Raw Dairy and Pasteurization
What does it all mean?!
We started using raw, A2 cows dairy from Still Brook Farm in beautiful Gray, Maine this year! Heather and Ernie Phinney have been working with cowes for over fifty years. Their nine head heard of milkers are all Guernseys, which make the A2/A2 protein. Its a lil lighter on our bellies but still has lactose in it! If you think you are lactose intollerant and can enjoy products made with A2 dairy, congratulations! You are not lactose intolerant. It's easily the most exciting change in the studio since getting our new batch freezer three years ago. We wanted to dedicate this section of the site to explaining the hows, whats and whys of the switch, that it means better, more delicious and nutritious treats and why it isn't something to be afraid of!
RAW MILK IS COOL!
In 1987, the FDA issued a mandate that required all dairy, with the exception of some cheeses, be pasteurized. Back then, industrialization of the dairy industry and consumer demands were making unpasteurized dairy a danger to consume, especially to children, elders and the immunocompromised. The reality is, unpasteurized products can pose a risk to consumers in that bacteria and enzymes aren't annihilated by the process of heating to a certain temperature for a designated amount of time WHEN... the proper care is not taken to ensure safe and controlled environments! In our studio, as on the farm in Gray, we follow a strict food safety, cleaning and sanitization proccess ( It's all fun and games otherwise) that, in tandem with monthly spot checks on our finished ice creams and sherbet and monthly self checks with a local lab, keep all our friends and customers safe.
If you are pregnant, immunocompromised or otherwise concerned, talk to your doctor! I am not a doctor. I do drink a lot of milk though and am very happy and strong.
Science hasn't yet proven that raw dairy and products made with them are better for you but modern science is just magic that white, cis-men haven't been able to wrap their heads around yet. Keeping with the themes of magic and whimsy, the biodiversity present in raw milk and the way, as mammals, we evolved to create a safe, nutritious mana to share with our babes is pretty freaking amazing. Magic on all counts. When those natural enzymes and bacteria are destroyed, lots of other things are too. Flavor is the most obvious. If you've never had a side by side of a glass of raw, grass fed milk and the commercially processed stuff, you'll just have to believe us. Actually, you don't just have to believe us! You can buy and enjoy our ice creams and know that they are made with the highest quality, local loving dairy that money can buy.
The Hot Process and what it means for flavor and food safety
Something that makes our ice creams cool and unique as well as safer is our hot process of base creation. We make individual bases for every flavor we freeze. In a hot process, that means we can incorporate ingredients like plants and breads and spices into our flavors by steeping them in the dairy before using it to make the finished base! It also means that, since we cook the bases until the tapioca starch we use to stabilize reaches full absorption at 86 degrees celsius, we bring all of our bases to the temperature at which harmful bacteria are killed. Quick cooling and keeping track of temperatures of the bases during so ensures that all of the treats we make are as safe as humanly possible without using harsh pasteurizing technology.