Navigate this Blog

Today's Quote


“If people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.” Thomas Jefferson

Friday, December 26, 2008

Dairy without Refrigeration

Now that Christmas is over we can get on track with our living without refrigeration hints and tips. Let's talk about milk and butter/margarine. There are several options for milk. One is powdered milk. Some people don't care for the taste, but I mixed some up and gave it to my family without telling them it was powdered milk and they didn't know the difference. The great thing about powdered milk is that you can mix up what you need when you need it. The boxes have a long shelf life and several boxes can provide a lot of milk. The next option is canned evaporated milk. This milk has had a lot of the water removed and gone through the canning process making it shelf stable. You reconstitute it with water and it is almost at good as fresh but not quite the same. I did the taste test on the family and they could tell the difference. My two year drank it happily though with no signs of rejection. The third option is the shelf stable ultra heat treated milk in a box. This milk tastes like fresh but has a shelf life of 6 months. I have heard some people say that fresh milk from the dairy case can be kept out in cool weather for several days if necessary, but this is not something I have tried nor do I recommend. With all the infections from the cows being passed down in regular grocery store milk I don't think I would trust it with the high levels of bacteria. That is up to you. I do know this milk can sit out for a few hours with no problems, but I don't know about days. Butter/margarine are easy. If you buy the sticks then you can let them soften and put them in a sealed plastic tub. Just mash them in to fit the tub. Or you could buy the margarine in a tub already and just keep it out. My mother has never refrigerated her butter or margarine and she has never had a problem. So milk and butter are easy without refrigeration. Happy self sustainability!

2 comments:

Kelly Cook said...

Hey Kat, enjoying your tips, but have a few thoughts. I've read that powdered milk isn't good for us. Same with the ultra high heat shelf stable milk.

I also wouldn't recommend maragarine, but I've always kept butter on the counter so it's spreadable when I need it. I've not experienced any problems with this.


What do you do with your goats milk?

Kat said...

I agree, powdered milk is certainly not the best choice. However, it is a choice and many people just don't see the problems with ultra processed food. So I included that in as an option. I also do not use nor recommend margarine, but many people do and again don't see a problem with it. I use butter and mine is also left on the counter in a container so it is spreadable when needed. Butter doesn't last long around here anyway. I keep my extra butter in the freezer. A freezer uses much less power than a refrigerator and at this point I simply can't do without my large freezer. Well, I could but I don't. Fresh goat milk will keep for a short period of time ( a day) in a cool place in the house. I would not suggest trying to keep it unless you can it and I have never done that but know that it can be done. I also know people that have a spring house that they keep their dairy products in. I would either use the milk that day, or freeze it. Hope this helps.