Straus Family Creamery Nonfat Milk Review

Straus Family Creamery produces excellent dairy products, but I think their organic nonfat milk is the best evidence of what can happen when a farmer puts the cows first.

It makes sense that Straus' milk tastes different. During the spring, their cows eat from a carefully tended organic pasture. The grasses have a distinctive flavor from growing in the ocean air on the Northern California coast. For the rest of the year, Straus' cows eat a high quality organic, vegetarian feed supplemental to what pasture grasses are available. Because the cows eat a balanced diet and are not treated with hormones, they produce less milk than what would be expected on a conventional dairy. These truly are the healthy, "happy" cows featured in the ads for California dairy farms. Unfortunately, those conditions are exceptional. 

Straus caught my eye because their milk is sold in returnable glass containers and is not homogenized (homogenization is the process by which the fat molecules are broken apart so the cream is thoroughly combined with the rest of the milk). When my daughter was small and drinking whole milk, I looked forward to scooping the cream out of the neck of the bottle and using it to make fettucine alfredo. Because the flavor of the cream-top whole milk was so distinctive, I started buying the nonfat as well for myself. I'm lactose intolerant and can only stomach a small amount of milk each day. Of course, this means I crave it, so I want my daily dose to taste perfect. While most nonfat milk is watery, blue, and close to flavorless, Straus' tastes sweet, a little salty, and feels silky over the tongue. Even the aroma of this milk is grassy and rich, and I can't resist holding the bottle up to my nose every time I open the cap. 

Because I'm concerned about the effects of conventional farming on the planet and our bodies, I feel it's a good practice to choose organic dairy. All organic dairy farmers help protect the earth and our health by managing smaller herds and employing alternatives to toxic substances and drugs. In addition to the benefits all organic dairies share, Straus goes above and beyond by distributing milk in a glass bottle. I always return my bottle to the store where I buy the milk, and they send it back to Straus. In some markets, Straus sells milk in a plastic jug instead, but I reccomend you look for the glass bottle. Not only does the milk taste better (it's a subtle difference, but it exists - think of eating from a plastic spork versus real silverware), but it also feels good to send the bottles back home and know they'll be used again.