Fresh Milk (finally!) at the Green City Market

I love the Green City Market, but have always thought two key items were, oxymoronically, glaringly absent: fresh milk and unfrozen meat. I am very happy to report that superb fresh milk products have arrived from Blue Marble Family Farm in Barneveld, Wisconsin. Nick Kirch, the very proud producer of this fabulous stuff, couldn't have been happier to share samples today, and wax justifiably poetic about his wares. One sip of Blue Marble whole milk, you won't go back to the supermarket kind. Luxuriously rich with grassy flavor undertones and a freshness that just can't be duplicated with mass-produced dairy. I will be a frequent buyer, and look forward to a summer of better-than-ever ice creams made from Blue Marble milk and cream.

Blue Marble has expanded its excellent Green City Market product offerings. Heavy cream and drinkable yogurt (so refreshing!) are now available in addition to whole and reduced fat milk, and half-and-half.

I know "fresh" means "unpasteurized" where milk is concerned, but when I hear it, it reminds me of something else: something funny I overheard in a grocery store in Chile.

Milk is sold ultrapasteurized in Chile, in cartons stocked on the shelves, and it doesn't need to be refrigerated until you open it at home. Took me a while to get used to this.

While I was living there, one or more of grocery store chains tried briefly to introduce merely pasteurized (not ultrapasteurized) milk stocked in refridgerated cabinets. As I walked by one day, a a young female store employee was trying to sell an elderly male customer on trying the "fresh milk."

The funny thing was, he kept asking her, "Qué es su gracia?" ("What's good about it?") and not getting any satisfactory answers from her. She kept answering, we have descremada (skim), semidescremada (2%), entera (whole) ... because what she thought he was asking was "Qué es su grasa?" (What is it's fat content?") Eventually he just gave up and walked away, shaking his head. Said to his wife, I just don't get what's so great about it.

I remember the same type of milk in Argentina, it was one of the things that really struck me (I was fourteen at the time) - milk was in plastic bags that you somewhat sloppily stack in your pantry, and you also buy a special pitcherin which the milk bag, one corner cut off, sits in the fridge after it's opened.

I did not, however, notice any flavor difference AT ALL. I don't notice any with the milk "juice boxes" you can get from Horizon Farms, either. I don't get why we don't have more shelf-stable milk in the US, other than it might drive down prices...

Mhays wrote:I don't get why we don't have more shelf-stable milk in the US, other than it might drive down prices...

not only the prices, but also the nutritional value, the already horrid welfare of our nation's cattle, and - undoubtedly if you compare it to Blue Marble milk - the taste.

When I used "Fresh Milk" in this thread's title, I did not mean unpasteurized milk. Blue Marble products are pasteurized, as is all milk legally sold at retail in this country.

Parmalat is available in the US and is shelf-stable. A while back I worked in an office that stocked it for use in coffee.

To be honest, I couldn't tell the difference between the ultrapasteurized Parmalat in Chile and the milk I drink here in the US. But my Vermont-dwelling brother, quite the Guernsey-cow milk connoisseur, who visited me in Chile several times, said he could really tell the difference. Not that he didn't drink the Parmalat. A milk lover's gotta do what a milk lover's gotta do.

Darren72 wrote:Parmalatis available in the US and is shelf-stable.

Good luck finding it at retail. Does anyone know of a local source?

We are not milk drinkers so I usually keep a can of evaporated milk on hand in case I need some for a recipe. Or, often, I'll substitute sour cream. But that doesn't work for everything, so I'd love to have a source of shelf-stable milk. I used to get the milk boxes but I have not seen them in a while.

Most grocery stores carry the Horizon Farms milk boxes, but I've most often found them in the refrigerator even though they're shelf-stable. At Jewel, they're often with the organics. Very occasionally they're with the soy milks. I think I've seen Parmalat at Whole Paycheck. We find them handy for camping trips.

Horizon Farms' milk box nutritional info:
Serving Size 1 cup (240 mL) Servings Per Container 1
Amount Per Serving
Calories 120 Calories from Fat 40
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 4.5g 7%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 20mg 7%
Sodium 120mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 12g 4%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Sugars 12g
Protein 8g
Vitamin A 10% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 30% Iron 0%
Vitamin D 25%
Horizon Farms 2% Half-Gallon Fresh Milk nutritional info
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cup (240 mL)
Servings Per Container 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories 120 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value *

Total Fat 5g 8%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 20mg 7%
Sodium 125mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 12g 4%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Sugars 12g
Protein 8g
Vitamin A 10% Vitamin C 2%
Calcium 30% Iron 0%
Vitamin D 25% Phosphorus 25%

Interestingly, Kenny is right about nutrition - you're losing phosphorous and a bit of Vitamin C in the processing. (I have no doubt that fresh, organic, local milk tastes better, sorry if the tangent is hijacking the thread) However, I'm curious - how would it make the plight of cows worse? I'd think that not having to toss all that expired milk would make for fewer cows living a better existance, not to mention the amount of money farmers would save in refrigeration...

Mhays,

Please take the following with 2 admissions: (1) I am not a nutritionist and (2) I am a recent new member of PETA and an unapologetically carnivorous animal lover (which gets me into plenty of trouble with fellow PETA members).

That said, I want to note that phosphorous and Vitamin C are not the only things lost in processing commercial milk. In fact, those losses are minor in comparison to the depletion of naturally occurring Vitamins A and D. Ultra pasteurized milk (and minimally pasteurized milk to a much lesser extent) replace these essential, naturally occurring vitamins with additives. Much research shows that additive versions of vitamins don't have the same health benefits as those which occur naturally. So, while the FDA % daily requirements may look the same on the label, the milks don't have the same health qualities.

Regarding the plight of cows, here's where one could certainly think my bias is shining through, but I'll defend my statement anyway. In this country's recent history, attempts have been made to extend the shelf life of many products, almost exclusively by large corporations who mainly have an understandable profit motive. When successful, these efforts lead to great success for the corporations which in turn make every effort to produce their high-margin products on a grand scale. The grander the production scale, the more likely it is that animals will be treated cruelly. See domestic egg, beef, and poultry production for prime examples of this unfortunate phenomenon.

Kennyz

LAZ wrote:

Darren72 wrote:Parmalat is available in the US and is shelf-stable.

Good luck finding it at retail. Does anyone know of a local source?

I can't help you with a specific source, but our office was getting it somewhere (and it wasn't through an office supply company).

Mhays wrote:Most grocery stores carry the Horizon Farms milk boxes, but I've most often found them in the refrigerator even though they're shelf-stable. At Jewel, they're often with the organics.

Ah, good to know. I used to find milk boxes near the juice boxes, and it never occurred to me to look in the fridge section.

Thanks for your well-thought-out response, Kenny - while I'm not a PETA advocate, I do agree that the larger in scale we get with farming, the worse off we appear to be on many, many levels. The reason this (fresh milk) really gets to me, however, is how much we (as a culture) waste "fresh" foods when so many people in so many places are hungry. Everywhere else, old veggies get canned, fruit dried, milk turned to cheese, etc., until it can be used up.

At any rate, organic milk - maybe I need to check it out for my attempt at homemade mozzarella....

Mhays wrote:The reason this (fresh milk) really gets to me, however, is how much we (as a culture) waste "fresh" foods when so many people in so many places are hungry. Everywhere else, old veggies get canned, fruit dried, milk turned to cheese, etc., until it can be used up.

Not quite sure if you're referring to American culture or Western culture generally, but there's been quite a tizzy lately in Great Britain over food waste.

Does anyone can "old veggies" or make cheese from old milk? In general, people use the best and freshest products for long-term preservation, since those deteriorate less over time.

On the other hand, I think in modern America, where so many people don't come from a cooking culture, and where refrigeration is a given, there's an unreasonable horror of using less-than-pristine foods. Yes, produce is best if you use it while it's freshest, but there are options (soup, sauces, etc.) for tired veggies and fruits.

I'm not quite certain what can be done with milk that's beyond drinking, though. Once upon a time, sour milk went into baked goods and such, but I don't think modern pasteurized milk sours in quite the same way.

Mhays wrote:The reason this (fresh milk) really gets to me, however, is how much we (as a culture) waste "fresh" foods when so many people in so many places are hungry. Everywhere else, old veggies get canned, fruit dried, milk turned to cheese, etc., until it can be used up.

Could you help me understand this? I don't see the connection between food waste and "fresh" milk.

Is canning home grown veggies really that popular anywhere today? Similarly, turning milk to cheese, drying fruit, etc? When you say "everywhere else" I interpret this to mean that these practices are common elsewhere on the planet today. Is this correct?

Meaning that, after the expiration date, 'fresh' milk is thrown away, as are fresh veggies in the market - I'd imagine this happens quite a bit more in the US (although, yes, I was thinking of Western countries generally.) While there is an expiration date on canned or otherwise shelf-stable foods, there's a larger window where it can be sold to accomodate the whims of the marketplace. We tend to think of Western culture as being "everyone" but there's a lot of people out there who don't live the way we do (even within the US - take a drive through the back roads in Appalachia: it's enlightening.)

While canning specifically may or may not be that common elsewhere in the world, preserving foods by various methods certainly is: many people don't have access to electricity, and they either buy what they're using that day or depend on preserved foods for much of the year. Even in the more-affluent Europe, there are cultural systems in place to use up food rather than throw it away: for instance, panzanella salad is part of a system to use stale bread. Having a plan in this fashion would mean that, instead of summarily throwing milk away, you'd figure out what you can drink, and make cheese with what was left (I also believe they use much more shelf-stable milk, even in Europe.)

While canning foods is generally done when the food in particular is abundant, often the less-beautiful (but still ripe and good to eat) parts of the harvest are selected to be preserved, and the best and freshest are served immediately.

I didn't mean to get into this as a debate, and if someone wants to start a different thread with a more pertinent title, I'd be happy to move this discussion there.

Mhays wrote:At any rate, organic milk - maybe I need to check it out for my attempt at homemade mozzarella....

Note: organic milk is not the same as fresh milk from your local farmer, and I doubt that the organic label would give you a superior cheese. In fact, I think the super-ultra- pasteurized, shelf-stable Horizon stuff in the boxes is organic, and I wouldn't consider making fresh cheese out of that (if it's even possible). Use Blue Marble or another local farm with minimally pasteurized milk, and I am quite confident that you'll get a terrific result.

Are Blue Marble Cows organic? (fully recognizing here that they may actually be organic without nominally being organic) Do you know how they're fed?

Some information is on their website: http://bluemarblefamilyfarm.com/index.php/about_milk

Mhays wrote:Are Blue Marble Cows organic? (fully recognizing here that they may actually be organic without nominally being organic) Do you know how they're fed?

As far as I know, they have not paid to get the official organic label. According to the farmer I met, they graze all day on pasture, and grass makes up about 75% of their diet. The rest is plant-based feed that's free of animal by products.

Mhays wrote:Meaning that, after the expiration date, 'fresh' milk is thrown away, as are fresh veggies in the market - I'd imagine this happens quite a bit more in the US (although, yes, I was thinking of Western countries generally.) .

My aunt just caught one of her grandchildren tossing the last pint of like out of her half gallon. She was aghast. The child told her, "Grandma, it is NOT safe to drink milk that is out of date." The kid would not believe that the milk was good 7-10 days past the date.

My youngest nephew wanted to throw out a potato because he dropped it on the floor ...
until grandma took him out to see the potatoes in her garden.

FYI, be aware that there's a hefty deposit on Blue Marble milk, I bought a small yogurt and a small cream and paid $3 each for the bottle. Of course, I'll get it back, but it did give me some sticker shock at the time.

Mike G wrote:FYI, be aware that there's a hefty deposit on Blue Marble milk, I bought a small yogurt and a small cream and paid $3 each for the bottle. Of course, I'll get it back, but it did give me some sticker shock at the time.

Agreed. What gave me a little shock was that they had a sign earlier in the summer that advertised the quarts for $1. When I handed the guy a dollar, he said that there was also a $3 deposit. I have to keep reminding myself not to throw out that empty bottle on the counter and to get back and turn it in.

Mhays wrote:Meaning that, after the expiration date, 'fresh' milk is thrown away, as are fresh veggies in the market

Some of the markets I shop at (not the big-box stores) have a rack where past-their-prime produce is sold, stuff that's fine if you're going to use it right away, and day-old bread is still widely available at places that do their own baking. Even major brands like Sara Lee have thrift stores, and a number of local places distribute out-of-date products to the Chicago Food Depository.

That's not to say there isn't a lot of waste.

And it would certainly help if food manufacturers would imprint all packaging with with "sell-by" or "use-by" dates and be clear about which is which. Of course, those dates are incredibly conservative, but it would help.

jlawrence, where did your young cousin learn about the date on milk? Are they teaching them that in schools? Honestly, I can't recall whether the dates on milk are use-by or sell-by, but with dairy products I usually just give it the sniff test.

I can sort of understand about the potato -- kids are always being cautioned not to pick up things from the floor and put them in their mouths.

Milk has a sell by date and in the city of Chicago it is 14 days from pastuerization, longer in the suburbs. This is not a use by date and the sniff test is much better for this since milk does last longer then sell by dates.

Paulette

LAZ wrote:

Darren72 wrote:Parmalatis available in the US and is shelf-stable.

Good luck finding it at retail. Does anyone know of a local source?

You can find Parmalat (skim, 1%, 2%, whole; $2.79 per quart) on the shelf at Treasure Island, America's Most European Supermarket.

I love the Green City Market, but have always thought two key items were, oxymoronically, glaringly absent: fresh milk and unfrozen meat.

The unfrozen meat will not be forthcoming. It's a Chicago health code issue.

I don't know about anyone else here, but I can never find whole buttermilk at local grocery stores . . . it's always low fat. And even when I find it, it's just not that great. So along comes Blue Marble to the Green City Market. Not only is it whole milk buttermilk, but wow is it good. If you're a fan of buttermilk (for drinking, baking, cooking, dressings, etc.), I highly suggest you splurge for a quart of this stuff.

The Blue Marble folks tell me that Chicagoans can now find their products at Cassie's Green Grocer in West Town.

I whipped up a batch of fresh butter this morning with Blue Marble cream. Spread over what Nichols Farm calls "real celery" and sprinkled with a bit of fleur de sel, this made a quite excellent breakfast.

Looks like Blue Marble has shut down all retail operations. There are those who will blame the nanny state, but my experience with Blue Marble led me to believe they didn't invest in or care enough about doing things the right way. I voiced my concerns about the way they stored and distributed their product several times to the Blue Marble owner and to Green City Market management. Love their milk, so I'm sorry to see them go; but I can't say they didn't have it coming.