Pasteurized? Or Not?

[AngelMomma]

So I am wondering......concerning Goats milk. If it would make any difference whatsoever to use pastuerized or unpastuerized goatsmilk. I am hoping to get some fresh at a local place here. They just opened and it seems they have other farms and etc come from farther out......its a good thing for our community and everyones business of course.

 

[mlktrkdrvr]

I have made several batches with Non pasteurized milk and it turned out really nice. My friend swears you have to pasteurize first!

 

[AngelMomma]

Well, they advertize on their website that it IS pasturized. I don't know why that surprised me?? :roll: I sent them a msg to see if they are for sure bringing milk on Tuesday and asked if they ONLY sold it pastuerized. It would be interesting to try it both ways on the same recipe and see it there was a difference. I wonder if there would be anything more 'goaty' if I were to use UN pasteurized milk.

 

[ClaraSuds]

I tend to think that even if you used unpasteurised milk it would end up pasteurised anyway by coming in contact with both the heat and alkali in soap. It is just a bacteria killing process. I don't know about the US, but here it's illegal to sell unpasteurised milk for consumption, so unless you own the animal it's not an easy thing to buy.

 

[AngelMomma]

I tend to think that even if you used unpasteurised milk it would end up pasteurised anyway by coming in contact with both the heat and alkali in soap. It is just a bacteria killing process. I don't know about the US, but here it's illegal to sell unpasteurised milk for consumption, so unless you own the animal it's not an easy thing to buy.

You are apparently on the money as far as the law is concerned. She sent me a return email stating that it is our state law that requires her to pastuerize the milk. But she doesn't super pastuerize. I'm not sure I have a preference for one way or another.......just wondering how it would be in the soap. And your probably right about not much being able to live through the high ph. Although it seems quite expensive ($4.50 per what looks like a pint on their website) I am going to try one and see how it works out. Right about now my kids begging to have a goat doesn't seem so far fetched with that high priced milk! LOL (sshhh, don't tell them though!!!)

 

[ClaraSuds]

I tend to think that even if you used unpasteurised milk it would end up pasteurised anyway by coming in contact with both the heat and alkali in soap. It is just a bacteria killing process. I don't know about the US, but here it's illegal to sell unpasteurised milk for consumption, so unless you own the animal it's not an easy thing to buy.

You are apparently on the money as far as the law is concerned. She sent me a return email stating that it is our state law that requires her to pastuerize the milk. But she doesn't super pastuerize. I'm not sure I have a preference for one way or another.......just wondering how it would be in the soap. And your probably right about not much being able to live through the high ph. Although it seems quite expensive ($4.50 per what looks like a pint on their website) I am going to try one and see how it works out. Right about now my kids begging to have a goat doesn't seem so far fetched with that high priced milk! LOL (sshhh, don't tell them though!!!)

$4.50 a pint is nothing compared to the hundreds of dollars a goat can consume should it get into your lovely rose garden, or even within reaching distance of a clothes line. Don't ask me how I know.... :roll:

 

[Hausfrau007]

Unfortunately, it's illegal to sell unpasteurized milk in Ontario, so I buy my GM in the supermarket (I live in downtown Toronto, and I don't have any farms near me). The last time, I bought 2% GM, because I couldn't find whole milk anywhere.

 

[thefarmerdaughter]

Pasteurization will help the milk in many ways but I dont think it will have an effect on your soap one way or another.
My milk goats are a joy to own. But up-keep can be expensive, and remember they are a herd animal, so you need at least two.
The people your buying your milk from may offer you a different price if you tell them its for soap. As in a discount on "older" milk, since it's being soaped with it dosent have to be as fresh as drinking milk.... another thought is a trade, discounted milk for some soap? One other thing to look into (cause i know your in the great state of Tennessee!) is Goat Shares. you "buy into" a goat on a local dairy farm. In exchange you get "free milk" your a co-owner of a goat, most places will let you hang out on the farm and help( so your kids can see what its really about) But the farm owners shoulder the responsibility of true owner-ship.

 

[green soap]

I use both types of goat milk, pasteurized and raw. I buy the pasteurized type at Trader Joes, I get the raw one in trade. It is not legal to sell raw milk in California, but we are trading, not selling. We figure the equivalent retail price that each is worth (milk and soap) and we base the trade on that. Sometimes I trade a little extra for DH to drink and the goat keeper (and milker) tells me which is the freshest jug. The rest I freeze right away in ice cube trays.

Both types of milk will soap about the same. The raw one I get in trade has a lot more fat, but this is from the types of goats. Raw or pasteurized makes little if any different in the soaping process. The extra fat makes a difference though, creamier soap.

 

[AngelMomma]

Pasteurization will help the milk in many ways but I dont think it will have an effect on your soap one way or another.
My milk goats are a joy to own. But up-keep can be expensive, and remember they are a herd animal, so you need at least two.
The people your buying your milk from may offer you a different price if you tell them its for soap. As in a discount on "older" milk, since it's being soaped with it dosent have to be as fresh as drinking milk.... another thought is a trade, discounted milk for some soap? One other thing to look into (cause i know your in the great state of Tennessee!) is Goat Shares. you "buy into" a goat on a local dairy farm. In exchange you get "free milk" your a co-owner of a goat, most places will let you hang out on the farm and help( so your kids can see what its really about) But the farm owners shoulder the responsibility of true owner-ship.

Owning goats is a dream that is not within reach right now.......not enough space for sure.

As far as the people I am buying the milk from.....weelllllll, they make & sell goats milk soap. So, I don't want to tell them I'm buying it to make soap. Very non-confrontational person, yep, thats me I'm not selling my soap anytime soon. Thats for sure. Who knows when, or if that would happen. I have to attain a personal level of perfection and have lots of outside approval before I would allow myself to even hope of that. I still feel like I have light years of learning ahead of me.

I don't know if you meant someone else, but we live in Louisiana. And boy does co-owning a goat or 2 sound awesome!!

 

[AngelMomma]

Thank you everyone for your comments. I am glad to hear that it won't make a difference one way or the other. I can't wait to go pick some up tomorrow!

 

[thefarmerdaughter]

Lol Sorry I thought I read in your intro that you were from TN !
Each state is different, but I'm pretty sure most all states have share agrements/ buy in laws. for milk goats and cows. It's a legal way to get around pasteurization laws

 

[Gryfonmoon]

I do know that in some states. you can legally purchase unpasteurized milk for animal feed. So if you tell them it's for your pet, then you might get by that way.

 

[AngelMomma]

Well, I was wrong about the size/price of the goats milk. They sell a QUART for $4.25, reasonable I think. And it is WHOLE milk!!! I didn't even notice that fact at first because we were looking around, since it is a new place to us. One of the workers even had a young, one eyed Gator in the back of his truck, kids were enthralled by that. Santa Clause too in fact.....boy that was a funny sight. But when we got home and opened a bottle to try it a quarter sized chunk of fat plopped into the glass.

 

[thefarmerdaughter]

That is a good price on goat milk! Also two things that can affect the fat content, what breed of goats they are, and when they were freshened. ie just kidded recently or almost a year ago.

 

[green soap]

My goat person also tells me there is higher fat content in the milk during the winter than during the summer.

 

[Seifenblasen]

I do know that in some states. you can legally purchase unpasteurized milk for animal feed. So if you tell them it's for your pet, then you might get by that way.

True, except in where I live, they are required to add blue or black food coloring to the milk to make it look unappetizing to human. I don't necessarily want to have black soap, either! (Now if the color doesn't morph, a light blue soap won't be bad at all).

 

[Seifenblasen]

My goat person also tells me there is higher fat content in the milk during the winter than during the summer.

That's interesting to know. The cow milk here is the opposite - higher fat content in the summer because they are out in the pasture, lower in the winter because they are eating hay. I also notice the difference in taste when they switch.

 

[chicklet]

I doubt that pasteurization of milk makes a difference as far as soaping goes, but I do wonder about homogenization. When they homogonize milk they force it through tubes to break up the fat particles. I'm definitely not a chemist so I have no idea whether that makes a difference in the finished soap or not. I like the idea of using my homemade yogurt and buttermilk from raw milk (cow, not goat) and my soaps do feel really creamy, but I have no idea if it makes my soap chemically better or not. I do it because it appeals to my "back to basics" part of me.

 

[thefarmerdaughter]

I do know that in some states. you can legally purchase unpasteurized milk for animal feed. So if you tell them it's for your pet, then you might get by that way.

If you want to build a working relationship with someone, lying is probably not best way to do it.

Truth is I know many small time goat herders and farmers who will sell unpasteurized milk no questions asked.