We've been dabbling in a not-exactly-legal substance.
It's white. Expensive. We use a straw.
It's not cocaine—it's raw milk (yeah, we're a lot of fun at parties).
Sweet, creamy and rich, raw milk is almost straight from the cow, and is neither pasteurized (heat-sterilized) nor homogenized (it prevents the cream from rising to the top of the milk). Farmers have been drinking it since basically forever, and until fifty years ago, so did everyone else.
Now we can't get enough of it. Author and raw-milk lover Nina Planck
calls it real food, something that doesn't taste factory-made. Planck's excellent book, not surprisingly called Real Food, inspired our descent into contraband.
Pasteurization kills folic acid and vitamins A, B6 and C, she says. It destroys beneficial bacteria and enzymes. And raw milk? She points to research touting its helpfulness in treating inflammation, rheumatism, arthritis, asthma, bronchitis, high blood pressure, kidney disease, eczema and more.
So where can you score some? It's out there. The law permits stores in just three states (California, New Mexico, and Connecticut) to sell certified raw milk. In many other states, you can buy it directly from a certified farm. Some farmers even sell "shares" of a cow, which gives you access to a few gallons each week.
All of which to say: You can get it if you really want.
Get a source for the good stuff at www.realmilk.com.