Seasonal changes in the milk

Each Spring we have new shareholders writing to us concerned about the changes in the flavor and color of their milk, cream and yogurt. If you are a shareholder you may have noticed that for the past many weeks the color of your milk shares have deepened a bit, and the milk has more flavor than it had in the winter months. The increase in yellow/orange is the added beta carotene from the cows being back on fresh clean and green grass. We move them each day to a new pasture. Fresh grass makes for the happiest and healthiest cows and in turn creates the healthiest and tastiest milk for you!

If you are new to drinking real milk, this change in flavor, smell, and color might be disconcerting. This change however is normal and simply means your cows are romping around new pasture eating all they want of the fresh Spring grasses. Store bought milk, even organic milk, pales in comparison (pun intended :) because they don't keep their cows grazing like we do. It is a lot of work to move the cows all year round and most farmers simply do the minimum required as it is easier to keep the cows inside, and they aren't incentivized to do the extra work.

Your cream will deepen in color more than the milk as the fat soluble vitamins from the grass are primarily in the cream. You will also notice the cream top on the yogurt is much softer this time of year due to the types of fat coming from the fresh grasses.

Most of you, like myself, have probably grown up eating store bought foods where consistency in presentation is the most important aspect, and irregularity is anathema. These seasonal changes in our food are good and ought to be prized. Keep doing dairy different for the health of the land, the animals and yourselves. Have a great week and hope you enjoy this strange Spring weather!