Do you ever drink or cook with goat's milk? I've recently fallen in love with the goat's milk from a local dairy, Redwood Hill Farm. The first time I tried it, I was amazed at how sweet, creamy, and distinctly non-goaty it was! It's made me curious to hear from other people who have come to love this "other white milk."
I'm sure like many of you, I've always associated goat's milk with the flavor of goat cheese: a tangy, sometimes gamey flavor that I love in cheese form but not in my milk. This couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, the people at Redwood Hill Farm explained that as long as the dairy is kept spotlessly clean and the milk is chilled immediately after milking, you should never detect any "goat-y" flavor.
Sipped on its own, goat's milk tastes a lot like regular cow's milk. If anything, it's a touch sweeter. It can be used interchangeably in baking and cooking. I've used it in quick breads, ice pops, and other desserts without noticing any difference in flavor, texture, or quality.
One of the biggest advantages to buying goat's milk over cow's milk is that it is nearly always made and produced by small, local dairy farms. This guarantees a certain quality and level of care for both the goats and their milk, especially when compared to the milk from the large corporate dairies. Plus you're supporting a small business with your purchase.
Another advantage to goat's milk is that people with milk allergies and milk sensativities can frequently tolerate cow's milk due to the milk's slightly different protein structure. Goat's milk does contain lactose, though I've heard that some people with lactose intolerance are actually able to consume goat's milk without side effects.
If you've never tried goat's milk before, I recommend seeking out a bottle from Redwood Hill Farm. This family-owned California dairy distributes nationally through Whole Foods:
• Redwood Hill Farm
What is your favorite goat's milk? Give a shout-out!
Related: DIY Kit: Make Your Own Goat Cheese
The information in this post was gathered during a press trip to Redwood Hill Farm. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf. However, the manufacturer did give us the product for testing and review purposes.
(Image: Emma Christensen)
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"Another advantage to goat's milk is that people with milk allergies and milk sensativities can frequently tolerate cow's milk due to the milk's slightly different protein structure. Goat's milk does contain lactose, however I've heard that some people with lactose intolerance are able to consume cow's milk without side effects."
I don't know if I'm just overtired but I can't get that paragraph to make sense in the context of the article.
As for goat's milk I'm keen to try making yogurt with it but it is always sold out at my supermarket.
I agree, I believe that there's a few typos in that paragraph.
Goat's milk is easier to digest. It's proteins are more similar to human milk, so people who are otherwise unable to drink cow's milk can digest goat's milk.
"Another advantage to goat's milk is that people with milk allergies and milk sensativities can frequently tolerate cow's milk due to the milk's slightly different protein structure."
Did you want the word "goat"s" instead of "cow's"?
:-)
Yep, my dad was given goat's milk as a child because he couldn't digest cow's milk. My nephew is given goat's milk as well.
Personally, I've only tried it in desserts (like in Mexican torrejas). It's definitely got its own subtle flavor to it.
OK, that lead photo is not going to tempt me to drink goat's milk. It's got all the imagery I do not want to be thinking about if I'm getting ready to drink some goat's milk. Maybe I'm just squeamish. But there's a reason a bottle of goat's milk usually has a picture of a friendly cartoon goat's face rather than, say, the business end of the goat being tugged by an ungloved hand. I'm just saying.
I eat goat yogurt, I actually prefer the taste/consistency. (And actually that brand pictured, how weird!). Never had the milk though, I'll have to give it a shot.
I love goat yoghurt, but I haven't tried goat's milk, in part because I can't really think of any kind of milk (dairy or otherwise) that I actually enjoy drinking. I can cough down some almond milk or some really high quality cow's milk every now and then, but that doesn't seem like a good enough reason to justify the extra expense for goat's milk.
My son was lactose intolerant for the first three years of his life. After he got off breast milk (18 months) the Dr. recommended soy - but I was concerned about the estrogen. Since I had read an article about how much smaller the proteins are of goat and sheep's milk I tired those instead - worked wonderfully!
I often made a goat milk /olive oil bechamel that was a dream!
I live in Italy so I have access to fresh Water Buffalo milk, too (you know to make mozzarella). Total fail. The size of the milk protein is DEFINITELY related to the size of the animal!!!
Ciao,
L
@QUINCYSCOTT: How do you think cows are milked? Not by hand. Most cows are milked by machine, which I can imagine looks even less appetizing than the photo above. It's important to remind ourselves of the sources of our food. If we can't stand to think of milk coming from the inside of a real animal (think about it: it's a glandular excretion), that's a strong sign of where we stand in relation to food.
I'll second what petworthy said.