MilkCow 101 – Belvedere Farms

All About Cream : Part 1

04.07.2022 by Raelene Bradley // 4 Comments

If you’ve ever wondered “What can I do with raw milk?” well then this series, wherein we explore all the delicious possibilities raw milk provides, will be right up your alley.

We’re starting with cream because, well, cream is my favorite.

Like eat-it-with-a-spoon-favorite.

“I have too much cream” – said no one ever.

And yet, when you get almost a quart of cream to every gallon, and your cow is giving 3-4 gallons a day, that cream adds up fast.

If this is you and you’ve got more cream than you know what to do with, this two-part series all about cream is for you.

What is cream?

Cream is the fat of the milk.

I am constantly amazed at the magic a milk cow conjures as she transform grass – nearly inedible for most species and certainly incapable of sustaining life and reproduction – into one of the most delicious, nutritionally balanced, super foods with oodles of beneficial bacteria, probiotics, enzymes, and glorious, delicious fat.

Rising To The Top

You’ve heard of the idiom “cream rises to the top,” yes? The essential idea is that the best ideas, the most skilled people, are the most noticeable because they “rise to the top” and stand out. There’s a good practical wisdom in that idiom because cream really is the best part of the milk, if you ask me.

When you let raw milk sit for 12-24 hours, the cream (or fat) will rise to the top. For some breeds of milk cow (like Dexter), the fat globules are very small and so it takes longer for the cream to separate and rise (closer to 2-3 days).

Fun (slightly unrelated) fact: the fat globules in goat’s milk are even smaller and so the cream never separates at all. Therefore, goat’s milk is naturally homogenized, meaning the cream/fat is evenly distributed throughout the milk.

Heavy Cream

The cream at the very top of the jar will be what is often known as “heavy cream.” It is thick and dense. You can almost stand a spoon upright in it.

My kids like to call this creme de la creme and that’s exactly where that particular idiom comes from: heavy cream is literally the cream of the cream, the best of the best.

Important: If you want to make whipped cream, you must use heavy cream.

Heavy cream will also produce the highest yields when churned to butter.

Light Cream

The light cream settles below the thick heavy cream at the top, but still above the liquid milk. You’ll notice that it’s not as thick and doesn’t stick to your ladle or spoon as thickly/stubbornly as the heavy cream at the top.

Remember – light cream cannot be whipped. It has too much liquid and won’t properly set up into soft peaks.

But it’s great for ice cream! And it will still make great butter, even if the yield is a little less than when you churn heavy cream.

Skimming Cream At Home

Skimming (or separating) cream refers to the process of removing the cream from the milk. For me (and most homesteaders), this is done manually with a ladle or spoon.

I like to use extra-wide-mouth gallon jars for all my milk because it makes skimming cream easier and more efficient and I am alll about maximizing my cream yield.

I use a stainless steel 1/2 cup kitchen ladle to manually skim each gallon, and scoop one ladle at a time, transferring it to another jar (fitted with a stainless steel wide mouth funnel to minimize the mess).

A Great Tip for Skimming Cream

Run the ladle under warm water just before skimming – the thin layer of water lets the cream slide off the ladle better and prevents a really thick buildup of cream.

Separating Cream Commercially

Commercial dairy processing systems use a mechanical cream separator (really cool, but generally cost-prohibitive for the average homesteader), and use centrifugal force to extract all the cream from the milk.

Because each cow gives a little different percentage of cream, each vat of milk will vary slightly in its cream fat percentage. A cream separator equalizes every vat of milk by removing all the cream no matter how much it had to begin with.

The cream is later added back to the milk in the volume required to meet the mandated percentages for each product (3.25% (whole), 2%, 1%)

The Bottom Line

When you have more milk than you can use, always keep the cream.

Skim the cream and make butter.

Freeze the butter to use during her dry period.

Make self-stable ghee for your pantry.

Make lifelong friends of your neighbors by giving that yellow gold away.

Make gallons of ice cream and host a party.

Make cream cheese and cheese cake.

But always keep the cream.

Skimmed milk can go to the pigs. 1 gallon of skimmed milk or whey is all the protein a pig needs in a day and you can substitute milk pound for pound for their grain ration with no loss in nutrition.

I know. You’re gonna want to know how to make all these things. And more. I gotcha.

In part 2, we’ll talk about all the delicious ways you can use that abundance of cream.

The possibilities are downright delicious.

Stay tuned.

How to help your milk cow adjust to Daylight Savings Time

03.16.2022 by Raelene Bradley // Leave a Comment

Over the last several weeks, Sandy and I have both been loving the pure early sunlight streaming into the milking parlor each morning.

But with Daylight Savings and the sudden and unceremonious thrust of morning milking back into the dark, we’re feeling the absence of those lovely rays of hope and spring.

Each morning as I’ve come to the barn for milking since the time change last weekend, I’ve found Sandy still laying snug and warm in the straw, barn cats curled up next to her warm side, no one quite ready for the day to begin.

“I hear you, love. It’s a rough week for all of us.”

Milk cows thrive on routine.

It’s no secret that a milk cow can get downright cranky if you’re even 15 minutes late to milking.

She’s engorged and uncomfortable, looking for a treat and impatient with your tardiness.

She may express her annoyance with a particularly well-timed slap with her tail, she may be particularly shifty and restless, or she just may poop right in the parlor, leaving you to frantically scramble to rescue the milk pail out from under her.

So how do you deal with the sudden, unforeseen, and rude adjustment in her milking routine that is Daylight Savings time?

Adjusting The Milking Schedule

The seasonal time change is often a difficult week for all of us. But remember, you’re the farmer. You get to take into account your cow, her temperament, and her needs and then make decisions about what will work best for your cow and your schedule.

And if the decisions you make turn out to not work out great, you’ll get another go in six months.

Here are a few ways to approach the adjustment to a seasonal time change.

Introduce a gradual adjustment

I’m almost certain you know first-hand (or can imagine in vivid detail) what it’s like to try to soothe a cranky toddler whose nap time routine has been bungled by the onset of Daylight Savings. It’s not a pretty sight.

If I were the type of parent to think and plan ahead, I may have tried to prepare said toddler by putting him down for a nap 15 minutes earlier each day for a week or so in advance, thus gradually adjusting his body clock to the new time change.

I never did this as a parent. Didn’t have the foresight or patience to make it happen.

But as a milk cow owner? You betcha.

So one way to ease the transition into Daylight Savings time is to milk 15 minutes earlier than your regularly scheduled milking time.

Do this over four days, milking 15 minutes earlier each day so that on day 4, you’ll be milking at the new earlier milking time.

Vice versa for the end of Daylight Savings. Just milk 15 minutes later than your regular time and four days later, you’ll be right “on time.”

Then just monitor how your cow reacts. If you find that she’s still super cranky, perhaps at the next time change you can adjust milking time by 15 minutes for two days to give her a little longer to adjust, then another 15 minutes the next two days and so forth so that after 8 days, you’re “on time” with the seasonal time change.

If you’re into less planning and foresight, less thinking and adjusting, then this next option may be for you:

Go cold turkey

This is, admittedly, my preferred method. It’s abrupt to be sure, but the time change is difficult for everyone and it always feels better to just get it over and done with.

Also, I’m not great at planning ahead. #fulldisclosure

Milk cows are experts at adapting. They adapt to changes in schedule, changes in demand, changes in feed, changes in weather. Of course, some changes MUST be introduced gradually (like introducing a new feed), but when it comes to the milking schedule, I feel that a change of an hour once in spring and again in fall is best accomplished all at once.

Just rip the bandaid off and move forward.

So on the morning of Daylight Savings when I’m feeling groggy and sleep deprived (more so than usual that is), I get Sandy up early and we milk an hour early. And again an hour early in the evening, fully adjusted now to the new time.

She may very well be a little cranky. And that’s to be expected. You probably are too. So give her a little grace – and yourself too. Brew an extra strong cup of coffee and love on her a few extra minutes for those first few mornings.

Moderation is a Virtue

Instead of going cold turkey, or taking a week or more to nurse your cow into the time change, you can absolutely follow a little more moderate route as you make the adjustment and combine elements of both these approaches.

Adjust over 2-3 milkings

If you normally milk at 7am, on the morning of Daylight Savings, milk at 7:30/7:40am (that would be 6:30/6:40am on the previous time, about half an hour early for your cow).

Then in the evening, milk at 7:15/7:20 (that would be 6:15/6:20pm on the previous time, 40-45 minutes earlier than her normally scheduled milking time).

And the next morning (the day after the time change), milk at 7am.

With this option, you’ve moderated the change over 2-3 milkings so she’s had a chance to adjust, but it hasn’t been too much trouble or needed too much advanced planning on your part.

Win win eh?

Daylight Savings is a rough transition for all of us, but with a plan in place, you can weather the rough patch and know just how best to serve your cow so she can happily keep doing what she does best: liquid sunshine to feed the whole farm.

KEEP LEARNING IN MILK COW 101

Keeping a milk cow is beautiful, but can be intimidating and overwhelming. Even simple things like the seasonal time change can throw you for a loop and make you feel off kilter. I’ve been there; I know exactly what that feels like!

So if you’re dreaming of keeping a family cow and have a zillion questions, join the waitlist for Milk Cow 101. You’ll be the first to know when enrollment opens and you’ll be ready to learn everything you need to feel confident and prepared to care for, feed, milk, and love your very own family milk cow.

Milk Cow Myths: Part 4

01.20.2022 by Raelene Bradley // 2 Comments

5 Myths Keeping You From Living The Milk Cow Life

In this series, I’m talking you through, step-by-step-by-step, the 5 most common myths about keeping a family milk cow so you can crush those negative thoughts and set yourself up for success.

By the end of this series, you’ll see that getting a milk cow is not only totally possible, but that it is absolutely within your reach.

In the previous posts of this series, we’ve tackled the following:

Those are all legitimate concerns, but totally manageable, I promise.

If you haven’t had a chance to review those myth-busting posts yet, well then, go on and have a look and then come meet me back here. I’ll wait for ‘ya (chuckle).

Myth #4: A Milk Cow Is Expensive

Before we get too far into the nitty gritty details of the cost/benefit analysis of milk cow ownership, the most important thing you need to know about an investment in a milk cow is this:

Don’t look for a deal.

You will be under that cow twice a day, every. single. day. You want to enjoy that time with her, not dread it. You want to find peace and contentment in the time you spend with your cow, look forward to it even.

Wanna know something? Milking is, hands-down, my favorite chore. And it’s pretty close to my favorite time of day (bedtime is pretty high up there too). It’s quiet. Just me and my cow. The routine is set and easy to follow. No one’s touching me or talking to me. It’s a glorious 1/2 hour that my soul relishes.

A proven family milk cow who is healthy, calm, gentle, patient, and generous is worth every penny. Every single one.

So don’t shop around for the lowest price. Don’t go to the sale barn and pick up someone’s cull cow for a steal. Don’t think a cheap cow means a good cow. As is true in nearly every other endeavor, you get what you pay for and when it comes to a milk cow, a good one is worth every bit of the investment.

What Does A Milk Cow Save?

This is the exciting part. A milk cow feeds everyone. But let’s talk first just about you and your family.

Think about all the dairy products you consume on a weekly basis. Milk (of course!), cream in your coffee (and yep, I mean creamer too), whipping cream, yogurt, butter, sour cream, ice cream, and oodles of cheese of all kinds of varieties.

Do a quick calculation – how much of your grocery budget goes to dairy?

Milk (4-5 gallons) $25
Yogourt (4 qts) $20
Cheese (4-8lbs) $35
Butter (3-4lbs) $20
Sour Cream (2 pints) $8
Cream (1 quart) $10

For most, the weekly dairy budget is somewhere in the ballpark of $75-120/week.

Now, if you’ve got teenage boys and can’t seem to keep milk in the house (not to mention ice cream #amiright) it’s likely on the high side there.

A milk cow’s average lactation lasts 10 months (we talked about her 60 day dry period in this post here). So to figure out how much having a milk cow will save on your grocery budget, multiply your weekly dairy budget by 42 weeks, like this:

$120/week x 42 weeks = $5040

Five thousand dollars.

Or if you’re a little more conservative in your dairy consumption it might look like this:

$75/week x 42 weeks = $3150

That’s three thousand buckaroos.

But Wait, There’s More

Having a milk cow will absolutely save you money on your dairy budget. But the savings don’t stop there.

Because you’ve got all that milk in the house, you’ll be motivated to make even more dairy-centric meals and snacks that will further reduce your grocery bill. Things like:

Yogourt & granola
Smoothies
String cheese
Alfredo Sauce
Pizza
Ice Cream
Chocolate Milk

Annnnnnd – she’ll be raising a calf, maybe even two. In another year and a half, you’ll have a freezer full of beef thanks to your sweet milk cow.

But that’s still not all.

A milk cow feeds the whole farm

I said earlier that a milk cow feeds everyone. I wasn’t kidding.

You can supplement feed for chickens and pigs with clabbered milk, skim milk, whey, and buttermilk. That will put a significant dent in your feed bill and reduce your off-farm inputs (and cost!).

Did you know that 1 gallon of skimmed milk (you get to keep the cream for butter – or ice cream, of course) contains all the protein a pig needs for the day? Same is true for whey. You can easily raise a couple hogs to fill the freezer with all the excess your milk cow will produce.

Skimmed milk makes excellent chicken feed. Soaking their grains in milk overnight reduces waste, increases nutrient absorption, and makes the most beautifully delicious eggs you’ve ever eaten. Or leave it on the counter for a couple days to clabber to improve digestibility and your chickens will be over the moon.

Lest you think it’s only animals who benefit from a milk cow’s presence, your garden will explode once you start adding aged and composted milk cow manure. Trust me, there will be a lot of it. The richest, blackest compost you’ve ever seen. And its nutritional value for the fertility of your garden at no additional cost to you can’t be matched.

What Does A Milk Cow Cost?

Alright. Let’s talk dollars and cents.

Expect to pay between $2000-$3000 for a good milk cow. Maybe a little more if you’re looking for a specific breed, particular characteristics, or targeted genetic traits (like an exclusively grass-fed cow).

By “good” I mean proven. She’s proven her worth and dependability. That means she’s had at least one lactation and is well-trained to milk. She stands quietly, is easy to handle, is in excellent health, has a lovely conformation, produces reliably, calves with ease, and keeps condition.

You’ll need to budget for feed & supplements (hay over the winter, salt & minerals to keep her healthy, and a grain ration if applicable). You’ll also need to account for initial equipment investments like a halter & rope, feed bins, milking pail, strainer, and jars.

And don’t forget vet costs. You’ll need to, at the very least, have her bred again within the year. You’ll need a few basic veterinary supplies (like dewormer, dynamint, and bag balm), and you’ll need to be prepared in case she faces a serious health crisis.

So what do the costs look like all added up?

Initial Investment: $2K-$3K
Feed & Supplements: $600
Equipment: $150-$300
Vet Supplies: $50-$250

That’s $4,150.

Remember how she’ll save you over $5040 on your grocery bill alone? That’s a net savings of $890 in her first lactation. Every lactation after that, you’ll save between $2500-$3750.

Truth: a milk cow will pay for herself in one lactation.

Less than a year, folks. And that’s only counting the dollars in your grocery budget. Not the additional savings of supplementing chickens and pigs or garden fertility or beef in the freezer.

And – you’ll be consuming all that nutrient dense raw milk & dairy, the health benefits of which just can’t be calculated in dollars and cents (other than decreased doctor visits and money spent on medications).

A Milk Cow Is Food Security

All those supply chain problems and empty grocery shelves? Rising prices due to decreased supply and increased inflation? Those won’t phase you one bit.

There’s no question that sun + grass + milk cow = food. And lots of it.

All you have to do is turn her loose in the pasture, make sure she’s got clean fresh water, and show up to milk her.

She asks for so little and gives oh so very much in return.

Keep Learning in Milk Cow 101

You’re getting excited aren’t you? If you find yourself nodding along and thinking “Yes! We could totally do this,” I’m here to tell you you’re right. Keeping a cow is totally possible and absolutely within your reach.

If you’re catching the vision and eager to jump in and learn what you need to be not just one but a hundred steps closer to a pail full of liquid sunshine, join the waitlist for Milk Cow 101 today.

Bonus: that milk cow will give a whole heck of a lot more than she takes.

When you join the waitlist, you’ll be the first to know when enrollment opens and you’ll be ready to learn everything you need to feel confident and prepared to bring home your very own family milk cow.