Raw Milk and eating locally

A little while ago in an effort to eat locally I started buying my milk from a local organic small farm. The farm is about a 2KM walk for me and my dog. The milk costs $2.50 per litre. At first I thought, yikes, that's pretty expensive, almost 4 times as much as a 4 litre jug at the supermarket.

I was tempted to go back to the supermarket milk, after all, I also want to live frugally as well as green, organic, self reliant, ect....

But as I was walking to buy my milk today, with my dog, with the birds singing, with very little traffic, the sun shining down on my shoulders, and a light breeze to keep me cool I came up with some reasons why I will continue to buy milk from the little farm just down the road from me.

- I don't have to buy a gym membership.
- I'm not producing any pollution.
- Walking keeps me healthy and less of a burden on our Canadian Health Care system.
- My dog is healthier and doesn't require as many visits to the vet.
- $2.50 does not seem like a lot but it helps to keep a local farm in business.
- No trucks, ships, or planes were used to get milk to my table.
- It keeps me sane and out of the psych ward.

Some folks have no problem with raw milk but I prefer to pasteurize my milk. It's really very easy.

Before you start make sure you sterilize your milk bottles and tops.

Heat the milk in a double boiler for 30 minutes to 63C, stir the milk to ensure the milk heats evenly.

Cool very quickly in an ice bath.

Bottle your milk in sterilized bottles.

Full details on how to pastorize your milk can be found here.

What are your reasons for eating locally?