# Storing Milk



## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

I have seen a few of our members post that they freeze gallons of milk. I'm curious if some of the milk is removed from the jug to allow expansion and prevent the jug from bursting.

I want to limit my trips down the mountain and right now milk for Roo is the main reason I have to go down to town. (Yes, I store powdered milk)


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## AuroraHawk (Sep 12, 2012)

I've frozen milk without removing some for expansion but the results have been hit or miss. Now I remove a tall water glass of milk before freezing. There is room for expansion in the square plastic milk jugs from Costco and Three Bears so I've had good results from freezing them without removing milk for additional room for expansion.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

AuroraHawk said:


> I've frozen milk without removing some for expansion but the results have been hit or miss. Now I remove a tall water glass of milk before freezing. There is room for expansion in the square plastic milk jugs from Costco and Three Bears so I've had good results from freezing them without removing milk for additional room for expansion.


I get milk from Costco so that is good to know.


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## gabbyj310 (Oct 22, 2012)

Grimm,I have to store milk on the ships all the time!!!I just put it in the freezer.The main thing is don't let it get warm and be sure and shake it up when you open it!Some of the milk we get overseas is crap so I always buy extra stateside to freeze and it keeps just fine!


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

I say buy a goat. No more trips needed and fresh milk daily.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Or get a cow and you and Roo can ride it to town.



























The quality of frozen milk might not be quite as good but often it is hard to tell the difference, can't say the same for powdered. I use cans of evaporated milk to tide me over in case I don't have any at hand. If I don't have milk available I am not a happy camper


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## jeff47041 (Jan 5, 2013)

I've always heard that the big dents in the sides of gallon jugs of milk were there for expansion when freezing, or if the jug gets dropped.

I've never frozen milk on purpose, but the lovely one keeps saying she's gonna try it since we have empty nest syndrome, but still keep buying just as many groceries and cooking the same size meals. I told her it's not a problem since you guys are teaching me to can our leftovers.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

There is shelf stable milk that you don't even need to put in the frig(until its opened). We bought some but have not tried it yet.


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## Tank_Girl (Dec 26, 2011)

When my family was only getting one *though quite large* pay check a month I used to buy 9, 3 liter bottles of milk on pay day and store them in the chest freezer.
I never had one burst.
When we were getting low on milk I'd merely sit a frozen one on the dish drainer over night and in the morning it was thawed out.
I gave it a good shake and put it in the fridge.
It tasted exactly like "fresh" unfrozen milk.

****Note*
Don't be tempted to use a half thawed out bottle.
It seems that the milk solids thaw out first so if you pour out that liquid what will be left is so watery and tasteless that you'll want to pour it down the sink.

To speed proceedings, if the milk was used up before someone noticed enough to drag another out of the freezer, I stuck the frozen bottle into a sink full of tap hot water and changed it as it cooled.

I also buy shelf stable milk.
There is a dairy co-op that is owned by Australian farmers and their milk is regularly on sale for a $1 a liter.
I have 18 liters of that in the stock pile and it's delicious.
Makes the best tasting Latte.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

hiwall said:


> There is shelf stable milk that you don't even need to put in the frig(until its opened). We bought some but have not tried it yet.


Brand would be nice.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Tank_Girl said:


> I also buy shelf stable milk.
> There is a dairy co-op that is owned by Australian farmers and their milk is regularly on sale for a $1 a liter.
> I have 18 liters of that in the stock pile and it's delicious.
> Makes the best tasting Latte.


Brand would be nice.


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## Tank_Girl (Dec 26, 2011)

Grimm said:


> Brand would be nice.


I'm not sure if it is available in the States but it's Devondale long life milk.

http://www.devondale.com.au/


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

> Brand would be nice.


http://www.walmart.com/ip/Parmalat-Milk-Whole-1-qt/11964625

Parmalat is very common


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

I put a pinch of salt in my milk when I open a gallon. This makes the milk last longer.


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## Salekdarling (Aug 15, 2010)

I'd like to know if any one has successfully dehydrated almond milk? I can't drink any other type of milk without getting sick. (Low carb, sugar free, all that jazz.)


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

Grimm said:


> Brand would be nice.


Grimm, they make several brands of cow, goat, soy, and almond milk in those aseptic boxes like they put broths in. That Parmalat (sp?) brand is good, but we buy shelf stable Horizon organic milk, in larger box and 'juice box' size with straw attatched at Walmart, Publix. Walmart, usually on the cereal aisle, Publix I've found it on juice/coffee aisle, not sure y'all have Publix stores... Horizon makes plain whole, vanilla (not my favorite), strawberry and chocolate flavors for the smaller boxes. My youngest likes the whole and chocolate ones, and I pack them for road trips and in our BOB foodstuffs. Check the expiration dates, pretty sure it was Tacitus who has tried some of one brand well after expiry dates and said if you drink it immediately after opening he was fine.  We just rotate them in with our refrigerated milk when close to expiry dates.
Just as a sidenote for people who buy organic milk, usually refrigerated store brand organic milk is from the same cows as Organic Valley milk. Just an fyi for cost savings, since store brand is usually cheaper.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Lake Windsong said:


> Grimm, they make several brands of cow, goat, soy, and almond milk in those aseptic boxes like they put broths in. That Parmalat (sp?) brand is good, but we buy shelf stable Horizon organic milk, in larger box and 'juice box' size with straw attatched at Walmart, Publix. Walmart, usually on the cereal aisle, Publix I've found it on juice/coffee aisle, not sure y'all have Publix stores... Horizon makes plain whole, vanilla (not my favorite), strawberry and chocolate flavors for the smaller boxes. My youngest likes the whole and chocolate ones, and I pack them for road trips and in our BOB foodstuffs. Check the expiration dates, pretty sure it was Tacitus who has tried some of one brand well after expiry dates and said if you drink it immediately after opening he was fine.  We just rotate them in with our refrigerated milk when close to expiry dates.
> Just as a sidenote for people who buy organic milk, usually refrigerated store brand organic milk is from the same cows as Organic Valley milk. Just an fyi for cost savings, since store brand is usually cheaper.


I did a search and found that Organic Valley makes a shelf stable milk. But the only place that carries it is 50+ miles away. I might have to make a store run to the organic market near my folks' when I take Roo for a visit this Saturday.

I want to have all my bases covered for milk. Since the brown outs started I want to make sure that the bulk of our milk is not fresh or frozen. I store powdered whole and fat free and canned evaporated whole/2% and fat free.


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

Some of the Costco stores probably sell shelf stable milk, I would also look into whether your local one does or if you can ship to store...


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

What about evaporated milk? Don't you just mix that with water for "milk" to drink. I can't say that I've ever drank evaporated milk so I don't know if it tastes funny or not. I definitely do NOT like the taste of powdered milk.....:thumbdown:

As of yet I don't freeze my goat milk on a regular basis. For some reason it changes the taste when it's frozen. Lots pf people say they think it tastes just fine, but I can taste 'buck' when I freeze mine. I think you can just throw grocery store milk in the freezer in the gallon container it comes it if you pour off about a cup or so for expansion.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

Grimm said:


> I did a search and found that Organic Valley makes a shelf stable milk. But the only place that carries it is 50+ miles away. I might have to make a store run to the organic market near my folks' when I take Roo for a visit this Saturday.
> 
> I want to have all my bases covered for milk. Since the brown outs started I want to make sure that the bulk of our milk is not fresh or frozen. I store powdered whole and fat free and canned evaporated whole/2% and fat free.


I have not seen Parmalot (sp?) but it is know as a UHT (ultra high temperature processed) milk. That may be because I rarely go to Walmart. I have found boxed milk at one of my local stores (King Soopers, a Kroger store) with Hershey's as the name brand.

10 years ago after an epic blizzard, and 3 days to shovel out, I went to the store and there were 3 cartons of milk left. Probably no milk trucks able to move. The milk was treated so there was a later date on it. I try to buy milk that has a longer shelf life, but I do believe it has been irradiated to make that possible. Right now I have 2 half gallons with an August expiration date.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

The shelf stable milk is "Ultra" pasteurized, it is not irradiated. They heat it to very high temperatures for a very short time to make it less caramelized than evaporated milk. I love evaporated milk in coffee or cereal, you can mix it with water and drink it but it isn't going to taste like regular milk.

FYI food that is irradiated has this happy little symbol


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## Tribal Warlord Thug (Jan 27, 2009)

best ive found was Gossner's.......use to be found in the Dollar Trees but they dont have it anymore.....i just order it and be done.......

http://www.gossner.com/home/gossner/admin.php?do=ipage&pageid=4&mid=4

another link........ http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&ke...vptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_57gcichnsw_b


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Sentry18 said:


> I say buy a goat. No more trips needed and fresh milk daily.


I second that ...


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

Tribal Warlord Thug said:


> best ive found was Gossner's.......use to be found in the Dollar Trees but they dont have it anymore.....i just order it and be done.......
> 
> http://www.gossner.com/home/gossner/admin.php?do=ipage&pageid=4&mid=4
> 
> another link........ http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&ke...vptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_57gcichnsw_b


It is in the Ky stores. At least here in Franklin and Bowling Green.
I also found it at Big Lots.
I've had Gossner's in a cool room for over a year and it was fine.
And that's months after the use by date.

I've also read to put a tablespoon of sugar in a gallon of powdered milk and refrigerate it before drinking does help the taste.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

And kind of food for thought ...

Except for animals under human influence and Western gulls who steal milk from lactating seals, humans are the only known species that drinks the breast milk of another species, and the only known species that continues to drink breast milk into adulthood. 

Just saying ...


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

*Andi said:


> I second that ...


A goat would help with the overgrown vegetation here but I'm not sure it would last long once the bears got a whiff of it.

Just found out our neighbor down the road lost all her chickens (6 plus all the chicks) to the bears getting into the coop. She had the outer mesh electrified and the bears decided to make a go for it during the recent brown outs.

I might need to check with the farmers on the other side of the mountain to see if I can buy a share in their dairy cows. Still a trip down the mountain but closer than any of the markets.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

*Andi said:


> And kind of food for thought ...
> 
> Except for animals under human influence and Western gulls who steal milk from lactating seals, humans are the only known species that drinks the breast milk of another species, and the only known species that continues to drink breast milk into adulthood.
> 
> Just saying ...


Yeah, milk and dairy have given humans such a huge advantage, when the genes for lactose tolerance arose in their prospective areas they spread amazingly fast (in evolutionary terms) but even populations where the gene was largely absent have been using milk for millenia because it is such an amazing resource.
As an aside, animals have been shown to preferentially feed on milk when an animal is eaten, even to the point where it is a significant source of nutrients for them.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

And just a little more thought ...

Contaminants in milk are another serious concern. American milk is banned in the European Union because of added recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH). When administered to cows, rBGH causes the cows to produce up to 20% more milk, but also causes the cows to produce more Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1). According to the Organic Consumers Association, some of the rBGH given to cows ends up in the milk. The Cancer Prevention Coalition (CPC) states:

In the end it is all how you want it ... 

I fear that I have taken your thread in a different area ...

Sorry ... I will be quite now ...


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

*Andi said:


> And just a little more thought ...
> 
> Contaminants in milk are another serious concern. American milk is banned in the European Union because of added recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH). When administered to cows, rBGH causes the cows to produce up to 20% more milk, but also causes the cows to produce more Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1). According to the Organic Consumers Association, some of the rBGH given to cows ends up in the milk. The Cancer Prevention Coalition (CPC) states:
> 
> ...


LOL! I'm not really the one who drinks milk in our home. Its Roo and K right now. I only drink milk when I have a craving. The last time I was drinking large amounts of milk was when I was pregnant with Roo. I have vomiting fits when I try to take calcium supplements. Then again my Levo is not to be taken with calcium so I was taking the tablets before bed...


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

If the hormone worries you, maybe you could buy milk from Canada
http://www.dairygoodness.ca/good-health/dairy-facts-fallacies/hormones-for-cows-not-in-canada
Organic is always an option, of course it's $$$, especially in stores, that cow share sounds like something to consider.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

cowboyhermit said:


> If the hormone worries you, maybe you could buy milk from Canada
> http://www.dairygoodness.ca/good-health/dairy-facts-fallacies/hormones-for-cows-not-in-canada
> Organic is always an option, of course it's $$$, especially in stores, that cow share sounds like something to consider.


We use to buy organic whole milk for Roo but $10 for 1.5 gallons was getting expensive. I still try to get it when its on sale.

I need to talk to the farmers to see if they even offer milk shares. I may have to look into a milk share further south if they are not interested.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

I know NOT where you found those pics (by searching for "riding cow"?) but the first one is SOOO cute! Funny stuff!



cowboyhermit said:


> Or get a cow and you and Roo can ride it to town.
> 
> http://api.ning.com/files/KaXn-zxI3...xV/22OliviaClemylogo.jpg?width=737&height=552
> 
> http://buylovely.com/files/funzug/imgs/unusual/riding_cow_horse_02.jpg


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

LincTex said:


> I know NOT where you found those pics (by searching for "riding cow"?) but the first one is SOOO cute! Funny stuff!


I am not so obsessed with cattle that I keep folders of stock images... yet
Good ole google, but the second picture is from a story I read before. A teenage farmgirl in Germany wanted a horse really bad but her parents wouldn't buy here one, so she trained a cow


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Grimm said:


> We use to buy organic whole milk for Roo but $10 for 1.5 gallons was getting expensive. I still try to get it when its on sale.


Two farmers local to us sell raw milk, one is $7, the other $8 per gallon. It's cheaper than owning the cow ourselves, but still dang expensive!


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*Great Powdered Milk Taste Test and Review*

This article has been shared at least once, somewhere, here before. It has a few photos that I am not going to copy and share. This article really is the most definitive information about powdered milk and better powdered milk.

http://foodstorageandsurvival.com/the-great-powdered-milk-taste-test-and-review/



> The Great Powdered Milk Taste Test and Review
> 
> Ever wanted to find a powdered milk that tastes good? You're not alone. So just in case you don't want to go through the expense and hassle of trying out every kind of powdered milk you can find, read on. I did it for you.
> 
> ...


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

Fresh product in my area, not cheap..........
http://www.myhealthyfoodclub.com/
Prices.
http://www.myhealthyfoodclub.com/assets/images/Docs/farm-food-price-list.pdf
But reminds me of my days at the farm.........So GOOD


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*Have you ever noticed?*

Have you ever noticed that most powdered milk is fat free? That would be almost equivalent to skim milk. Personally, I cannot stand skim milk, so I can only imagine that greatly contributes to the bad taste of powdered milk. I don't think it is the only problem though.

In reading through the article that I posted, I noticed that many powdered milks have other stuff added. That may be have a positive affect or a negative one. I am a label reader and have to think of powdered milk as a processed food. Processed food usually has additives, and so often, they are chemical names that we do not know what it is or understand all the impacts it might have.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

I tried an experiment on K this last week. I filled an empty gallon jug with mixed powdered milk (Carnation brand). I then added a stick of butter melted. Shook it up and he had no idea it was powdered.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

Grimm said:


> I tried an experiment on K this last week. I filled an empty gallon jug with mixed powdered milk (Carnation brand). I then added a stick of butter melted. Shook it up and he had no idea it was powdered.


That is an experiment we all should try. Does the butter separate when it is cold?

I think the missing fat is a big piece to the bad taste, but probably not the only one.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

It does. But we freeze milk so I don't think he noticed the fat slick in his milk. I'm going to try ghee next to see if that is any better. I know there is butter powder on the market. I might try it too.


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## VoorTrekker (Oct 7, 2012)

Grimm said:


> ...I might need to check with the farmers on the other side of the mountain to see if I can buy a share in their dairy cows...


When I was a kid in rural Pennsylvania, we would take a clean jug and some change and buy a gallon from a dairy farmer neighbor once in awhile. Raw milk is so much better than pasteurized/homogenized.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

VoorTrekker said:


> When I was a kid in rural Pennsylvania, we would take a clean jug and some change and buy a gallon from a dairy farmer neighbor once in awhile. Raw milk is so much better than pasteurized/homogenized.


When we lived in Kansas my parents were teachers. One of my dad's students grew up on a dairy farm. Her parents told my dad anytime he wanted fresh milk to come by the barn and get some. He told me about how he'd bring a half gallon jar and scoop his own milk from the vat. He'd leave change on the desk before leaving the barn.


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## tmttactical (Nov 23, 2015)

*Frozen Milk*

My dad used to store milk by freezing it. He would empty out about a glass full from the plastic container and then freeze. The milk had to be shaken after it thawed but it tasted just fine. The milk was regular store brand. He always bought the milk on sale and then stocked up big time. His method of acquiring sales coupons is a story for another time.artydance:


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

These tips only work with milk after you open it.

You can pinch a little salt between index finger & thumb, drop it in the milk replace lid & shake well. The milk will last another 5 days in the refrigerate.

The closer you set your refrigerate to 32 F the longer the milk will last.

Or you could buy a goat or two.
Some goats are good for milk, cheese & meat.


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