The Days of Milk
Whole Milk is the "Vintage Port" of the Dairy World.
I discovered this recently when I had the chance for the first time is what must be more than twenty years to drink a tall, very cold, foamy glass of whole milk.
Talk about taking something for granted when I was drinking it daily! Had I known 25 years ago that in a couple decades I’d no longer drink whole milk and instead I’d be eventually drinking stuff like "1 Percent Milk" or, worse yet, that "Lactaid" stuff or, even much worse, that shitty non-dairy milk substitute, I’d have felt shame on the spot.
I’d forgotten entirely the way real, whole milk hits your palate with that heavy, coating abundance. I’d forgotten how it’s transformed into a great drink when served ice cold. I’d forgotten what it feels like to drink a fat-laden beverage. It’s all very good!
My stash came from Strauss Family Creamery, a 67 year old organic dairy locate in the town of Marshall in Marin County. The milk came in heavy glass bottles. It chilled up nicely. Even pouring it you can see its substance. There’s nothing watery at all about this milk. It’s rich, thick, clearly south of cream in density, and white as a summer cloud.
I don’t drink Vintage Port often. But I do when I’m looking for a special treat; for a unique sensation of intense purity. That’s the purpose toward which I think I’ll be putting whole milk from now on. I do know how to serve Port at a gathering of friends. But I’m not sure how to serve ice cold whole milk. However, I’ve decided I"m going to find a way to incorporate whole milk into a dinner party menu as the drink accompaniment to one of the courses.
It will have to be a course that shines by virtue of its decadence. That’s what this experience was. Decadence. To anyone over 40 years of age that might seem weird: Whole milk being a decadent experience. But it’s a fact.
I know what you mean! A few months ago I visited a small dairy farm in Virginia for article research and was sent home with a fresh jar of unpasteurized, unhomogenized, unskimmed milk fresh from the cows. It was a great reminder of how wonderful milk can be.
Secret confession: I occasionally sip a shot of cream before bed. That’s decadent.
I don’t drink much milk, but when I do its whole milk only (and I too love Strauss’). Read up on what they do to non-fat milk and you’ll think twice.
Remember how NF milk used to be thin and blue? IIRC, they now add powdered cholesterol and other substances to make it taste “milky”. No wonder NF milk has been linked to prostate cancer….
V
My friends don’t give their children whole milk because they believe we should behave like other mammals and wean our infants off milk little by little, like they do. Following that logic, should we also abandon our kids if they break a leg and become a “weak link” in the pack?!? My son gets whole milk when he wants a glass, and will continue to unless weight ever becomes an issue. And as to what you should serve the cold milk with, my husband can’t look at a tall slice of devil’s food cake without drooling for a glass of milk.
http://gonzogastro.wordpress.com
You have not had milk ’till you had it straight from the cow (and by that I mean there is a cup or other container between you and the teat – unless you are Tom Green).
Olá Tom,
in Germany I grew up with real milk.
Now I live in Portugal. Nobody knows what Real Milk is !
Do you know this Campaign:
http://www.realmilk.com/ ?
The small farmers would earn a little bit extra, too .
Ralf
Tom,
If you seek something to serve to your guests with that milk here’s a suggestion:
When I was a teen, after a night of dancing and carousing, my before bed snack was a quart of whole milk and six chocolate donuts.
If could only do that again–including the carousing.
Milk purists insist on unpasturized milk, which is not legal to sell as “fit for human consumption” in the U.S. The farm we buy organic meat from sells unpasturized milk as “pet milk: not for humans,” and we see people buying it five or six gallons at a time. They must have a lot of pets.
Hi Tom,
I have a friend who likes to drink milk with a very spicy Portuguese dish, Francesinha. It has a really heavy and alcoholic sauce and he says milk is the perfect pairing.
Just a little question, would you serve Vintage Port for a dinner party menu as accompaniment to one of the courses? I tried a tawny port with Mustard Steak and I liked…
I also live in Portugal Ralf, I would like to taste that Real Milk you miss. I thought we had good milk!!!
Whole milk is great for muscle growth as well.
Check out this study I read a while back: “When comes to building muscle, though, whole milk may be your best choice: Scientists at the University of Texas medical branch in Galveston found that drinking whole milk after lifting weights boosted muscle protein synthesis—an indicator of muscle growth—2.8 times more than drinking skim did.”
I usually drink whole milk after exercise, and then skim for other portions of the day.
In France, most milk is UHT, milk that can go to the moon and back (or sit in fridge during a three-week vacation) and taste the same. Very fresh milk is also available in plastic bags (like filling a quart Ziplock with milk) and it goes off within a day. Meant to be opened and consumed.
I don’t think we’ve heard the end of the melamine in milk story. If it’s in Cadbury and Mars and Lipton products, various offshoots banned in 27 EU countries, would it be unthinkable that it is popping up in US milk?
As a farm kid in origin, we drank unpasteurized milk or used this odd pasteurizing machine on the kitchen sink.
As far as pairings go, Oreos and whole milk. An amuse bouche de vache.
I don’t drink much milk.Whole milk is great for muscle growth as well..
AJAY
Cash Online Get Easy cash at your door step
Window and door sensors can be installed using double-sided tape and this can make shorter work during the installation process. Consider however the weather factors in your area, double-sided tape does not do as well in humid conditions and may cause the magnetic contacts to come off, triggering the alarm.