One of the more common responses when I tell people we have goats and drink their milk is a weak smile and a bit of a grimace, followed by a personal story about how one time they tried goats milk and it was gross. However, once I explain a bit more about our goats, why we have them and how our milk tastes amazing and nothing like store-bought, people start to soften up and become more receptive to the idea. And when they get the chance to actually try the milk, their minds are always blown and they can hardly believe it’s a different milk than cows milk. Most of them note how sweet and creamy it is, and how very different from what they expected goats milk to be like.
It’s true. Our goats milk tastes amazing, and there are some important steps we take to keep it tasting that way.
If you’ve tried milk that tasted “goaty,” it was most likely pasteurized, or maybe the breed of goat was the sort that produces a stronger tasting milk, or perhaps the milk handling wasn’t great. Our goats milk tastes very similar to a cow’s – creamy and rich and sweet! A large part of that has to do with the breed of goats we keep here on our homestead. Both Nigerian Dwarf goats and Nubians are known for their sweet milk with a high butterfat content, and our Mini Nubians are a cross between those two breeds! Many other goat breeds are known for delicious milk though, and these breeds tend to be most popular amongst homestead milkers, so chances are your goats milk can taste amazing too. But every now and then you may run into off flavors in your milk. If you suspect mastitis, or you’ve tried all the options below and are still having off flavored milk, go ahead and send it off for testing at a local herd health lab pronto.
Here are my favorite tips and tricks to keep fresh goats milk tasting delicious:
1. Feed alfalfa hay and free choice loose minerals.
Alfalfa is not only good for adding calcium and protein into your goat’s diet, but it also helps keep the milk tasting sweet! Minerals are very important for a goat’s health, and if their mineral needs are not being met it can cause the milk to taste off too.
2. Avoid housing lactating does with a buck.
Bucks’ hormones can cause does to have strong tasting milk. This might be caused by a hormonal response to the buck pheromones, but is often simply caused by bucks rubbing their strongly “perfumed” (aka peed on) heads and bodies on the does and leaving a smelly residue. Our bucks and does share a fence line without issues, but keeping them together all the time can be a cause of “goaty” milk. Our bucks and does live together only for a couple weeks at a time during breeding season.
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3. Rapid chill your milk.
After milking, get the milk cool asap for the best flavor and longevity! The longer milk sits lukewarm, the more of a chance heat-loving bacteria has to overpopulate. Quality, clean raw milk will culture itself naturally if left at room temperature for a day or two, and is not harmful to eat (in fact there’s a lot of probiotic goodness in clabber!), but milk that has not rapid-chilled will develop off-flavors very quickly. I pour our milk into a canister inside a cooler filled with ice water in the barn to rapid-chill it before straining and putting it in the fridge. You can also put your milk jars in the freezer for an hour or two before moving to the fridge to quickly cool it.
4. Keep your filter clean.
Milkstone and residue can build up and be almost undetectable in cheesecloth and other reusable filters. I prefer to use disposable milk filters to strain my milk for this reason. If you use a reusable filter, make sure it’s ultra clean and sanitized daily to prevent off flavors in your milk.
5. Use an acid-rinse sanitizer.
Milkstone is a nearly invisible sediment that forms on jars and milk pails. It requires an acid to remove the build-up. Some folks use vinegar rinses a couple times a week to combat the milkstone.The best method I have found is to use Star-San, a phosphoric acid- based food-safe rinse. I spray it on my jars, milk pails, strainers, and lids before putting them in the dishwasher, or after hand washing. I used it on my milk machine when we had a cow, and I use it to sanitize all my cheesemaking equipment too!
So that’s it! My five tips for keeping your goats milk tasting delicious and sweet. Our milk keeps for weeks in the fridge without going sour, and I credit these methods for maintaining the amazing flavor! If you have tried and true methods for keeping your goats milk tasting delicious, share with me in the comments!
2 Responses
I’m loving your blog! We milk into a stainless steel bucket with an ice bottle in it to start the cooling process. I also put a nut bag mesh strainer over top of milk pale so the excess hair and debri stays out. Will have to try some of that Star-San!
Thank you so much! I love the idea of having an ice bottle in the milk pail!