Sources for non-ultrapasteurized milk in the Boston area

[Angel Food]

Can I ask what you have used for milk and where you found it? I have not located any that is not ultra-pasturized.

[We've moved a discussion about cheesemaking kits to the General Chowhounding Topics board, at http://www.chowhound.com/topics/506006 , since the information isn't really Boston-specific and would be of interest to hounds everywhere. However, since this discussion is about local sources for milk, we've left it on this board. -- THE CHOWHOUND TEAM ]

[cambridgejen]

I buy raw milk from Lawton Family Farm for my cheesemaking. It's a little bit of a hike to Foxboro but it makes such a huge difference in the quality of the cheese, imho. (And they are certified by the state to sell it so they have to follow rigorous safety protocols.)

[Ed4]

I have also bought raw milk at Lawton Farm, it's delicious. If I remember correctly, the woman who handles the raw milk sales is actually a former state dairy inspector, so she knows her stuff.

[Luther]

I think you're misinformed about which milk is and isn't ultrapasteurized (UHT, ultrahightemperature paseurized). Regular milk that you find in any grocery store (the store brand, or the Garelick farms brand that most stores also carry) is just normally pasteurized.

It's easy to tell which milk is UHT because it has a funny "sweet/funky" smell to it (in addition to it saying on the label). Examples of UHT milk include Lactaid, the organic milk you can buy in half-gallon cartons from major supermarkets (e.g. Stonyfield farm brand) and Parmalat milk.

Also, you can get organic, non-ultrapasteurized milk at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. Shaw's/Stop&Shop/Market Basket only carry UHT organic milk.

[trev80]

i got the wf brand and it's not ultra pasteurized. I'm going to try making mozz with it.

[Angel Food]

The original post was in reference to cheesemaking, where you need milk pasturized below a certain temp. Most of the regular milk in the supermarket that says "pasturized" is in fact pasturized at too high a temp for cheesemaking. I think my OP made more sense in thread it was originally in. Thanks for the info though - and thanks for the rest of suggestions, I'm going to try some this weekend.

[merrvally]

There are countless numbers of cheeses you can make with any of the pasteurized milks found in local groceries and markets.

Like anything else the better your ingredients, the better your final product. I imagine when I get to the stage where I am using local, raw milk from a high-quality dairy, my cheeses will also transcend.

But don't let "pasteurized' (again, as opposed to ultra-pasteurized) deter you. I buy pasteurized milk at market basket, shaw's, BJ's, whole foods etc.

[kt1969]

When I had some trouble with my first attempt or two at using the kit, I emailed for help and they told me that Garelick works well, so that's what I used. I think I also had to use more rennet than it said, IIRC.

[Angel Food]

Thanks for the tip - I'll give Garelick a try.

[Eatin in Woostah]

Actually, milk is not required to be labeled as "ultra-pasteurized", so although many of the supermarket brands are only labeled as pasteurized, they are in fact "ultra". This is because they mix milk from many different sources, so in order for the milk to travel and hold long enough for that process it must be ultra pasteurized. It doesn't have that same nasty taste that you're describing, but it is heated at a temperature that is too high for cheesemaking.

Until the recent listeria scare I was buying milk from Whittier Farms in Shrewsbury.

[grant.cook]

I think milk sold by a store HAS to be pasteurized, but if you buy it from the dairy directly, you can get it unpasteurized..

[rlh]

I THINK that Oakhurst from Maine is not ultra-pasteurized (and it has much sooner expiration dates as a result, too) - I know we get it at Dagostino's in Arlington Heights and it really does taste better to us - whole, 2%, 1.5%, 1% and skim are available.

[Scruffy The Cat]

Whole Foods Market sells milk from High Lawn Farms in Western Mass. It is Jersey milk that is not ultrapasteurized. It's delicious and also reasonably priced.

[itaunas]

Garelick offers whole milk that is not ultra-pasteurized, as does Richardson's. And I have had some success with those, although not recently had the time to make cheese (and I prefer other styles). Shaw Farm which I have seen at Whole Foods and Wilson Farms has a non-homogenized milk which is even better, but not certain where it is available in quantity.

One hint for finding milk that isn't ultra-pasteurized is find a local cafe that does a decent cappuccino and ask them who they use. Ultra-pasteurized milk doesn't foam so well. I found Week's dairy from NH and was able to purchase through a cafe at a bit of a discount this way.