My Raw Milk Source

I recently made the switch from regular store bought pastuerized milk to raw milk straight from the dairy after learning about the benefits of drinking raw milk from grass fed cows. And I LOVE it. I'm a little squeamish so I wasn't sure if I would like it. Something about thinking of where milk actually comes from... Anyway, I love it.


I had a little trouble finding a raw cows milk source at first. There were a lot of raw goats milk sources but not many for cows milk. Also, I was a little concerned about the price and how it would fit into our budget. Many of my blog friends pay upwards of 6.00 per gallon. That is a little pricey when you can buy the stuff in the store for for 3.50 per gallon.

But alas... I found my source: Swan's Brothers Dairy in Claremore, Oklahoma. For anyone out there looking for a raw milk source in Northeastern Oklahoma this is it! At only 3.75 per gallon it is a great deal. They sell raw milk in whole fat, 2%, and skim. They have great raw cheese and heavy cream as well. Also they are certified by the state and you can watch the milking process at the dairy (which is really fun for the kids-- I'll take pictures of our next visit to the dairy). Their cows are exclusively grass fed and they use no pesticides on their farm.

The only downside is that it is a 45 minute drive one way from my house. So I generally buy 3 or 4 gallons each trip and make two trips per month. I store the milk in the freezer until I'm ready to use it. Some people don't like freezing unhomogenized milk because the creamy fat separates a little when it is defrosted. I just shake it up real good and it doesn't bother me-- and I've had no complaints from my family.

Also, some people don't like to store their raw milk in plastic jugs. They prefer glass jars. But Swan's Dairy packages their raw milk and cream in plastic. I don't mind this though.

Fair warning: For those of you aren't familiar with raw milk, you WILL know when it goes bad! It smells so bad you could never acidentally drink it. It is so much worse than pastuerized milk! It kind of smells like vomit and a dead animal. I make my husband smell check whenever I'm worried about it spoiling.