For health-conscious, organic-loving shoppers, unpasteurized milk is a developing food fad but food safety officials warn it can be like playing Russian roulette
How do you like your milk: cooked or raw? It may sound an odd question, but its being asked more often at kitchen tables, grocery stores and farmers markets across the US.
The vast majority of milk we drink is pasteurized heat-treated to kill off harmful pathogens. Raw milk, on the other hand, goes straight-out from udder to bottle. Fans call it milk as nature aimed: nutrient-rich and full of probiotics, the very best kind of bacteria. Some devotees go further, calling it a superfood that facilitates digestion, boosts the immune system and treats asthma, eczema and allergies.
For blogger and cookbook writer Jennifer McGruther, trying raw milk several years ago was a natural extension of her interest in traditional diets and locally made food. But in Colorado, where she lived at the time, you couldnt just go to the store and buy it. In reality, due to very concerned about safety, retail sales of raw milk are proscribed in about 20 governments. So she joined something called a herd-share scheme, which lets people buy an interest in a group of dairy cows. As a part-owner, youre entitled to what that cow renders, she explains. Its difficult for the state to say you cant drink the milk from cows you own.
McGruther desired the savour and so did her family. Before long, she tells, her four-year-old son would burst into tears if she committed him regular milk. There is this richness to it, and it tastes different based on the seasons, she tells. There is a uniformity that comes with pasteurization, but food is not uniform.
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