Brookford Farm- A Success Story

I sit here, sipping the first Indian style tea I have had since I returned from India-- it has my Taj Mahal brand loose leaves, ginger, sugar, and of course... milk! But, for the first time in the U.S., I am not drinking pasteurized milk. I'm drinking raw milk. That's right folks... straight from the cow's teat! (well, not exactly). I read up on raw milk, and read that it isn't so dangerous as people think. The reason pasteurization started in the 1920s was due to unhygienic farming practices and transportation of milk. Nowadays, a small, local, organic farmer can have a hygienic milking area and clean ways to package it.

Raw milk is supposed to have more nutrients, many of which break down in the pasteurizing process, and it is also more flavorful. The fat in the milk of grass-fed cows is supposed to be higher in Omega 3 fatty acids, and some other stuff, I forgot, that is also good for you. So it has fat, but its better-for-you fat. And we also got the 'low fat' version of raw milk, which just means they scooped the cream off the top (which they probably used in one of their many other products.)

My sister and I gave Brookford Farm a call and set up a time for a first visit, where they will give us a tour of the farm. A very nice guy who works on the farm came out and gave us the tour. We went inside and petted adorable fuzzy Jersey cows and their reticent Holstein sisters. We saw the pastures they graze in, the multitude of hens running about (He said there were about 70) all over the farm and running up to us to see if we had any food scraps for them.

We also saw the baby cows, which are fed by their own mothers before they are milked. We did hear that the boy cows would eventually go to "s-l-a-u-g-h-t-e-r" when they are older (it was spelled as such so the poor little guys wouldn't hear, haha) but not as veal calves since they are allowed to roam and play as cows on the farm.

We also met Oliver, the adorable son of the farmers, who went on the tour with us, telling us interesting stories about farm.

All in all, a very nice day, and we bought a dozen fresh eggs and a 1/2 gallon of fresh raw milk.. now in my tea. Yum! It was a bit more expensive than the store, but I think it is worth it personally. And it was only 15 minutes from my house. Who knew eating morally could be so easy?