Yes, raw milk naturally sours! Here's why and what you need to know.

written by

posted on

December 6, 2024

Raw milk. Such a simple old fashioned food. But, as a society over the past few generations, we've lost so much common sense knowledge about it. One big example is ---

Raw milk sours! It's a natural thing and impossible to stop in the fridge.

This blog post will dive into all things sour... as it relates to raw milk. Keep reading to learn more.

Why Raw Milk Sours

The short answer is --- it's fermenting and turning into cheese! The living microbiology in raw milk is digesting the lactose (milk sugar) and making lactic acid. This is what makes raw milk naturally get more and more sour over time.

When I say "living microbiology", I'm specifically talking about lactic acid bacteria. Those are the ones that eat lactose. There are many kinds in raw milk, including Lactobacillus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Enterococcus, and Lactococcus.

These lactic acid bacteria are probiotic! This is why raw milk is known for improving gut health. It's like a completely natural probiotic pill.

It's important to note that raw milk has all of the living microbiology intact. That includes microorganisms that aren't in the cow but around the cow. Yeasts and fungal spores come from the air. And potentially harmful bacteria can come from manure. This is why we keep our barn, cows, and equipment meticulously clean!

These outside-of-the-cow microorganisms do NOT eat lactose. So the fact that the milk sours does NOT indicate danger. It's a palatability issue, not a safety issue.

Instead, souring milk simply becomes more and more probiotic. The more sour the milk, the higher the amounts of lactic acid bacteria. The busier those bacteria were fermenting, eating the lactose, and creating lactic acid, the more their colonies grew.

What Affects The Souring Process

How fast raw milk sours depends on (1) how clean the milking process was (after all, lactic acid bacteria can grow on equipment); (2) how fast the milk was cooled down; and (3) how it's stored.

The first two are 100% our responsibility. The third point we share. It's our job to keep your milk cold until you get it. Then it's your responsibility to properly store it at home.

Once you get your raw milk, how fast it sours depends on temp and time. The higher the temp, the faster the fermentation. The longer it sits, the more it ferments.

Storage Tips

COUNTER: If you want to purposefully sour your milk, the counter is the way to go. When fresh raw milk is kept on the counter, it will start to sour overnight and will become unpalatable within a few days.

If you want your raw milk to sour very quickly, then leave it at a higher temp. Remember that all the wonderful properties of raw begin to break down when heated above 110F... and that includes the lactic acid bacteria! So never store raw milk you want to sour over 110F.

FRIDGE: When kept in the fridge, raw milk typically starts to develop a sour flavor in 7-14 days. It will likely become too sour to palate in about 10-21 days.

There's no way to stop the fermentation, but there is a way to optimize it.

The ideal storage temp for raw milk is 33-38F. The average fridge is usually 35-40F, so using a thermometer will help you figure out if your fridge is the perfect temp. Also keep in mind that different parts of your fridge may be different temps. The lowest, farthest back part of your fridge is usually the coldest and therefore likely the best spot for your milk.

FREEZER: Yes, you can freeze raw milk for up to 6 months! Once thawed, it may become clumpy. Simply shake to recombine.

Freezing raw milk pauses fermentation. The living microbiology will (mostly) come back to life when thawed, and then your milk will continue to ferment and get sour.

Keep in mind that the longer raw milk is frozen, the more probiotic loss. Because of this, I don't recommend freezing for more than 6 months.

*An important note it that some people can detect a undesirable flavor difference in previously frozen milk. So, if you haven't done it before, I recommend freezing a small amount first. Test it and see how you like it. You definitely don't want to waste any milk!

How To Use Sour Milk

Whether for your human or furry family, sour milk is 100% fine to consume. It's not a safety issue but a palatability issue.

CHOCOLATE MILK: This is a way to mask the sourness. Heat 1 cup water, 1 cup cocoa powder, and 1/2 tsp sea salt in a pot on the stove. Once smooth, stir in 1 cup maple syrup. Now you have chocolate syrup to flavor your sour milk with! I usually use about 1 cup of chocolate syrup to a gallon of milk.

RICOTTA CHEESE: This is my favorite way to use up sour milk. Heat 1/2 gallon of sour milk and 1/2 tsp of sea salt in a pot on the stove until steaming (around 185F). Lower the heat and add 3 Tbsp of lemon juice (or vinegar). Stir for about 2 minutes. You'll notice the curds separating from the whey. Turn the heat off and let it sit for 20 minutes. Then, pour into a cheesecloth-lined colander set inside a large bowl. For a creamier cheese, let sit 3-5 minutes. For a firmer cheese, let sit up to 20 minutes. Enjoy immediately or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

COOKING AND BAKING: Guess what? For any recipe that calls for buttermilk, you can sub with sour milk! Think sour milk pancakes, marinating chicken, or homemade ranch dressing.

Have You Tried Triple E's Raw Milk?

How long does yours last? How do you store it? What do you do with sour milk?

Regenerative can mean something different to every farm. Here are our 5 principles.

In our neck of West Virginia, we're the only farm that claims to be regenerative. Why are we the only regenerative farm in a 50 mile radius? Well, my first thought is that the life of a farmer isn't easy. My second thought is that farmers simply aren't paid like they used to be. Most people nowadays view farming as a side gig instead of a career. They want it to be easy, and trucking in outside fertilizer and spraying and overgrazing sure are easy... at least in the short term. Not me and my brother Phil. We want to take it back to the olden days when you could support your family 100% through farming. To make a living with farming, you 100% need your land and animals to be healthy and productive. Since I want to work with nature (instead of against it), this means regenerative farming. Although we're the only ones in our area, we're thankfully not alone in the movement overall. Allen Willians from Understanding Ag and the Soil Health Academy says that they're consulting on 35 million acres in the US and 55 million acres globally. Wow! There’s more and more interest and more and more land being converted every year. Wow and thank goodness!! But any movement sometimes comes with an unfortunate downside. In the natural food world, the term "regenerative" has sadly become somewhat overused (dare I say greenwashed). So, to make what Triple E does super clear for you, I'm going to outline what regenerative means to us right now. Here are Triple E's 5 principles of regenerative farming: ----- Principle #1: We practice adaptive, rotational grazing. Rotational grazing means that your animals move to fresh, new pasture often. It's kinda like it used to be when herds of bison or deer moved from area to area. After the animals are done eating down a pasture, we allow the land ample time to regrow. We let our pasture rest 40 days at minimum. When the animals move on, the new manure on top naturally fertilizes the land. The roots to spread and naturally til the soil (without mechanical tilling). The microbiology in the soil does its thing. And the plants take and fix back nutrients into the soil. We don't overgraze. We have about 20 cows to an acre. We use moveable fences to move the cows at minimum 1x per day (this also keeps the cows fuller - every time you move a cow they eat more). We practice adaptive grazing, which means we don't operate on a strict and set schedule. If grass it growing, they need less pasture. If it’s a drought, then they need a bigger space to graze. In the spring, they need less space because of the fresh growth. If the weather is in our favor, we sometimes move the cows 2-3x per day! Principle #2: We keep cows outside, even in the winter. This can be a contested issue when it comes to animal welfare. Some people think it's too cold and cows need winter jackets. But, in my experience, cows don't feel cold until it's below 20F. So why not have the cows out in the fresh air an sunshine all year? That's what we do. They typically have access to indoors, but they rarely use it. In the warmer months, they're eating lots of fresh pasture. In the colder months or drought, we give them dry pasture (AKA hay). With pigs, we do the same thing. But birds are a different story. They won't like it if it's too cold. So, we don't grow broilers in the colder months. And the laying hens are given inside space in the winter. Principle #3: We don't use sprays. No crazy chemicals here! That's right. We don't spray anything on our pastures... even certified organic ones. So no worry about chemicals on our land! We do have our soil tested every so often. If the ratios of minerals are off, we'll have a special blend mixed for where it's needed. This is far from synthetic fertilizers many farms spread everywhere every year. They're simply ground rocks spread strategically and only where it's needed. This helps us get the soil where it needs to be for better growth immediately. As the years of regenerative farming go on, less and less minerals are needed, since nature is naturally balancing itself. Principle #4: We let nature do its thing. Nature loves to be in balance. If humans were to disappear, nature would overtake everything, just like in those post-apocalyptic movies with vines growing on skyscrapers. We follow nature's lead. Nature always tries to cover bare soil. A lot of people try to tear up the land and seed specific plants in. But is that necessary? Nature will let many things grow back. We almost always keep the soil covered and rarely til, only when absolutely necessary or for a specific purpose. Nature always try to stay in balance. For example, if a field is deficient in calcium, you'll likely see more Canadian thistle growing. This is because it pulls calcium and makes it more available in the soil. Or, another example is that pigweed appears when there's a nitrogen imbalance, because it helps balance the nitrogen levels. We respect nature a lot. Principle #5: Diversity is everything to us. We focus on the farm as a whole, not on individual little problems. We encourage many plants and insects and animals to thrive in our pastures. For example, a weed is a plant that you don't want growing somewhere. To us, we don't have really any weeds. Because, as described in the previous principle, every plant has a purpose, whether for the soil or as a food or as a breeding area for beneficial insects. As another example, when a farm uses a pesticide, they’re targeting a very specific pest. But for every one of those "pesky" plants, there’s 1700 beneficial insects that thrive with and around it. And we need those insects for the health of everything else. We choose to focus on increasing beneficial insects instead of killing the handful of potentially harmful ones. We choose to focus on resilience, not destruction. ----- To sum it up, regenerative farming means that we're naturally improving everything year after year. The soil improves --> the plants get healthier and bigger --> the animals get healthier and grow better and fertilize better --> the food becomes more nutrient-dense for you. It's all an amazing natural cycle of health. When we farm naturally, we grow wellness. And want to know one more amazing fact? When you eat regeneratively-farmed, nutrient-dense food, you actually want to eat less. That's because your body is getting more nourishment from each bite when compared to conventional food. No empty calories. Wow! Thank you so so much for your support with our regenerative vision! We sure wouldn't be able to keep going without you eating the food we grow.

Yes, raw milk naturally sours! Here's why and what you need to know.

Why Raw Milk Sours

What Affects The Souring Process

Storage Tips

How To Use Sour Milk

Have You Tried Triple E's Raw Milk?

More from the blog

How to succeed with a natural farm direct bird. Tips for thawing and cooking.

Regenerative can mean something different to every farm. Here are our 5 principles.

Coming Soon: Raw Dairy Pet Food!

Adored By Our Customers

Our Mission

Triple E Farms