4Real Forums: organic milk

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Bookswithtea
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Posted: March 20 2007 at 10:27pm \| IP Logged

I've been following along on the grocery and pantry threads.

I'd really like to start our family on organic milk, perhaps even non homogenized (raw milk is illegal in my state), but the price is just killing me!!! Its easily $6-$7 a gallon, whereas grocery store milk here is somewhere between $2 a gallon on sale to just over $3 gallon regular priced.

So here's what I'm wondering, especially for the larger families who have committed to organic milk...do you limit the quantity of milk eaten in your home to offset the cost? Is there something else that you removed from your food budget to accomodate it?

Sigh...it is soooooooooo hard for me to make the switch to more organic foods. We've always eaten whole foods based and avoid the yuccky stuff, but I've never really made organics a priority.

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aussieannie
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Posted: March 20 2007 at 10:33pm \| IP Logged

Books, We buy raw goats milk (more expensive than raw cows milk) we pay $6 something for 2 litres (I've just checked the online conversion charts...EEEK! 2 litres is only 1/2 gallon!)

So we use milk only in our cups of tea - green tea! Our children drink green tea with raw honey for sweetener. We let the youngest, not yet completely weened and our 4year old have small cups when they want it.

We go through 6 x 2litre bottles a fortnight, so we spend about $40 or so on milk in the fortnightly budget.

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almamater
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Posted: March 20 2007 at 10:58pm \| IP Logged

For the time being, I have a wonderful arrangement in which I barter for organic raw milk in exchange for teaching a friend's daughter piano lessons. It would be better to buy your milk locally as the mega organic corporations (Horizon, etc) have been under a lot of fire for not treating their cattle much better than the mega conventional corporations. I would suggest asking around at your local farmer's market or food co-op. Check out www.realmilk.org or www.localharvest.org for local sources.

Incidentally, because it is so expensive, I do limit the children's intake, but not as much as I limited it when we were drinking conventional milk. We consume two gallons a week, but the milk is soooo good, they could easily double that if I allowed them.

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JSchaaf
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Posted: March 20 2007 at 11:01pm \| IP Logged

We just made the switch to organic milk. I've limited milk to one cup at dinnertime. My girls get lots of other dairy products (cheese, yogurt, etc) so they meet their "Five Servings A Day" of dairy.

My concern is when Michael comes home. He'll go off formula at one year and then I expect he'll guzzle alot of whole milk like my other kids.

Jennifer

JSchaaf
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Posted: March 20 2007 at 11:03pm \| IP Logged

Jennifer (in Austin),

Can you link to something about the issues with Horizon? I've been buying their milk/butter and would like to investigate this further.

Thanks,
Jennifer (in San Antonio)

JodieLyn
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Posted: March 20 2007 at 11:26pm \| IP Logged

Books, I don't know where you are.. but I know a friend in TX that raises goats.. and the laws re: selling raw milk are varied.. it may be for instance that you can't advertise but if you ask someone if they sell it, that's legal, or sometimes they have to be labled "not for human consumption" because it's raw.. but that's only for selling purposes.. once you bought it and took it home.. no one is gonna be watching that you don't drink it.

I switched by just doing it.. jammed the organic milk into my groceries and worked around that.. and yes we do limit milk consumption.. it's *food* not "drink".. if you're thirsty, drink water.. so I don't have any problem limiting the amount of milk..

But what really sold me.. I always smell the milk before I pour it.. no matter what the date on it is

and even good "regular" milk always smells just a slight bit "off" to me.. not really bad.. but something icky.. and the organic doesn't. I don't like milk much myself.. but I can taste the difference too.

And I constantly fight with myself.. there is NO way we could go totally organic.. so in some ways it feels like "what's the use" I buy organic milk but regular fruits and veggies and meats etc. And then I remind myself that it does reduce what we get.. and milk is a big culprit in the high levels of hormones and antibiotics and such.

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Anne McD
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Posted: March 21 2007 at 5:27am \| IP Logged

I tried going completely organic about a year ago, and burnt myself out

, but the other day, I went to pick up milk. The store was running out, and only had organic milk, so I went ahead-- I was amazed at how much better it tasted! It was thicker and creamier, and knowing it was better than its regular counterpart helps, too!

Aussieannie, forgive me, how long is a fortnight?

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aussieannie
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Posted: March 21 2007 at 6:02am \| IP Logged

Wow, Anne, I didn't realise it is not an expression used in the States!

In Australia you would not usually say, "two weeks" you would say "a fortnight" - we get paid every two weeks and so we talk about our fortnightly budget, or our fortnightly shopping...

Thanks for asking, 'cause I learn more about the interesting differences in language between the two English speaking countries.

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Ruth
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Posted: March 21 2007 at 7:14am \| IP Logged

JSchaaf wrote:

Jennifer (in Austin),

Can you link to something about the issues with Horizon? I've been buying their milk/butter and would like to investigate this further.

Thanks,
Jennifer (in San Antonio)

I'd like to read this also. I love their milk. I didn't know there was an issue.

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St. Ann
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Posted: March 21 2007 at 7:18am \| IP Logged

Raw cow's milk is delivered to our house on Tuesdays and Fridays by a farmer from our area. I pay 2Euros for 2 liters. We buy 9 liters a week more or less. Normal store bought milk is 55cents a liter. Organic milk ranges from 90cents to 1.30. Our girls drink water or fruit tea when they are thirsty. Milk is for breakfast. They drink fruit juice mixed with water on the weekend with their meals. I use milk in the kitchen a lot otherwise and the girls love yogurt(natural, whole).
I do buy some organic products, but prefer to buy locally over organic.

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LisaD
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Posted: March 21 2007 at 8:49am \| IP Logged

If you just Google "Horizon Organics," you will come up with several articles. Apparently some of Horizon's cows are on feedlots, and some people don't feel that the label should read "organic" unless the cows spend the majority of the time pastured. I don't care for Horizon milk, and some other brands of organic milk because it is ultra-pastuerized for extended shelf life. I don't buy raw milk, because the only place around here that sells it is Whole Foods, and I don't like to shop there. I buy Trader Joe's organic milk, which is not ultra-pastuerized, as well as organic butter, sour cream , yogurt, half & half, eggs, etc. from Trader Joe's. A gallon of milk is just under $6.00, but it lasts us all week. My kids are not milk drinkers, except my 3 year-old and he only has one or two cups a day.

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Bookswithtea
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Posted: March 21 2007 at 11:09am \| IP Logged

Well, this is so encouraging! In thinking about it, the biggest milk drinker in the house is ds 13, who is growing like a horse. Two of my children don't drink it at all, and the other two only occasionally, besides in cereal.

I'm thinking of cutting cereal off the breakfast menu entirely just because its ridiculously expensive for the amount of nutrition offered.

I hadn't thought to check Trader Joe's. I do go there about once a month. I can get non homogenized organic milk through the local coop once a month that is expensive but tastes wonderful.

I think I'll just try and see what happens. It looks to me like yogurt may be a cheaper option and a tad more filling for other dairy based servings. I have a lot more yogurt eaters in my house than milk drinkers.

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juststartn
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Posted: March 21 2007 at 7:18pm \| IP Logged

Well, you cannot buy raw milk here in NC for human consumption (and pet consumption is regulated).

So I get the Harris Teeter brand organic. Don't care for the Organic Valley, or the Horizon (I'd heard some rather nasty things about one or the both of them, which only left the HT brand, which is cheaper anyway). I do get organic, free range eggs, and as much organic meat as I can get...with three dds, and a genetically linked endocrine disorder in me, I am trying to help them avoid the hormones and chemicals as much as possible...DH thinks I am nuts, I think HE'S nuts cause he hasn't done the research I have. LOL

Anyway, I definitely go thru milk. We do limit their intake (if they have cereal, they don't drink any at a meal later on), and they get lots of cheese (as often as possible, its organic), yogurt (ditto), etc. Water is THE beverage of choice around here, 90% of the time (unless I am drinking my nightly "cut the heartburn" glass/es of milk...lol (accompanied by some Lorna Doone shortbread, of course, lol).

Rachel

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chicken lady
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Posted: March 21 2007 at 7:55pm \| IP Logged

I know this may not be possible for everyone but if you have any land, keeping a milking goat is quite easy, and even young children can milk them.

My ds age 5 for Christmas begged us for a cow so we could have more milk

Priceless that went in his baby book! Seriously it is all he wanted for Christmas......a cow, can you imagine, well it should give you some idea of how much milk these dc of mine drink!

anniemm
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Posted: March 21 2007 at 10:28pm \| IP Logged

I buy only organic milk, however, my family is significantly smaller than many of the others! I don't buy Horizon, and when I have in the past I had to just cringe for the cost and it wasn't as good to me. I buy store brand (which, here is Central Market/HEB, and I can get store brand at Wal-Mart also). Central Market brand organic milk is about $5 a gallon here in Houston, but I usually buy the half gallon at $2.50. It was hard to switch, but the taste is so much better and I feel better about it for many reasons. As someone else mentioned, I do limit the milk consumption now. We have milk with cereal, occasionally my DH and I will have it with Saturday morning breakfast, cooking, and other than that the girls can have one cup-full at night. The rest of the day they drink water only. I make sure they get their calcium through other means throughout the day as well.

For me, the big things that I always buy organic are milk, beef, and eggs. I'm not as concerned with the organic produce or chicken/poultry. Cows are my big concern lol. If I could afford it, I would go to cheese and butter also.

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