The amazing thing about keeping a family dairy cow is all the milk….the hard thing about keeping a family milk cow is all.the.milk…..
Knowing what to do with raw milk when you’re getting 3 gallons a day can be challenging.
When we were still buying milk, we would buy 2 gallons a week. Now all of a sudden you’re faced with 14 gallons a week.
Before we took the plunge in buying a milk cow, I asked a lot of questions from experienced milk cow owners.
What I learned, to my surprise, was that managing all the milk was more stressful for some than the actual milking part (I thought it would be the other way around).
It’s understandable. 14-20 gallons a week from one dairy cow is a lot.
In some area you can sell excess, but in others its not legal. There is also the aspect of dealing with customers.
Sometimes its just easier to manage the extra milk in other ways.
And that’s what we’ll discuss in this article.
What to do with raw milk when you too much.
There are certain things you can make, and there are also other ways to make a profit with the milk.
How Much Milk Will You Get From One Dairy Cow?
It depends. While this isn’t a very satisfactory answer, it’s still true.
Different breeds of cows produce different amounts of milk.
Jerseys and Holsteins are known to be big producers, but even that can vary cow for cow. And if you get beef crosses, different genetics play a roll.
In general, a high producing jersey can produce up to 6 gallons a day.
That is a lot. However, if you are calf sharing, like we do, it can vary as the mother will make sure her baby gets enough. Sone days we get 3 gallons a day.
Sometimes it’s only a gallon a day. It depends on the quality and quantity of feed.
Weather also seems to affect Ruby’s (our dairy cow) production.
We just went through a cold spell and her production dropped significantly. It’s always a good day when production turns back up.
If you are calf sharing, calf age might also affect the amount you get.
The older the calf, the more she uses.
We decided to calf share because it gave us a little more flexibility with stripping the cow as first time dairy farmers.
Things to Make With Raw Milk
There are many delicious dairy products that you can make with raw milk.
Once you are accustomed to the richness and flavor of raw milk, you will find it hard to go back.
It is so delicious and we are feeling very blessed to have the land that is needed for a dairy cow.
Here are 9 things to make with raw milk.
Butter
I was tempted to name our cow butter because I said we bought her for her butter.
It’s one of my favorite dairy products.
I was buying 2lbs weekly, at $6/pound. And this wasn’t high quality butter. This was the lowest, cheapest butter but it kept me from buying seed oils.
Butter is made from cream, and cream comes from milk. Making butter is also really simple.
So it counts as a product you can make from raw milk.
I make anywhere from 2-3lbs of butter a week now. Butter freezes well, so excess gets stored in the freezer.
Soft Cheeses
Soft cheeses such as cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, and other soft cheeses are great beginner cheeses as often don’t need to be aged.
Mozzarella cheese is a great beginner cheese to make.
Hard Cheeses
It takes a lot of gallons of milk to make cheese. But it is a great way to use up extra raw milk.
I’m yet not an expert at making cheese, its one of those homesteader skills that I am working on.
It’s been really enjoyable! I’ll let you know once I have a contaminated cheese.
I’ve made a Gouda and an Asiago this month. They both need to age at least a month before we get to try them.
What I’ve really enjoyed is using clabber culture as my culture instead of buying a dried one. Super excited to learn more cheese making skills.
Clabber Cultures
Clabber cultures isn’t an end product that you eat, but it is still something that you need milk for.
Feeding a clabber culture is less work than keeping a sourdough starter, but it is still an active thing you feed.
Yogurt
You can easily use a gallon of milk to make yogurt weekly if you have big yogurt eaters. I am the one that eats the most, but if I prepare a bowl of sweetened yogurt with berries for the kids, everyone will eat it.
Sour Cream
While we don’t use a lot of sour cream, this is another recipe that can be made with extra cream.
Puddings
Pudding and waffles is a favorite around here and a great way to use up milk. The waffles take milk, as does the pudding.
Kefir
Kefir is a nutritional powerhouse, and must be fed daily.
It is a great way to get beneficial probiotics into your body. I am drinking about half a cup in the evening to help with heartburn.
My first impression of kefir was not the best, but as I’ve drank it more often I’ve grown to love it.
It has a tangy flavor with a fizzy pop like taste.
Chocolate Milk
Homemade Chocolate Milk is delicious!
I often will make a half gallon a day, and in our family of 7, it only takes everyone having a cup to make it disappear.
Homemade chocolate milk also only contains 4 ingredients: sugar, salt, cocoa, and hot water.
The brand of cocoa makes a difference so if you’re not preferring the taste, try a different brand.
It tastes exactly like Nesquik Chocolate Milk Syrup, just a lot heathier.
Other Ways To Use Raw Milk When You Have a Lot
Making all the dairy products and still have a lot of raw milk? Here are a few different ideas on how to utilize the extra.
Feed Bottle Calves
One dairy cow will produce enough milk to feed several calves.
Buy a few extra calves, and bottle feed them. Raw milk is the most nutritious milk for them, so if you have extra, utilize it. You can raise a few beef calves for meat, or go on and sell the extra meat.
Bottle calves only need to be fed milk for 3-4 months, after that they can be put on pasture.
A dairy cow that is in milk for 10 months out of the milk could feed 9 calves on her milking year. The trouble we run in to is not having access to bottle calves.
If you know a local farmer that sells bottle calves as part of their farming practice, this could be a profitable side income.
This is a great way to make a little money off of excess milk if you are legally not allowed to sell raw milk.
Feed Pigs
Raw milk is also great to feed pigs. Pigs can also utilize the excess whey if you do make cheeses. Raising a few pigs off of milk byproducts will fill your freezer with nutritious pork, and help you get the most money out of your dairy cow.
Sell
This option is popular in some locations, as raw milk is highly valued.
If you legally can sell milk, start building your customer base and get a little side income going to help with feed costs. Dairy cows eat a lot, so make sure you develop a business plan and count the costs.
Knowing what to do with raw milk means exploring your options and finding out what works best for your farm and your family.