One of the best parts of growing up on a farm is being able to drink straight from the bulk tank. Although my family lived in town (but close enough to the country for a savorywaft of manure on windy days), my grandparents operated a dairy farm just outside of Winsted. Sometimes when we visited, we brought back a gallon of milk. Unlike milk from the store, which is homogenized, this a was very creamy whole milk. My mom would skim the cream that rose to the top and set it aside for cooking. When she wasn't looking, I'd sneak a spoonful of the cream from the refridgerator. Mmm, mmm, good.

But eventually Grandpa retired and we could no longer get milk this way. I'm nearly positive it is illegal to purchase milk directly from a farmer, as it hasn't been inspected or pasturized.

So it was all milk from a plastic jug (how appetizing) until I got to college and discovered Cedar Summit Farm in the diary section at the local co-operative (or the hippie food store as some refer to it). Not only did the milk come in a glass container (which is how milk was delivered to doorsteps years ago), but it was non-homogenized. This meant the cream rose to the top until the jar was shook 

Later I moved away and couldn't often find the milk at my local grocery store. I knew Cedar Summit Farm was located just outside New Prague, but didn't realize it has its very own creamery store until Monday. I didn't waste any time and yesterday after work rushed down to New Prague before the store closed at 6 p.m.

Besides milk and other dairy products, the store also sells eggs, meat, jellies and other locally (or regionally) produced food. The milk was $3 for a half-gallon glass container, but it also was available in a traditional cardboard container (not sure of its cost or if it is also non-homogenized.)

I also learned that the cows are grass-fed, which is important because it makes the milk rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid. With so many cows grain-fed today (and also an abundance of grain-based cooking oils), we have too much Omega-6 in our diet, which leads to fatty and cancer-prone bodies.

Besides the creamy taste, the organic milk did taste differently to me. Perhaps it is because of the grass (in fact my brother thought the milk tasted a little like grass).

Maybe this is why my former roommate, who is from Jerusalem, always said the traditional milk here tasted differently than there, but she thought organic milk here tasted like it did back home. Perhaps the organic milk she purchased here was from grass-fed cows and maybe those overseas are also fed grass.

 Any thoughts?

To see a list of where Cedar Summit sells its products or directions to its store north of New Prague, go to www.cedarsummit.com. I've also pasted below some info on Omega-3 and conjugated linoleic acid below from Cedar's Web site.

Omega-3

Until recent times, human beings ate a diet that was pretty well balanced in the two essential fatty acids.  Today our diets are highly out of balance with Omega-6 fatty acids being 15 to 20 times higher than Omega-3 fatty acids.  This shift has been brought about by our use of grain-based cooking oils and the widespread grain feeding of ruminant animals.

Omega-3 fatty acids come from the green leaves of plants, and cattle that eat grass will have high amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids in their meat and milk.  Omega 3 is essential to the well being of the human body, however our bodies cannot make it.  Omega 3 tells our bodies to make lean muscle mass, and fights inflammatory diseases as well as diabetes and cancer.

Omega-6 fatty acids come from seeds of plants (grain), and animals that are grain-fed  (corn, oats, etc.) will be high in Omega-6 fatty acids.  Omega 6 does the same thing to us as it does to steers and pigs-it tells our bodies to store fat! 

Medical research has shown that tumors injected with pure Omega-6 fatty acid grew four times as fast as before.  In contrast, tumors cease to grow when injected with pure Omega-3 fatty acid.  We need more Omega 3 in our diets to balance out the Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio.  These fatty acids both play an important role in our bodies, but they must be in balance.

Because we live in a northern climate, our cows are on grass only 7 months of the year.  The other 5 months, the cows are fed stored grasses.  Because feed very small amounts of corn, the Omega 3 factor is kept as high as possible.

CLA
Members of the cow family are ruminants with four stomachs.  These stomachs are designed to convert grass and legumes into Conjugated Linoleic Acid.  This produces milk that is high in Omega-3 fatty acids and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid).  CLA is a fatty acid that is found only in the fat of ruminant animals.  Meat and milk from grass-fed animals is typically four to five times higher in CLA then from traditional grain fed animals. CLA is a better cancer fighter than Omega 3 and CLA promotes lean muscle mass in humans and tells your body to burn fat for fuel.

For more information on milk from grass fed cows go to www.eatwild.com.