Milk
We milk our herd of Ayrshire cattle year round. In spring, summer, and fall they graze organic pastures; during winter they are fed alfalfa haylage, hay, and corn silage, all grown in Gill. We bottle milk daily in returnable half-gallon glass bottles and in plastic gallon, half-gallon, and quart jugs. Our milk is produced for raw sale only and does not require pasteurization. It is also free of artificial growth hormones, additives, and antibiotics. In accordance with Massachusetts state law, our milk is produced under rigorous sanitation guidelines and is for sale only at the farm.
You may purchase milk at the Farm Store any day of the week, 8 AM to 7 PM. If you are coming from a distance, or need a large amount of milk, please call ahead. For using fresh milk to make your own cheese at home, we sell Soft Cheese Kits and offer hands-on cheese-making workshops.
Using Fresh Milk
Our milk will stay fresh at least nine days from the last sale date. As our milk generally sells the same day it is bottled, it will not begin to sour for approximately two weeks after purchase. It should be kept cool--at 38 degrees Fahrenheit.
After about two weeks under refrigeration, the milk begins to sour, but naturally soured milk is still delicious for cooking and baking purposes. Store-bought milk, in contrast, does not truly sour and should be discarded when it begins to deteriorate.
Delicious, Digestible, and Nutritious
Raw, un-homogenized milk, as long as it is produced in a clean environment, is more digestible, nutritious, and delicious than regular milk. Many of our customers have believed themselves lactose-intolerant for years - until they tried our milk!
Other benefits of Ayrshire milk:- small, easily-digested fat molecules
- high in protein
- high in conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs)
- high in other omega 3s
- high in vitamins A, D, and E
- makes excellent cheeses, yogurt, kefir, and butter
Home Dairy Craft
Making YoghurtMaking Butter
Making Ice Cream
Basic Cheese Making (also see our Cheese-making Workshops)