Buying Raw Milk

Several Loopers and my college friend Jennifer have talked about how good raw milk is for you. Several months ago I bought the book, Nourishing Traditions and have slowly started to do some of the suggestions in this book. I don't know if we will ever make all of the lifestyle changes suggested in this book, but some is better than nothing. I didn't have a source to get raw milk. We live in a very small town in the country, but there doesn't seem to be very many dairy farmers around here any more. When I went to this meeting I asked where to buy raw milk. I was given some names but I never followed up on it.
Just before Christmas our babysitter was late one day because she had to go with her mom to get their milk. I asked if they would be willing to pick me up a gallon when they went. They ended up getting several gallons so their friends in their town were stocked up before the blizzard. That ended up being very good because we DID get the weather predicted. Lamb 1 will probably never drink milk after MSPI-not even raw milk and had no desire to try raw milk. Lamb 2 had a few glasses to taste it but didn't love it. Lamb 3 had been having bad diaper rash so I didn't try him on raw milk that time. So Ram and I enjoyed that gallon of raw milk around Christmas time. The family of Ram's best friend when he was growing up drank raw milk. Ram has never liked store bought milk since then.
Next, our babysitter suggested that she go along one day and show me where they go to get milk. Between our schedules, Ram going to the funeral, and when they allow buying milk (all day on odd days, before noon on even days), the first day we were able to go together was last Wednesday. I was glad it was a warmer day in the 30s! We drove across the border to SD. The family that sells the milk homeschools and has several children. First we got the milk. Then they tried to show us the cows but the Lambs were too scared of the huge animals. Then they showed us the chickens. While we were getting the milk some of their boys got us some eggs. Then they showed us the calves and the Lambs were a little more eager to see them as long as they didn't have to get too close. Then they showed us the pigs. They had some huge sows close to delivery. I should have taken pictures, but I didn't remember. They run an organic farm and the organic raw milk was $3 a gallon. The organic eggs were $2 a dozen. Their boys were very helpful loading everything up in the car too. It also helped that I had our babysitter along to help load the Lambs! They have lots of cats and Lamb 2 was even brave enough to pet the cats!
Next, a complete surprise to me, someone in our small town called and asked if I would be interested...they deliver newspapers all over the county on Saturdays and while they are out they stop at a farm and buy themselves milk...she just wondered if I would be interested in getting milk too since they were already going. It is $4 a gallon and the farm provides the jars. I took her up on this offer because I don't have to drive anywhere-she will deliver it on Saturdays when they are done with their paper route. She didn't know why her husband suggested that she ask if we would like milk. I hadn't told anyone here in town that I was going with my babysitter to get raw milk in SD. Perhaps she thought of us because we have children?
So, now my plan is to get the milk delivered during the winter from here in MN and go over to SD and buy the milk in the summer. We go quite often over to SD to a friend's produce stand in the summer and we can stop and buy milk when we go get produce. But it will be nice to have it delivered in the winter.
I don't think we are going to be getting much milk from WIC any more-I'd rather pay for the raw milk. Part of the reason we decided this is when Lamb 3 turns 2 in April, we can no longer get whole milk. We were using most of the milk that we got with WIC to make yogurt and we like our yogurt made with whole milk.