Fresh Unpasturized Cream? How do I score some.

[chefboyardee]

Saw something on making fresh butter. Then saw some more that its best with unpastured cream. Where can I score some around B-town? the organic places that I called that sell unpasturized milk, don't seem to sell cream, just milk. Any ideas? Thanks

[lisa13]

oh yeah - I forgot to even mention that I don't think farms can sell raw cream separately from the milk as it's considered "processed" in that case...so you could call to verify before going to any farm.

The traditional thing to do is let the raw milk settle overnight and the cream will rise to the surface. It is very very thick, so you just sort of scoop it off the top and go about making butter with it. You would need to buy a couple of gallons of milk to make any reasonable amount of butter I think. The farm could advise you about this, I'm sure.

[chefboyardee]

thanks all. contacted farms and they did not sell cream. wondered about if anyone knew of a farm that sold unpasturized cream. Having said that, i think I'll try to culture pasturized cream and see how it turns out. I don't have time for this, but is sounds fun enough to try.

[lisa13]

have you ever tasted raw milk?

It's quite different than pasturized. I love it, but your butter is going to have a much stronger "barnyardy" flavor than you are used to.

here is a listing of the farms licensed in MA. http://www.realmilk.com/where3.html#ma

Buyers clubs are a huge commitment, and quite expensive so try to get to the farm if you want to just experiment.

[PinchOfSalt]

Massachusetts regulations regarding the sale of unpasteurized milk or cream are very strict. The only place in MA I have ever been able to source such things was at a farm where they are produced. Apparently third-party retail sales of raw dairy products are a no-no here. There are some raw milk buying clubs around, but that is a more substantial commitment.

[makonna]

Whole Foods carry it in all stores that I have been to. So I would guess the Boston stores would also carry. Good luck!

[djd]

Putting on my ol' "homeboy works at Sherman Market" hat, allow me to say that Sherman Market carries it as well and BOY was that killer coffee.

[Allstonian]

Wait - Sherman Market and Boston-area Whole Foods stores carry unpasteurized cream? Are you sure? Because the rest of this thread suggests that that's not legal in MA.

[djd]

I'll check, but I meant just the same Shaw's Farm cream the previous poster meant, which as far as I remember is pasteurized-but-not-ultra. It kept in my fridge for a week once opened, so it must have gone through some processing.
--

UPDATE: Actually, it's High Lawn cream! Not Shaw Farm. Sorry! It's pasteurized (not ultra-) but it tastes dreamy.

[lisa13]

it's definitely not legal

[cpingenot]

I never meant to imply that the Shaws Farm is unpasteurized, it's just not Ultra pasteurized. I use it for making cheese since Ultra pasteuized creates problems with the cheesemaking.
I was a little puzzled by the OP's statement that they'd found places locally that would sell him unpastuerized milk, since I know some people who are part of a milk coop and understand it's complicated to arrange, not something you'd do with a few phone calls. Again, I'll suggest that you will get good results culturing a good quality low temp pasteurized milk before churning.
The Shaws farm is very available- Wilson Farms, most WF, probably Formaggio and Russo's, but I'd call if you're making a trek because sometimes they sell out, which makes me think supplies are a bit limited.

[Allstonian]

Yes - you made it clear that Shaw's Farm milk & cream are pasteurized. I was questioning the comments from makonna and djd, which did not make clear whether "it" referred to Shaw's Farm products (or High Lawn - we get that brand at Russos as well) or the "it" that the OP was actually looking for - fresh unpasteurized cream.

[lisa13]

forming a buyers club or coop is complicated

it is completely legal and very easy to buy raw milk directly from a licensed farm you just have to go pick it up. Many farms need some advanced notice of how much you want to buy so calling them in advance is smart, but aside from that it's very straightforward.

I'm not advocating against using low temp pasturized cream. Just pointing out that buying raw milk directly is not hard at all if you're willing to drive.

[cpingenot]

I don't actually know the answer, but I make butter fairly frequently with low temp pasturized cream from Shaw farm, and then I add a spoonful of yogurt or buttermilk or something cultured, and let it sit at room temp for 12 hours before making the butter. The culturing process adds a lot of rich flavor to it. I suppose if it weren't pasturized, the natural stuff in it could provide the culture, but I prefer to start with good bacteria instead of whatever bacteria happens to be in the milk..