Friday, June 19, 2009

Jersey Sweet Milk



Beautiful bottles of local Jersey cow milk – with the cream floating on the top – are at the local market and we’re on our first couple of bottles. The milk is pasteurized but not ultra-pasteurized, and that’s so good for flavor and for cheese makers.

But the fun thing is that it's not homogenized. There’s a good 1-2 inches of cream at the top of the bottle and so you get to shake it before you pop the cap. Even the 1% milk has a cream cap so that nearly-nonfat milk is an adventure instead of a penance.

The milk is rich in your mouth and you can taste a splash of green meadows in each sip, which makes me think of milk ages ago on our family farm in Harrah, Washington.

The dairy has Jersey cows, and this milk is a unique experience because haven’t we all wondered how pure old-fashioned Jersey milk tastes? It’s long had the reputation of being the finest in flavor, as long as you don’t ask a Guernsey fan.

All in all, on busy days when I hurry into the neighborhood market with a short list like MILK EGGS BREAD it’s nice to have this thoughtful choice. It’s not earthshaking but it makes an everyday food taste wonderful.