fatty acids that should not be wasted. If you don't like to drink plain milk, try it as chocolate milk. Or make yogurt fromm it. Or add -gasp- a bit of sugar and whip it - there is nothing like rich home-made whipped cream to top pies, cakes, ice cream, fruit, pudding, hot chocolate.... Don't fear the fat! I am "of a certain age", have been drinking milk and eating butter all of my life and have no health or weight problems.

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  6. I love fresh local milk. We are lucky we even have fresh raw milk available. At $6 a gallon it is a bit pricey... yet we appreciate our local milk as well.

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  7. Complete awesomeness--so glad you've found this resource and opportunity! The bottles are cute too :)

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  8. we tried it once and my teenaged ds who drinks most of the milk in our household didn't like it. i should have skimmed the cream off, after a few days it got all lumpy, it wasn't bad but I couldn't convince him of that:(

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  9. I, too, need to force milk down with cereal or in a cappuccino. At home I drink soy milk, which, yes, comes in a carton. But, at least in Vancouver, these cartons are recyclable!

    If I do need actual milk (I once had a craving for milky tapioca that lasted for a year or two), the bottled option is best. Here, there are various milkfat percentages.

    I heard that milk bottles last only several "cycles" of use (perhaps seven times?). Why? Are bottle generally broken or never returned?

    The bottles are indeed aesthetically pleasing. And maybe that by itself makes the milk taste better!

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