When ‘Organic’ Milk is Worse than ‘Regular’ Milk

For the sake of my health, I’ve decided to get on the Real Food Bandwagon. I’ve been going back and forth for a while, but now I am finally taking the plunge.

As part of this new lifestyle, I’ve been on a quest for organics fruits and veggies, eggs, meats and of course, milk. I’m trying out new recipes, making all sorts on yummy stuff, like bone broth, sauerkraut, beet kvass, ginger ale, and lacto-fermented veggies.

And I’ve been dragging the kids to farmers markets, trying to find local crops that are not laden with pesticides. Not having much luck. The farmers in my area are definitely not ‘Real Food Foodies’. The closest farm where I can get farm fresh is (cow) milk is 45 minutes away. There are a couple of goat dairy farms closer, but at $15 a gallon, I’m not that committed to the idea of dairy in my diet!!!

What I really want most is yogurt. I don’t drink a lot of milk, but a love yogurt. So I was hoping to make my own for my family,along with Kefir, whey and cottage cheese.

I was happy to see that I could use Organic Pasteurized Milk to make my Greek Yogurt (and in turn, whey and cottage cheese). So I went off the the store to buy some. As I looked at the 2 choices on the shelves, I felt happy. Both were labeled with the good stuff – no hormones, grass fed cows, no additives. Yay, this is looking good. Then I baulked when I read the words:

Ultra-Pasteurized.

Um, what does that mean?? Is that really, really bad?

I stood there a minute. Debating.  

I really want to make my yogurt… now! 

But perhaps I should just go to the dairy and get the good stuff (it’s the same price any way).

But I can’t re-culture this yogurt starter with raw milk…

Finally, I decided to buy it. Can’t hurt, right?

I know. Those of you who are seasoned Real Food Foodies are screaming, “No!! Don’t do it! It’s a Big Dairy Trap! Don’t you know what Ultra-Pasteurized means!!!!”

When I got home, I excitedly opened my Yogurt Starter and re-read the instructions. I’m ready to go!!

Except I can’t. You see, Ultra-Pasteurized is another way of saying Ultra Heat Treated (UHT). I should have taken note of the ‘Tetra-Pak’ label on the side of the carton. And my yogurt starter will not work with UHT milk.

So, today in my quest to save time and money, I spent more money on something I cannot and do not want to use.

Big Dairy hoodwinked me. They took awesome milk from awesome local farmers who know how to raise their cows, and they turned that milk into a nutrient deficient pile of… useless white liquid. They they slapped a label on it that said all the things I wanted to hear in my frenzy to get this Real Food show on the road. And I fell for it. I have Half a Gallon of the stuff in my fridge, and it’s worse than the ‘Regular’ Milk that my Father in Law bought yesterday.

So, now I have to decide: To Dairy or Not To Dairy? $9 a gallon, plus 1.5 hours round trip, plus gas. Is it worth it for a little milk and yogurt in my life??

I’m seriously thinking of buying myself a couple of goats.