What to Do with Sour Raw Milk Before and as it Sours
I received an email from Robin last week asking about using raw milk before and as it sours, and I hope all of you are more help to her than I was! One thing I DO know, is that you CAN safely use sour raw milk, traditional cultures had lots of uses for it. However, sour conventional milk is disgusting.
First, if you’re a beginner at all this:
Have you read these raw milk posts that cover why raw milk, why it's so nutritious, raw milk safety, where to find raw milk, etc.?

I have a couple questions for you regarding using raw milk and what to do with it once it starts to sour. As I did not grow up with raw milk, and we have only been getting it for the last 3 months or so, I am COMPLETELY new to this and have had a hard time finding real solid info on this subject.
I found on your site a method for making buttermilk using a culture but am wondering what you can tell me about making soured (i.e. clabbered) milk without a culture. I read that it is possible to leave the milk at room temperature on the counter (covered with a towel) until it is thick, usually a couple of days. I'm wondering if you have had any experience with this and have any specific instructions? Also, can you skim off the cream and use the same method to make soured cream? My other big question on this is once you've made the soured milk, do you store it in the fridge and how long does it last?
I read somewhere that raw milk doesn't really “go bad” (and one woman even mentioned she had some milk that had been there for 6 months?), which makes me wonder if leaving the milk on the countertop to sour gives you essentially the same end product that you get if you have milk that's been sitting in your fridge for a few weeks? So, what do you think? At what point do you just give it up and pour it out, i.e. how long before the raw milk really is no longer usable? I did do some research online before writing you, but I had a hard time finding anything very specific on the subject, other than some general info regarding “let the milk sit on the counter until it becomes thick, usually a couple of days” or some variation of that. I guess I just find myself a little nervous to try anything like this without hearing from someone who's actually done it…:-)
I do drink as much as I can, but we joined the co-op right before finding out my husband would be spending lots of time out of town for work, so I find myself with a gallon and a half per week-quite a bit for one person to drink!!
As I said, I wasn’t much help, I mainly just directed her to the Nourishing Traditions Yahoo forum. Hopefully you’ll have some good information to share with us.
At least I had this part covered:
The sour milk questions I was fuzzy on, but I had lots of ideas for Ways To Use Raw Milk, and many of you jumped into the comments there with great ideas, too. If you have more to add, feel free. 🙂
Here we go — read all the helpful comments below on what to do with sour raw milk!
I've added a few of the comments here because I want to refer back to them easier:
- Get starter cultures here
- Turn your fridge temp down so your milk lasts longer before souring.
- One reader suggested adding a dash of salt to the milk when you get it and said that helps it last longer.
- Use the sour milk for any recipe that calls for regular milk or even better : buttermilk. Like any soaked flour recipe (soaked pancakes/waffles), or this biscuit recipe!
- I sometimes use it as a “fertilizer” and water my herbs on the deck in the summer. Don't do this with plants in the house or it'll smell.
- JoAnna had some good tips in the comments: “I have had experience with just this issue. I don’t have cultures, but I do leave my buttermilk (the milk left over from making butter) just as it is on my kitchen counter, usually in the way of everything else, and sure enough it thickens all on its own. I confess I often leave it there for days. It might get a little dry on top and any butter bits (some sploosh in when I’m separating the butter and buttermilk) have risen to the top. If I notice that it’s trying to turn a faint orange in places I’ll skim that part off and figure I’d better use it now. (I’m making butter so frequently that I just leave that glass bowl sitting open on the counter and pour the fresh buttermilk into it. Probably not the most hygenic.) I never put it in the fridge, but I do try to empty it completely at least every other week. Sometimes I’ll make whole grain pancakes when I have time, but lately I’ve been using it to soak meat before cooking — pot roast (so tender and yummy!), and homemade chicken nuggets as per the recipe at cheeseslave.com. As for the raw milk, I have a half gallon of separated milk sitting on my counter awaiting my attention. It sat like that in my fridge for at least two weeks (maybe longer) and now it’s been on my counter for about another two weeks (for some reason I thought I’d get to it sooner if it were out of the fridge and in my way). I was afraid to open it and thought I’d probably gone too far this time, but since we’re talking about it, I decided to go take a whiff and it has a wonderful cheese smell. I had one like that before but I hadn’t left it like that so long. So I’ll just do what I did last time, I’ll strain it, sprinkling a little celtic sea salt on top (I was afraid of it going bad if I didn’t, but it probably wouldn’t have) and just waited for it to get as thick as I wanted it — a couple of days maybe (all on the counter top). When I decided to be done with it, I jarred up the whey (a bit cheesy flavor, instead of buttery) and mixed the salt into the cheese and stuck it in a glass bowl and refrigerated it. It tasted just like feta cheese only it was creamy and almost spreadable instead of crumbly. Even my 2-year-old loved it. A bonus since feta is so expensive and we love it!“
- Also, Sarah wrote this helpful post: 101 uses for soured raw milk
- Learn why raw milk is the best milk: Raw Milk Benefits and Information: Q & A with Mark McAfee
- Find all my raw milk posts here
- Can't drink raw milk for some reason? Find out here what are your next-best options
Allen Cooke says
I have a friend that makes Irish soda bread from an old family recipe that calls for soured milk. She takes pasteurized milk and lets it go bad in the fridge, but I am certain that the original recipe probably called for soured raw milk.
Corinne Spanelewski says
I love the idea of the feta cheese.
Mr Farmers Daughter says
I always say, “Raw milk doesn’t ever go bad, it just becomes a different product.”
KitchenKop says
Sandra, I’m sorry I missed your comment TWO years ago! I know that the amount of cream you get can depend on the breed of the cow, so maybe talk to your farmer about it. (Probably doesn’t help you so long after you asked, but it may help someone else.)
Kelly
sandra stephens says
I just joined a raw milk co op. I picked up my 2 1/2 gallons in glass ball jars on Friday. I quickly opened one and tasted it. It had a lot of ice crystals floating on the top. Its still tasted yumy though. I immediately put it in the frig and awaited the yummy cream to come to the top. 3 days have passed and I barely have 1/4 maybe is just a 1/8 of cream on the top.
The coop says they put the milk in a stainless steel vat that stirs the milk and keeps it chilled but it is straight from the cow fresh. No pasteurization or homogenizing.
Im wanting to make butter anc cheese but Where The Cream????
So whats the deal then…why hardly no cream at the top?
Christine says
Found this site and read all of the comments because … I had a quart of pasteurized milk in my fridge that is eleven – yes, 11 months old!!! Sort of a science experiment, but it doesn’t seem to have gone bad.It’s was in glass, but no discoloration or foul smell. Got brave and tasted it too. Now I’m straining it and am going to try some of the above ideas. I know that it’s not the same as raw, but I guess because it was in glass it made a difference somehow. FYI, but interesting.
Joel Sims says
Try putting a silver coin in the milk to keep it fresh. longer, the silver helps destroy bacteria
laurie says
does it help to freeze the milk only after it is 2-3 days old–or maybe more? it seemed to freeze well, by chance, this way i think. this time, i froze it right away and it is a bit ‘grainy.’
Charlene says
Would just like to know something. I made a batch of yoghurt but the milk must’ve been just about to go bad as the yoghurt tastes sour now. If I set out the yoghurt and separate the whey, can I still use the whey? Will it affect the taste of the whey? I’m guessing what would be left of the yoghurt would be something like sour cream? Still a newbie at all of this so would appreciate a little guidance…
TIA!
KitchenKop says
Hi Charlene,
My best advice would be to smell the whey and see. Your nose knows. 🙂
Kelly
Trish says
Thanks to this thread I made Irish Soda bread yesterday in honor of St. Patty’s Day. I’ve had a half gallon of raw milk in my fridge for about a month knowing that I could use it for something or do something with it, but wasn’t sure what! I subbed one for one for the buttermilk called for in the recipe and it turned out great!
Elaine says
Trish, Could you share your recipe?
KitchenKop says
Elaine, Trish may not be subscribed to comments so I’ll email her your request, hopefully she responds. 🙂
Kelly
Trish says
I’m sorry, I don’t remember! But most likely I googled it and picked something easy from AllRecipes or SimplyRecipes. 🙂
Jaysie says
Quick cottage cheese is great with raw milk that is starting to turn. You can use up a gallon very quickly, plus some separated cream as well. Here’s the recipe:
Heat gallon of milk slowly to 120 degrees (F). Remove from heat and gently pour in 3/4 c. white vinegar. Stir slowly for 1-2 minutes. Curd and whey will begin to separate. Cover pot and allow to sit at room temp for about 30 minutes. Pour into tea towel lined colander that has been placed over a bowl for catching whey. Allow to drain for about 5 minutes. Then gather up towel, twist and squeeze out excess moisture. Run under cold water while squeezing and kneading curds, until completely cooled. Squeeze out as dry as possible. Transfer to a bowl and add about 1 tsp. Kosher salt. (you can add more to taste) This will be dry curd. To make creamy, add 1/2 cup cream and mix thoroughly, breaking up curd. Viola! Cottage cheese. YUM!
D. says
@ Jaysie: Thanks so much for posting this! My Mom used to make it this way years ago and I’d forgotten all about it. I bought some rennet a while back but I can never get the right amount, it seems, and I end up with a mess. I’ve got 1/2 gal of raw milk in my fridge that I need to do something with pronto, so I’m going to make dry curd cottage cheese today and then sometime this week I’ll get it made into cheese buttons – one of my husband’s favorite dishes.
Jaysie says
Glad to share. Although I’m not familiar, “cheese buttons” sound delicious. Just made some of the best mac ‘n cheese ever using slightly soured raw milk. It blended so well with the cheeses and gave the casserole an extra tang. Yet another use for that precious raw milk!
D. says
Cheese Buttons are a German/Scandanavian dish. The German name is Kase (cheese) Knepfla (noodle). It’s just dough (like noodle dough – flour, eggs, salt and water) rolled about 1/4 ” thick and cut into 4″ squares, then you put a scoop of the dry curd mixture inside one 4″ square and cover with another 4″ square and seal the edges with a fork, or however you want to press them together. The dry curd mix is just the dry cottage cheese, diced silver or green onions, salt and pepper. After you’ve sealed them, drop them into boiling, salted water for about 6 minutes or so, remove with a slotted spoon and place in a colander to drain or dry. Then place them into a frying pan with lots and lots of butter and fry them. They can be served with baked ham or fried ham steaks, or German sausage. Actually any meat can be used, but the German way was with one of those. The Scandanavian people usually served it with Allspiced Roast Beef.
There is another way they can be served, as well. Instead of boiling them in plain salted water, add a few onions and potatoes to the water, when the potatoes are almost done cooking add the squares or buttons. You don’t need to fry them unless you want to; they can be eaten right out of the soup. My Mom used bacon grease to fry them sometimes instead of butter, for some added flavor, or occasionally she would add some already fried leftover bacon to the water with the potatoes and onions.
It’s very plain jane stuff, but during the Depression my Mom’s family had very little money and they survived mostly on noodles and potatoes, very little meat was available. Sometimes in the fall when a relative butchered a critter they would share the lesser cuts of meat.
If you decide to make them let me know how it goes.
Jaysie says
Thanks D. These actually sound very familiar now that I know the recipe. I remember as a girl, visiting my German grandmother during Lent and eating these served with sauerkraut. We also had them during other times of the year with sausages. I haven’t thought about these or had them in years! Thanks for bringing back wonderful memories of my Oma and for sharing a great recipe. I can’t wait to try them with freshly made dry cottage cheese. : )
Jane Moon says
WOW! These comments were all so helpful. I was just pouring out some sour, and quite seperated, raw milk but feeling so guilty (we pay $7 a gal) so I thought I’d see if I could find some advice online. I regularly make whey with Nancy’s Whole Milk Yogurt but I know raw milk is great for it too. Generally we drink outs fresh but when some hangs around and goes sour I usually don’t have the guts to use it. I will be more resourceful (and brave) now. 🙂 I’m going to add it to my homemade pancake mix right now!
James Brady says
Am I crazy?
When I was a young boy I was on a small farm we tried to always have a milking cow. To make butter we would set the cream out to let it clabbered ,
I always thought you had to have clabbered milk to make butter.
We would drink and cook with clabbered milk it was good.
Can you make butter with fresh milk??? that blows me away.
Thanks
KitchenKop says
Yep, you can make either one, but I think the butter from clabbered milk has more health benefits because it’s been naturally soured. Not sure though.
Kelly
D. says
I always thought butter had to be made from cream. Am I wrong on that idea? I’ve never even thought about trying to make butter out of clabbered milk, I just always thought this was a close second to buttermilk, no? Ack!
Julia says
Garden fertilizer – add some raw milk (sour is fine) to your watering can.
KitchenKop says
Basia, I’m sorry that I’m not more help, but all I can think to ask is if you’ve seen the book, “Nourishing Traditions” and tried following the instructions in there?
You could get it through the Amazon link on my site or just find it at the library.
Kelly
Basia says
Hi Everyone,
I just found this site while looking up stuff on sour milk. I used to drink sour milk long time ago when i lived in Europe. Now my hubby and I get raw milk from the farm (also get it for my parents) and both my mom and I tried to make sour milk like we used to do long time ago but for some reason it tastes bitter not sour…It does smell sour but the taste is all wrong. I know its Raw milk so I am not sure if we are doing something wrong…should I try to keep it out longer? Help?? Not sure what is going on here…
petra says
The farmer that I get my raw milk for told me that one of his neighbors pastorizes his milk and sells it as raw milk. His take is “they will never know”. So wrong and might be what has been happening in you case. (?)
KitchenKop says
Why would that farmer do that?
Jessica says
We make yogurt, cheese & kefir when we have extra milk.
If your jars are clean & the milk is kept cold the milk will stay fresh 3-4 weeks…
https://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/mozzarella.htm
Make sure you have A2 source of raw milk. It is very important. We have seen the truth to it all w our kids…
https://thebovine.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/the-devil-in-the-milk-dr-thomas-cowan-on-how-a2-milk-is-the-answer-to-the-mystery-of-why-even-raw-milk-sometimes-does-not-seem-to-be-enough-of-an-improvement-over-store-bought/
Elaine says
How about taking a milk bath? You would pay quite a bit for powdered milk bath beauty products. I’d be tempted to pour extra milk in my tub (before it sours). I’ll also be bookmarking this page.
Michele says
I have a little Cuisinart ice cream maker…you keep the ‘pan’ in the freezer until
ready to make a batch. Done really fast…might be a nice way to save some of your healthy milk in the freezer until hubby can come home to enjoy it. I like making the ice cream when I can…since the milk is more nutitrtions…and I can add less sugar and no additives etc. Think ahead about what you want to store your ice creams in!
My daughter just drinks the milk…and feels great on it…it having helped her overcome anxiety with all of the nutrients.
Jeanmarie says
Clearly this topic was ripe for the asking!
I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist.
I can vouch for dogs loving soured milk, even pasteurized. At least ours do.
Robin says
THANKS KELLY for posting this for me-this has been so helpful!!!
I was thinking this morning that my nervousness about it probably stems from just growing up with “regular” pasteurized milk which, of course as everyone knows, really does just go bad and is pretty nasty when it does-just really a totally different mindset with the raw milk.
I actually did have almost half a gallon left from Christmas in the fridge that I put into glass jars this morning, and they are currently sitting on my table covered with a towel. I feel like I am conducting a science experiment, waiting to see what happens! (as it does feel rather weird putting milk of all things on the counter to just sit for a while!!). Anyway, I’m feeling a little more confident now, thanks so much for all the great input from everyone!!! :0)
Marly says
Thanks EVERYONE for this wonderful information. I am new to this raw milk stuff. I was taught all my life that raw milk was BAD, BAD, BAD, so it was with some trepidation that I even went to the REAL FOODS store in my area to buy my first gallon. I had to sign a form saying that I wouldn’t hold them responsible if I contracted anything from the milk.
My husband is totally against raw dairy of any kind, and won’t even let it touch his lips. I had to really do my homework before I could bring myself to this point of using it. So as you can see, I am a complete novice, thus, the very day after the expiration date on my milk carton, I threw the milk out thinking it had somehow become dangerous. I laugh now thinking about it, but that’s how little I knew. After reading all these comments today I feel like I’ve been educated. I won’t throw out any more milk. I’m excited to try all these recommendations of cheese, etc you have suggested. Again thank you so much. I will bookmark this page also for later reference.
Laura says
It does smell bad if it clabbers in the fridge, so as soon as it starts to turn put it out on the counter uncovered with a towel on top.
Also, I heard you can pour excess whey out under your blueberry bushes (or other acid loving plant)!
Musings of a Housewife says
Reading through these comments, I am so overwhelmed. It’s like a different language. Oh how I wish my ancestors were here to teach us how to use all the things you speak of that are so foreign to us now. What on earth have we done to our food? LOL!!
Fortunately our raw milk never has had time to sour. We drink 2 to 3 gallons a week.
Marly says
Thanks EVERYONE for this wonderful information. I am new to this raw milk stuff. I was taught all my life that raw milk was BAD, BAD, BAD
Lisa Sargese says
I must be gross cuz when it starts to “ripen” (that’s the word my farmer uses to describe souring dairy products) and I smell it? I just guzzle it so as not to waste it!
hhahaha….Love the suggestions on this page and will check out the forum too. Thanks!
Tammy Cupp says
I have a cow share program in Virginia and also raise and sell family cows. I have an abundance of milk and intentionally clabber milk on a regular basis. You can view my blog entries listed below for some ideas on how to turn the clabbered milk into cottage cheese. I have also been making a cheese spread using the clabbered milk cottage cheese that folks raved over when I gave it out as a gift for Christmas. Clabbered milk can also be strained through cheese cloth until thick and used as sour cream. In addition, it can be used inthe place of buttermilk or in the place of mesophilic starter for making hard cheese. It can be fed to dogs, chickens and pigs and is a natural probiotic for the animals.
https://tcuppminiatures.blogspot.com/2008/09/making-cottage-cheese.html
https://tcuppminiatures.blogspot.com/2009/03/recipes-for-cottage-cheese-and.html
Tammy
emily hope says
wow! thanks so much for all the great tips. we’re novices when it comes to all this, so I love that quote about raw milk never going bad, just changing. thanks, everyone!
Martha says
Ok. Now I’m bookmarking this particular post! 🙂
Raine Saunders says
I love all the uses for raw milk, and I’m still learning about all of the different things that can be made from it. I haven’t yet attempted cheesemaking, butter, ice cream, or butter yet. But I’d love to try those as well as clabbered milk. We’ve been using our soured milk for cooking and in coffee, tea, etc. I think it’s really interesting how each person has a slightly different experience with their milk when they make foods from it. We normally use all our raw milk up during each week, and don’t have any left to use for yogurt, cheese, buttermilk, or anything else. Our milk costs $10 a gallon, so we have to use it wisely. Although my son and husband like the yogurt I’ve made, they prefer the plain, whole milk yogurt from Stonyfield Farm and Brown Cow.
As far as freezing milk goes, the first batch we froze several weeks ago was not appreciated by my son (nor his friends, who love our raw milk but drink pasteurized at home). So I made yogurt with it. We found that the milk tasted really sweet and wasn’t palatable for drinking. Also, the cream separated (as it is prone to do when you freeze unless you agitate it on regular enough intervals during the freezing process). I talked with the farm and they said maybe the only difference was because the cows are mostly on alfalfa now since it’s winter and they aren’t grazing as much. We haven’t tried our other pouches of milk that are frozen yet, but I’m hoping they are acceptable to my son. If not, I’ll just make yogurt and other foods out of it. We still have one fresh batch of milk yet that will be gone by the end of the week. Our farm doesn’t start doing milk again for their customers until early March.
Great comments and suggestions from everyone! Thanks much! 🙂
Tara says
Do you have to inoculate cream to make butter or can you just beat the s**t out of it until it’s spreadable? LOL
Marianne says
You only need a clean jar to make sweet butter. I put the fresh milk in the fridge and let it sit 12-24 hours so the cream separates from the milk. Skim the cream from the milk and pour the cream into the clean jar (or now days you can get electric butter churns). Shake the dickin’s out of it, which will seem like forever, until the butter actually clumps together and separates from the whey. The butter is a beautiful pale yellow color. Drain the whey off of the butter holding your hand over the jar opening, run cold water over the butter swishing it around and mashing it like play dough or kneeding bread dough then drain the water off. Repeat the “rinseing” 4-6 times or until the water is clear, no more whey can be worked out of the butter. If the whey is allowed to stay in the butter it will sour…..I prefer to eat sweet butter, not sour. Lastly don’t forget to add salt to taste…start with 1/2 tsp. per cup of butter and kneed. We freeze all of our butter and it thaws beautifully in the butter dish at room temperature. Enjoy your butter!
CatCreek says
Hi! I just wanted to mention something my husband came up with when experimenting (he doesn’t usually do any cooking, so I was apprehensive, lol).
He used the getting-rather-old “yogurt” I’d made from soured raw milk — I’ve tried a dozen or so times to make yogurt with the soured and non-soured raw milk, but I don’t really like it. I find it to liquid and too sour… maybe just too many years of commercial stuff. Anyway, he found this huge container of it in the fridge where I was trying to forget about it, and used it instead of milk in making mashed potatoes. He used the chunky bits and left the whey. The. Best. Mashed. Potatoes. Ever.
We call them sour potatoes, because they are. So delicious.
(The whey goes to the dogs. They deserve some good food sometimes too.)
WV gal says
Soured milk never stops being edible — if it sits there long enough, it becomes cheese. Whether or not it appeals to your palate is another story. If it gets too sour for you and you have no other use for it, just feed it to your pets. My dogs and cats love it. Even my parrot, Woody, loved yogurt. I have fed surplus milk to pigs and chickens as well. This is also a potential use for whey, skim milk, or buttermilk.
You can also add these things to your compost pile if you have one.
After you make cheese, you can get another use out of the whey by making ricotta. You need to make it right after you have made the cheese — within 3 hours, in fact. This recipe comes from Ricki Carroll’s book Home Cheese Making. Basically you heat the whey to 200 degrees, stir, take off heat, and add vinegar — two tablespoons per gallon of whey. Allow the protein to precipitate for a few seconds, and then carefully ladle into a colander lined with butter muslin. You hang the bag to allow the liquid to drain off. This takes several hours or overnight. Then put the cheese in a container. I use it in lasagne, of course, but it also makes a wonderful spread on breads; like cream cheese. Ricki’s site, http://www.cheesemaking.com, has all sorts of wonderful information and supplies. I recommend it.
KitchenKop says
Hey all, I should’ve mentioned this in my post, and will add it now, but if you end up needing yogurt, buttermilk, cheese cultures, etc., here’s the best place to get those:
bit.ly/1Uut014
Julie is super helpful and has great starter cultures! Thank you! 🙂
Rich Radtke says
I think it must be said, “Unlike pasturized milk, raw milk never goes bad, it just changes.”
I think my grandmother told us that when we were little.
JoAnna says
I have had experience with just this issue. I don’t have cultures, but I do leave my buttermilk (the milk left over from making butter) just as it is on my kitchen counter, usually in the way of everything else, and sure enough it thickens all on its own. I confess I often leave it there for days. It might get a little dry on top and any butter bits (some sploosh in when I’m separating the butter and buttermilk) have risen to the top. If I notice that it’s trying to turn a faint orange in places I’ll skim that part off and figure I’d better use it now. (I’m making butter so frequently that I just leave that glass bowl sitting open on the counter and pour the fresh buttermilk into it. Probably not the most hygenic.) I never put it in the fridge, but I do try to empty it completely at least every other week. Sometimes I’ll make whole grain pancakes when I have time, but lately I’ve been using it to soak meat before cooking — pot roast (so tender and yummy!), and homemade chicken nuggets as per the recipe at cheeseslave.com.
As for the raw milk, I have a half gallon of separated milk sitting on my counter awaiting my attention. It sat like that in my fridge for at least two weeks (maybe longer) and now it’s been on my counter for about another two weeks (for some reason I thought I’d get to it sooner if it were out of the fridge and in my way). I was afraid to open it and thought I’d probably gone too far this time, but since we’re talking about it, I decided to go take a whiff and it has a wonderful cheese smell. I had one like that before but I hadn’t left it like that so long. So I’ll just do what I did last time, I’ll strain it, sprinkling a little celtic sea salt on top (I was afraid of it going bad if I didn’t, but it probably wouldn’t have) and just waited for it to get as thick as I wanted it — a couple of days maybe (all on the counter top). When I decided to be done with it, I jarred up the whey (a bit cheesy flavor, instead of buttery) and mixed the salt into the cheese and stuck it in a glass bowl and refrigerated it. It tasted just like feta cheese only it was creamy and almost spreadable instead of crumbly. Even my 2-year-old loved it. A bonus since feta is so expensive and we love it!
Hope this was helpful.
Effie Rau-Stathakos says
My dogs love sour mik!
Kimberly Hartke says
Clabbered milk, the first time this happened to me I was so scared, I threw it down the drain! I noticed, though, it looked alot like yogurt. The milk had clabbered when I stored it in the cupboard in a closed milk bottle for a few days.
More recently, milk clabbered in our refrigerator when it was more than a few weeks old. So, I decided to use the curds in a pumpkin pie. I strained off the whey and whipped the curds until they were smooth. Then, I substituted them for evaporated milk in my recipe. It turned out so good, I have made 3 more pies this way!
I also use clabber to soak grains to make muffins, waffles and pancakes. They turn out fantastic! I imagine that you can use clabbered milk in any recipe that calls for buttermilk, yogurt or evaporated milk.
nia says
Robin-
we get 1.5 gallons per week but usually only drink 1 gallon, so i just keep the leftover milk in a mason jar in the fridge and once ive accumulated 2 gallons I let it sit on the table for a few days to seperate.
The leftover milk, I just throw it out (i know,i know) but we dont eat grains and I dont bake so I havent found a real use for it and im not about to drink skim milk.
Martha says
Thank you everyone! I have some jars of cream that have sat in my fridge for who nows how long. Usually I write a date on my jars but didn’t this time. Now I have some ideas of what to do with it other than feeding the cats. I use sour milk in overnight blender batter pancakes.
Janice says
Great topic! I usually make smoothies breakfast or dessert if I notice we have milk backlog. I want to try making butter and buttermilk and its good to know the buttermilk freezes well. I have a question you, how long does whey keep? And what does everyone use their whey for besides adding to black beans for soaking or for lacto-fermented veggies?
Robin says
Nia-
When you save cream for making butter, just to clarify-are you skimming off the cream until you have four jars worth of cream, or are you doing this with extra jars of your milk-sitting it out and letting the cream separate, then using the cream for butter? If so, what do you do with the leftover “milk” after using the cream for butter?
Jen says
I have wondered this very same thing myself! Thanks for covering it, Kelly.
I have found quite a difference in the taste of milk that sours over time in the fridge, compared to non-soured milk I have intentionally set out to make buttermilk. We don’t like the taste of the milk that sours in the fridge. I have TRIED to use it in baking and other things, and that taste comes through. I know it’s awful, but I have thrown it away.
I’ve been thinking that I need to take better precautions to prevent the souring! Fortunately, I can order weekly… none, one or two gallons. It comes in plastic jugs, and I will definitely start tranferring it to glass and adding a dash of salt. Thanks for the tips!
I need to add a new kitchen step, and start making yogurt and cheeses (instead of buying the expensive stuff) to use it up.
Paula says
Clabber cheese. Just leave it, covered, on the counter till it seperates. Then strain it. Salt and press it to the consistency you want.
Save the whey :o)
D. says
Is this the same thing as the cream cheese the others are talking about?
Robin says
Hey everyone-thanks for all the helpful tips!
I did know that I could freeze it, but I have been reluctant to do so, since I am getting more milk every week and don’t see myself running out anytime soon…:-). So, I’d really rather try to make use of it as I can. What brought all this on was I was gone for 2 weeks over Christmas visiting family, and while I was able to sell some of my bottles to other coop members during the trip, I came home to 2 old bottles that had been sitting in my fridge for at least 3 weeks (and from the smell, very much soured!, I just poured these out), and 4 new bottles to pick up! What did amaze me was that I was trying to use up the oldest milk first (dated 12/25), and we were actually drinking that until this past Sunday, over 2 weeks later, and it still tasted okay! But I have been trying to research this subject, as I really hated throwing out that other milk and was wondering if there was something I could have used it for.
Anyway, I actually do plan on buying some of the cultures to make yogurt and cheese, I just have found myself wondering what to do in the absence of a starter culture-is there a way to essentially make “buttermilk” (i.e. clabbered/soured milk) that would help preserve it?
**Anita-you mentioned that you clabber your milk-do you do this by letting it sit on the counter? Also, once you do this, how long does it last and how do you store it?
**If you separate the cream for butter (it was mentioned you could do this also by letting it sit on the counter), what do you do with the milk that is leftover (I assume that it is sour by this point-can you also use that in place of buttermilk in recipes, soaking, etc.?).
**Also, again on the shelf life-any thoughts or comments on how long before the milk is just bad and no longer usable? Like, if I’ve had milk sitting in my fridge for a few weeks, would you just use that like you would buttermilk?
Sorry if it seems like I’m asking the same questions over again, just really looking for some hard info on this (and not wanting to make anyone here sick!) 😀
Kelley Ahearn says
Hey Kelly! Whats going on with the Weston Price site? My Icon wouldn’t work so I typed Weston Price in Google and found it at another site address https://www.trit.us/splash_2.htm but when I type into the search bar it says the site can not be found (because it takes me back to http://www.westonaprice.org) Weird!! I think you know practically everything so do you know the answer to this one? Thank you,
Kelley
Becky says
You can bake anything you want with soured milk… pancakes, baked oatmeal, waffles, muffins, etc. I do it all the time.
The Local Cook says
I stock up on cultures from http://www.cheesemaking.com and when it’s time to pick up my herdshare I see how much I have left from the previous week’s pickup and plan to make something with it on the weekend when I have more time.
nia says
I always have left over milk, mostly on purpose so that I can make butter. I usually wait till I have 4 1/2 gallon mason jars full to the top and let them sit on the table for 2 or 3 days so that the cream gets really thick and gooey. then i spoon it out and put it in my food processor, and let er rip. It only takes about 8 minutes to make, then drain the buttermilk and wash with cold water in the processor. I get about a pound of butter that way which helps bc we use an awful lot of butter! Lately ive been breaking all my butter down into ghee
Trish says
I completely agree with all of the above! I NEVER throw out soured milk. Usually I use it in baking when milk or buttermilk is called for and using it for soaking is great too. A lot of times I make yogurt with it as well. The yogurt does have a more sour flavor, but we just mix with some fruit and my kids still love it.
It does seem that being in the refrigerator a few weeks sort of equals being on the counter for a few days.
Love, the cheese recipe. I’ve never made cheese before, but this looks “do-able.” 🙂
Thanks for a great site Kelly. Don’t think I’ve commented before, but I read when I can and learn great things!
Betsy says
Local, they weren’t my ideas, apparently it came from the WAPF site. Anita posted the link in the next comment.
I never heard the salt idea; I’ll have to try it. My technique is to decant the gallon plastic bottles into quart jars as soon as I open them. Then I’m exposing the milk to warm air only a quart at a time.
And I agree about freezing – works great. You just can’t be impatient for it to thaw, lol. I last froze in the gallon jugs, about 3/4 full and I think it took a full day on the counter to thaw.
T says
Always add a dash of salt to your milk when it is fresh and the milk will keep. I’m using milk from January 3rd and it’s still great. And keep your frig very cold.
You can always make yogurt when the milk starts to sour – it keeps a while. You can also freeze the milk in recipe-size portions for future use – my quick breads require soured milk (buttermilk) – 1/2 c portions…
Local Nourishment says
My first thought was with Betsy: there are so many great things to do with cream cheese and whey, that a little soured milk isn’t trash, it’s golden!
You can make cheese with raw milk. Here’s a recipe for a mozzarella cheese you can make in 30 minutes that uses a whole gallon of milk. And it is so GOOD! https://www.cheesemaking.com/includes/modules/jWallace/ChsPgs/1Mozz/Index.html
I can only buy milk once a week, and we go through a little more than five gallons a week. There isn’t room in my fridge, but I can tell you that raw milk freezes just fine!
Debra says
How do you freeze and thaw your milk I find that it always seperates when I thaw it out I have tryed to thaw it slowly in the fridge even in a bucket of cold water?
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
Can’t you just shake it up? If Peggy from Local Nourishment doesn’t answer, you can also try asking Ann Marie (Cheeseslave.com), I know she freezes her raw milk, too.
Kelly
D. says
@ Debra: Did you try freezing the milk in smaller portions, like a glass pint jar (be sure to leave space at the top for expansion – about 1 1/2 inches). Usually when freezing milk that works best, at least that’s the experience I’ve had over the years. I thaw mine on the counter in a cool place, but if you don’t have a cool place, the fridge will do. We invested in a small, camper-type fridge to keep out in the garage to store extra stuff from time to time, and it doesn’t get as cold as my regular fridge, so thawing my milk in there is a snap. Maybe keeping the jar closer to the front of your fridge would be better?? I don’t know, just thinking out loud here!
D. says
Most of the recipes from that site you posted (cheesemaking.com) are made with pasteurized milk, in fact she mostly recommends pasteurized milk from the store for almost every recipe I saw. I would keep searching for another site with information strictly using raw milk.
Anita says
I kefir most of my raw goat’s milk, & there’s not much left. But, if there’s any left-overs, I like to culture/clabber it. It’s even better then. Then, I use it for overnight pancakes & waffles (to die for:), or just eat it like cottage cheese.
There’s fantastic probiotic digestive enzymes & good bacteria in there!
Also, you could sit some, & separate the cream off the top, & make butter or icecream.
***If you keep milk in GLASS bottles, it lasts a LOT longer***
Here’s some great ideas from the WAP site-
https://www.westonaprice.org/Learning-to-Maximize-the-Use-of-Your-Real-Milk-and-Cream.html
Betsy says
I got this information in an email from my former milk host, and I think I’ve seen it elsewhere. The name of the article is A SIMPLE CHANGE IN MINDSET ?Learning to Maximize the Use of Your Real Milk and Cream? By Sarah Couture Pope. It has a lot of “see recipe below” which I’m not copying, although if someone begs for a specific one, I might. 🙂
Here are a few ideas for incorporating soured milk and cream into your cooking repertoire:
1. Make homemade whey and cream cheese with the soured milk (leave the milk on the counter until it fully separates. Strain through a strainer or colander lined with tea towel). Try blending the cream cheese with a few strawberries and maple syrup for a delicious spread for sprouted bagels. ?
2. Soak organic pancake mix overnight in soured milk. This approach results in much tastier, fluffier, and healthier pancakes than mixing with water and cooking immediately.
?3. Use soured milk or cream to make scrambled eggs.
?4. Use soured milk to make custard pudding or creme brul
Jeanmarie says
Raw milk tonic is a good way to drink milk (see Nourishing Traditions for the recipe; basically it combines raw milk, raw egg yolk, and a bit of blackstrap molasses), and I think it would still be good if the milk were a little bit sour, as the molasses would cover the taste. Sour milk would be terrific for soaking flour for pancakes, etc.
I don’t drink it much myself, as unfortunately it doesn’t seem to agree with me, though I love the taste.