Milk

[Violet]

Since a case of cow-milk allergy in my surroundings, I've been experimenting with different types of milk.

I'll put my experiences here and I'm also curious to hear about yours:

- Almond milk:

This was the first reflex. Maybe because it's the most advertised, who knows. In Belgium, you'll lose an average of 2,70 EUR (3,62 $) for 1 pack (=1 liter). That's a lot of money.

What struck me first is how sweet it was. I don't like that. And then I went checking the ingredients. It appears that in this luxurious pack of almond milk a rich 2% of actual almonds was processed :ohwell:. Rest is water and sugar. Hm, this was in the healthy food department.

So, a couple of years later, I made quite a few batches of almond milk at home. I just got the almonds and processed them with water (reasoning that it would be cheaper in the end - which percentwise it was but literwise it wasn't - having more percentage of actual almond in ratio with water) and initially I left out the sweetening but very soon, I learned why they sweeten it. These things are bitter! We tend to think almonds are sweet because of things like marzipan and almond aroma for baking, but nothing is less true. And I wasn't just going to add sugar. I dropped in a few dates or plums if you like (remove core) and they did a great job neutralising the bitterness.

However, since almonds are fatty and water doesn't like fatty, after blending, when it sits, the two parties will separate. So you'll always need to stir it and that's annoying, especially in coffee. The store's almond milk must be using some type of emulsifier because it's actually very fluent, unless you freeze it (infra).

In coffee the homemade almond milk looks like you poured in rotten milk with all the white bits at the surface. The almond part sinks (due to hot temperature?) to the bottom very fast, so you drink stirring all the while. If you don't sweeten the almond milk, it will also taste like you added rotten milk.

So, if you make it at home, it has a three day fridge life. The store's milk also claims a 3-day fridge life but in my experience it could be extended by a few days. Or longer. You can freeze these, as I tried (both the home-made and the store's) and yes, it prolongs freshness, but it worsens fragmenting.

I have the recipe (for our DIY-ers :high5:)...somewhere (pm me and I'll dig into my archives).


- Oatmeal milk

Prices are like the almond milk's. Honestly I used this one very little but it was not a success because of the taste (no excessive sweetness though here).

I don't doubt it's healthy, I do have doubts about authenticity because I noticed how the oatmeal in the supermarket offers is changing. First they had these big boxes with plain oatmeal but somehow it didn't look unified and also flat. I got an organic version and observed that the oatmeal was much more defined. I don't know what that means or suggests yet.

Now what they did is remove the boxes with plain oatmeal and instead they have a box with some six sachets of oatmeal "mix" (read: 55% oatmeal and 45% sugar grains). Not only is it - bam - all at once sweeter (I used these for my home bread, now I can't anymore because it will caramelise and I'll have...bread-cookies..?). So, I was obviously not happy with that evolution and on top of that they drove up the price (for less oatmeal, mind).

So, then what idea shall I have about the milk...

- Rice milk

This one was the most watery and I did not have any milksensation with it. As such I felt I couldn't use it for milk purposes. Certainly not in coffee or bakery; it has a salty tinge to it.

Generally all these alternatives will spoil your bakery. I tried making pancakes only substituting the milk but I just got sticky stuff. It's even worse than substituting white flour with wholesome.

All-in-all, once you choose an alternative and stick with it, it should be doable. You have to be willing to accept the change. I've chosen almond, it appears that you can get more calcium out of almonds than you can out of cow's milk.

Last but not least:

- Fresh cow milk from the farmer:

When I drank such milk, I had to check every time to see if I was really drinking milk. It tasted very good actually. There was a density to it that was quite saturating and what struck me too was how less sweet it was compared to the UHT (Ultra High Temperature-treated) milk I get from the supermarket, and how this had no negative influence on tastiness, at all.

[Wind]

Most of my life I used to use ordinary processed milk, until I realized that it gave me several symptoms. These days I use only coconut milk and I have learned to love different (preferably organic) coconut products! :)

[Rollo]

As I kid I was drinking cow's milk still warm after the milking. It was delicious.
My aunt use to making batter and cream out of it. It was really rich milk.

In the 90's the milk was still good enough to do some curdled milk(excellent with potatoes and beacon).
This milk could last only few days until fermentation. Which is good thing when milk contain culture of bacteria.
Now try to do the same with UHT milk, good luck! All the richness is gone. What's left is white water.

In Czech Republic and Poland some farmers are selling raw milk without the middle man from automated distributors like for the soda drinks.
People are coming with their own bottles or can buy one from the machine and get fresh milk for less than 0.80€ per liter.

26768

[Violet]

As I kid I was drinking cow's milk still warm after the milking. It was delicious.
My aunt use to making batter and cream out of it. It was really rich milk.

In the 90's the milk was still good enough to do some curdled milk(excellent with potatoes and beacon).
This milk could last only few days until fermentation. Which is good thing when milk contain culture of bacteria.
Now try to do the same with UHT milk, good luck! All the richness is gone. What's left is white water.

In Czech Republic and Poland some farmers are selling raw milk without the middle man from automated distributors like for the soda drinks.
People are coming with their own bottles or can buy one from the machine and get fresh milk for less than 0.80€ per liter.

26768

Yes, exactly. That's more or less what we did here. Got our own bottles and they pour the milk in on the spot. Except that he's (still) the real farmer, not a machine :) He's a regulated farmer so he's authorised to run a farm and health inspections are in place in the country so I'm not weary of too many risks, with the middleman gone.

[hohoemi]

I used to buy raw milk from an organic food store (denn's) in austria for a while - they offer several brands, and cow milk seemed to be available year round, while sheep and goat milk varied seasonally. My personal experience with it was this:

Raw goat milk: not sweet at all, I didn't care for it by itself, but when mixed with coffee or sth else like maca powder it was nice.

Raw sheep milk: the most delicious kind, very fatty and sweet, amazing both by itself and in coffee, with one huge problem: at least one of the two brands available at the store (often only one was available) had huge differences in taste and smell on different days, to the degree that if i got a "weird" batch I either tried to drink it very cold very quickly so as not to taste/smell it, or threw it away. I'm not sure how to describe it except "gross". The First time it happened I thought the milk had gone bad actually. Because of these regular bad experiences and the distance to the store I stopped buying it eventually.

Raw cow milk: Most of the brands available at the store left a weird aftertaste which non-raw milk doesn't leave, which is why I avoided it for a long time. Eventually I realized that one of the brands didn't have this aftertaste (the 10 or so times i bought it) and was really delicious - more creamy than regular pasturized milk.

Summary wise, I have no idea what led to the difference in taste between batches and brands. Probably what the animals ate at that time? In any case, this is sth that doesn't seem to happen with pasteurized/homogenized store milk, which however seems more watery and less alive than the raw versions. (Although I bought pasteurized store sheep milk once that left a bad aftertaste, so maybe the weird taste can happen with any sheep milk.)

[spiritwind]

I drink raw unpasteurized chilled goats milk and absolutely LOVE IT! I can't say enough good things about this milk. I have Nigerian Dwarf goats and the milk they produce has a very high butterfat content (6% or more). Everyone I have got to try it says it tastes slightly sweet even, almost like drinking half and half. Almost everyone wrinkles up their nose because of what they've heard or experienced in the past. Then they try it and they like it! I make sure everything that comes into contact with the milk is very sanitary and chill immediately. I guess it also matters what they eat. But my goats milk tastes wonderful. It has many health benefits too. Often straightens digestive issues right out and is actually healing for your intestines. It makes great cheese and yogurt too. Plus goats are just plain fun to be around (except when they chew a hole in your favorite dress!).

[onawah]

I get raw local goat milk in the months when the goats are producing and make homemade kefir with it.
It keeps much longer in that form, and gives me lots of good probiotics, something most of us need more of.

In the winter, I've been buying crates of 9 young green Thai coconuts from my local grocer (they special order the crates).
The price varies from about $10- $22 per crate, depending on the season.
But I get about a gallon plus a quart or more from 9 coconuts, and I make kefir with that as well, so I get plenty of value for my money.

Truly raw, organic almonds are pricey, but you can get good ones from http://www.livingnutz.com/ or http://organicfruitsandnuts.com/
When making almond or rice milk, it works a lot better and you will get a much more nutritious milk if you soak them first overnight to activate the seed, and then rinse and let them sit at room temp for at least a few hours so they can begin to sprout.

You won't see any difference in the almonds, but if you let the rice sit long enough, you will begin to see little shoots sprouting from each grain.
Then rinse and blend the rice with some water to make milk, and strain through cheese cloth.
When making almond milk, it tastes better if, after you sprout them, if you soak them for about 30 seconds in very hot, almost boiling water, then plunge immediately in cold water.
That will loosen the skins and you can peel them off easily.
Then put in a blender with water and blend at high speed. You won't have any gritty bits if you sprout them first, and the milk will be much more nutritious.
If you add a little honey or other natural sweetener and some vanilla, both are delicious.

Neither rice nor almond milk will keep long unless you freeze it, but you can freeze several days' worth in separate plastic containers, and that's a good way to keep it handy for several days, at least.

[wnlight]

I love raw milk if it is really fresh - the same day. You need to check out the dairy farmer for cleanliness. I have been told that one can pasteurise milk at 140 degrees (lower temperature) for a longer time to preserve the "fresh" taste, but I have not tried that myself. I know someone here in Cuenca who makes butter and cottage cheese from raw milk. Her customers really love it.

[Yetti]

Hi Violet. We do not suffer any allergies but we take Goat milk at home, and since we try it 3 year ago I'm in love of my goats, only the milking takes some time but with 3 goats at home we have enough milk to make our own feta and chevre cheese at home. I suggest you to try it from a local organic farmer.

[Joanne Shepard]

I was always lactose intolerant but now I'm not and this happened after I ordered some kefir grains and bought some whole organic cows milk and added it to the kefir grains after 24 hours in the cupboard you strain the milk out, it tasted different but I enjoyed it, now I use it everyday and I'm not lactose intolerant. Its so beneficial for me that I even use it as a facial :)

I would like to find whole cows milk unpasteurized.

[Snowflower]

I have Nigerian Dwarf goats, make kefir every day, use whey to make cultured veggies, separate milk for cream to make ice cream and butter, have mastered soft cheeses, still working on hard cheeses. I bought Fresian sheep last spring, will breed this fall, have sheep milk next spring.

Almond milk: soak overnight. Blend, strain, add maple syrup and vanilla. Superb.

Walnut milk. Even better than almond. Double yum.

Coconut milk. Yuk. But love everything else coconut, lol.

Kombucha. Yeah, different subject, but just recently started making it and it is SO GOOD!! Addictive even.

[Violet]

Adding Hazelnut milk.

Haven't baked with this yet. Blends well with coffee.

New in the supermarket range and tastier than the Almond. Prices more or less the same per same dosage. Have to comparatively check sugar levels though, I have a feeling.