Do you have sour raw milk? Don’t toss it out! Unlike pasteurized milk, raw milk doesn’t go bad. Check out these wonderful ways to use soured raw milk!
It doesn’t happen all too often, but every few months life gets the best of us, and we let a gallon or two of raw milk go past it’s through date.
When I pick up raw milk at the farm, I always tell the kids to use the oldest date first. Sometimes my smaller kids just get too excited to drink milk and don’t notice the dates on the cap. As a result, every few weeks we end up with a gallon or two past the through date.
My husband enjoys drinking raw milk just as much as we do. However, he starts to panic when he sees a past date on his milk. However.. unlike pasteurized milk, there really isn’t any room for worry.
These two gallons of soured raw milk (milk that has gone past its use by date) are still usable and perfect to use in the kitchen. Unlike pasteurized milk, that goes putrid and must be thrown out, raw milk is still incredibly useful.
Incorporate it in your baking, cheese or yogurt-making and you’ll find that it’s almost impossible “not” to use up these gallons.
Why such a huge difference?
Pasteurized milk is a dead food. It has been heated to a point that the enzymes and probiotics have been killed. Thus, it’s a huge food borne illness in terms of consumption, and must be thrown when it reaches it’s “use by” date.
Raw milk, on the other hand, is full of beneficial bacteria, enzymes and probiotics. When it goes past it’s through date, it means that the probiotics have started the use up the lactose. As a result, the milk will no longer taste quite as sweet, and is coined with the term “soured raw milk.”
But… it is still quite usable in the kitchen. Or garden, and used if you have pets.
Those enzymes and probiotics are so good for your gut – and can actually help your body in many ways.
This sour milk (milk past it’s due date) is still safe to drink. It’s even better for you because it now has even more beneficial bacteria (probiotics) – those probiotics have initiated a fermentation.
How to Use Soured Raw Milk
So what do you do with this milk that is past the through date? Don’t toss it out! There are SO many ways to use it… here are a few that we have used in our home.
Use it to make kefir
Use it to make homemade yogurt (in your Instant Pot) – after yogurt, strain even further to make Labneh. Yum!
Use it to make a Raw Milk Kefir Smoothie
Make this easy 2-ingredient sourdough french bread
Use the cream off the top to make homemade butter
Use it to make banana bread
Use it in place of buttermilk in recipes you have for muffins and breads
Raw Milk makes amazing sour cream
Use it to feed your pets (they love raw milk!)
Make this easy 2-ingredient strawberry smoothie
Use it to make Grain-Free Kefir Brownies
Grab popsicle molds and use it to make Raw Milk Popsicles
Use it in place of sour cream to make Blueberry Muffins
Use up in this easy Milk and Honey Cornbread
Use it to make this homemade milk soap
Raw milk makes excellent Kefir, which can be used for Sourdough Bread
This list could go on and on – do you have any more I can add?
Made this sour milk bread today after returning home from a trip to fund the last of our milk/cream soured. Worked out well although didn’t rise as much as expected. Wondering if it’s because I had previously boiled the sour milk and cream? I’m thinking that might have killed some of the natural rising bacteria. I had boiled it hoping to make some ricotta cheese and when it didn’t separate I found this recipe and tried it. What do you think, Rebooted Mom? I also used about 1/2c raw buttermilk because I didn’t have the full 2c sour milk & cream.
It may be because you boiled it .. and yes, you are right – you may have killed some of the natural rising bacteria. If you have milk that is souring, or lots of raw milk, you can make homemade cottage cheese (so easy, and great way to use up a lot of milk!) Ricotta can be tricky sometimes.. I have had times when it hasn’t separated. In those cases I either raise the heat slightly (to 185/190) or.. I’ll add some lemon juice/extra vinegar, just a bit, at a time, until the curds separate. I always use raw milk, if you can’t get that, then pasteurized is ok, but ultra pasteurized will not work at all. Save the whey from the ricotta when you make it next time… it’s great for making cold process soap (whey has lots of sugars, and sugars give soap lots of lather!)
I had a friend give me goat milk about 15 months ago and everytime I cleaned out my fridge I told myself I would figure out something to do with it. Am I too late? Is it too old to do anything with? Lol