Yesterday I woke up to a cold morning.  I expected it to happen, I could feel it in my bones the night before.  

We made sure all the hoses were clear and drained and the cows had access to some extra alfalfa to warm their bellies.  Dealing with cold temperatures can be challenging especially when they get cold and stay cold. When I lived in Alaska we would have shut off valves, heat tape, and thawing rods to help keep the ice at bay.  Here in the Pacific Northwest there aren’t a lot of day where it get really cold.  Heck it’s Feb 3rd today and the high is 47F degrees. I’ve already seen some daffodils popping out of the ground.  

On the other hand, 5 days ago we had a 4 day cold snap.  This caused some of the milk at our drop site to freeze up.  When I let one of our members know about it, they asked what to do with frozen raw milk.  I knew there was more on the subject then I could text so I sat down and wrote this blog post. 

WHAT HAPPENS TO FROZEN MILK

Milk is about 87% water.  It’s also about 13% solids of protein and fat. It takes 3-4 hours for milk to freeze solid.  

When raw milk freezes the skim will freeze 1st and then expand. The pressure of the expansion pushes on the fragile fat solids.  When this happens it alters the fat just enough that when it thaws out again the fat solids don’t properly combine. The only thing we notice is a change in the texture. The thawed raw milk isn’t as smooth as we would normally get from fresh raw milk.

The way we thaw out the raw milk will also determine a lot of the texture. 

THAWING OUT RAW MILK

Here are a couple of tricks I use to help thaw out raw milk for better consistency.  No matter which way you choose to thaw the raw milk out there will be a thin layer of yellow fat on top. No need to worry.  When you shake your raw milk to mix it before using, this fat will dissolve into the milk.  

The first way I have found to thaw out frozen raw milk is to set the raw milk in the fridge and have it thaw out slowly. This can take up to 3 days, so it’s definitely a plan-ahead move.  

The second way I have learned how to thaw out raw milk is to place the frozen milk jug into a sink of cold water. Then let it thaw slowly because this can take up to 12 hours. You will still need to plan ahead.

Then there's the third way I thaw milk out.  Hot water bath.  I set it in a sink of hot water and when the water cools I drain and replace the hot water again.  I also make sure to shake the milk jug from time to time.  This way of thawing raw milk is going to give you the least desirable results with a lot of clumping with the cream. It’s great for baking or mashed potatoes, but not so great for drinking or using with cheese. 

Speaking of things to use thawed raw milk with,I have found a new fourth way of thawing out raw milk.  It’s great for being use in smoothies and sometimes folks will pour their milk into ice cubes trays to freeze into cubes. Then those cubes are placed in a zip seal bag and back into the freezer.  When it’s smoothie time just pop a couple of frozen raw milk ice cubes in the blender with some fruit and a dash of apple juice and you have a top-notch smoothie everyone will love.

USING RAW MILK AFTER IT’S BEEN THAWED

There are lots of ways to use raw milk once it’s been thawed.  

After coming in from a hard day’s work out on the farm I’m always game for some hot creamy soup.  Like a cream of broccoli or clam chowder.  There is a lot of raw milk used in these savory dishes, so having some extra raw milk handy is an added bonus to keeping frozen raw milk.    

It can also be thawed quickly and used in baked goods like biscuits and also in the sausage gravy you’ll pour over your biscuits and eggs.  

Another way to use up frozen raw milk is to make cold-pressed cow milk soaps. They are great for the skin and when you use frozen raw milk to mix with the lye there is less chance of scalding that can occur with the chemical reaction between the lye and raw milk.  A trick a lot of soap makers do is the same trick as we talked about above with the smoothies.  They pour their raw milk into ice cube trays and then they can easily weigh it when they make their soaps.

NOT GOOD WAYS TO USE THAWED-OUT RAW MILK

There is one thing that frozen milk isn’t good with.  That’s making cheese. It’s not impossible but it does make a significantly smaller amount of cheese for the amount of raw milk being used.  It also will take longer for the curd to set, and can lead to off flavors.  

This is because when the fats get damaged they start to dissolve into the whey, making it harder to separate the fat when making the cheese.  This means that more of the fat goes out with the whey and not into the cheese.

The damaged fat will also break into short chains of fatty acids.  This makes them susceptible to the enzyme Lipase.  When Lipase consumes the fatty acid chains it releases FREE fatty acids.  If there are free fatty acids in the raw milk it makes it harder for the cultures to work and can lead to off or even rancid flavors in aged cheese.  

If you are going to use frozen raw milk for cheese, try fresh cheeses like feta, mozzarella, cottage cheese, and yogurts. Also don’t expect as much cheese as you would get using fresh raw milk.

Sometimes we end up with frozen raw milk by accident. But sometimes we purposely want to freeze the raw milk.  Raw milk is difficult to find in some locations and people travel for hundreds of miles to collect a large amount of raw milk.  Then they freeze it for later use so they don’t have to return to the farm for another month. 

HOW TO FREEZE MILK

There are actually ways to freeze the milk that will help the fat not get as denatured.  Please note very important: IF USING GLASS JARS TO FREEZE RAW MILK LEAVE ROOM FOR EXPANSION OR THE GLASS WITH BREAK!!! From personal experience, I would not suggest freezing raw milk in glass.

The smaller the container that is used when freezing raw milk the better the consistency will be after thawing. You can pour the chilled raw milk into quart-sized containers. Leave plenty of room for expansion.  Plastic containers and even zip-seal bags work.  If there is any aroma in the container it will be carried through the milk and you’ll really notice it when you drink it or eat your cheese.

The other way I have learned is to freeze the whole jug.  This takes some more labor but I think gets better results.  Shake up the milk, pour out a ½ pint or more, and drink it.  Cap and place in the freezer. Set your timer for 30 minutes.  Take the raw milk out and shake it then set it back in the freezer to continue to freeze.  Repeat every 30 minutes until it’s frozen solid. This allows for the fat to move around and not get as damaged as it normally would.   

Remember when you go to thaw it out it needs to be done slowly for the best results.  

WHY FREEZE RAW MILK

Freezing raw milk is a great way to preserve it for later use and keep all the health benefits of having raw milk. Really the only thing that gets altered is the fat. But all the enzymes, bacteria, vitamins, and minerals are still there.  It’s best to use frozen raw milk before 3 months.  This is because the longer the raw milk sits in a frozen state it’ll slowly start to denature.  I personally would drink 1-year-old frozen milk without a problem.  

Another reason to freeze your raw milk is that you never know when the cow will dry up.  Cows die, they get sick, the calves get loose and steal the milk, the milk bucket gets kicked over, a pandemic, the list is long of reasons to stock up and save.  

Getting your raw milk from a small local farm that sells directly to customers and is meant for human consumption is always going to be the best option for you.  It’s a security to your health and wellness to have a milk cow or access to one.  In the future, our food system will become so tainted and so expensive that we won’t be able to afford to eat.  Raw milk is a living, whole, and complete food.  It’s the only complete food source Mother Nature has made.  If you need food, find a dairy cow (or any cow you can wrangle down that’s feeding a calf) and drink her milk raw.  This will not only save your life, but it will also help you thrive enough to find other food sources.  

Knowing ways to use raw milk will also help you thrive in a dire situation. Freezing the milk is a great way to preserve it during the winter.  Just make sure that it stays fully frozen until you want to use it. Otherwise, those little Lipase enzymes will start chewing on the fat chains and giving the milk an off flavor.  

UNEXPECTED THAWED RAW MILK

If you have frozen milk in your freezer and the power goes out don’t be worried.  This is a great time to let it thaw out slowly.  It will help keep other freezer items chilled longer.  In about 4 days the milk will be fully thawed out. This is a great time to make some cheese.  You can make a large batch of mozzarella curds and freeze them when the power comes back on.  Then you can pull the curds out when you’re ready and add some fresh mozzarella to your pizza.  

Make sure that if your milk has thawed out in the freezer, even a little bit, do not refreeze it.  The flavors will be really weird and very off.  Instead, if the power comes back on just pull out all the milk and let it thaw the rest of the way.  This is a great time to make up some mashed potatoes, split pea soup, or buttermilk pancakes.  

SUMMARY

In conclusion, Frozen milk is just as good as fresh milk nutritionally.  When it comes to the texture and flavor that can be a different story depending on who you are. You can do a lot of different things to help thaw out a creamier, smoother raw milk.  

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog on Frozen Raw Milk.  Listed below are links to my references and inspirations.  If you have any questions about raw milk please email me at tidecreekfarms@gmail.com 

REFERENCES & INSPIRATION

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/milk/

https://blog.cheesemaking.com/freezing-milk-for-cheese-making/

https://rawfarmusa.com/blog/freezing-tip-when-you-have-extra-raw-milk

https://www.bhg.com/recipes/how-to/cooking-basics/can-you-freeze-milk/