From Milk Pail to Fridge (and beyond)
I'll give you a short and sweet little necessary post on bottling.
First off, the milk jars. I purchased most of mine from Berlin Packaging.
Gallon:
2 quart:
When I ordered, they offered bottles with handles (2 qt.), and lids included. I'm hoping they restock those, as they are by far my fave.
1 quart:
They also have easily-customizable waterproof labels, which I love (not dishwasher safe). They give a suggestion in your cart of the labels which will fit your jars the best.
(I did reach out to them to ask for a percent off of your order for you, my readers, but I'm still waiting on a call-back. If I hear good news from them, I'll post it here.)
The last order I placed with the Red Mill General Store
The jars haven't arrived yet, so the jury's still out! I did like that I could place a smaller order. Berlin Packaging has a $100 minimum, and I needed just a couple replacements and lids this time.
Sanitizing:
I often use this sanitizing cleaner which came with my milking system:
Or regular bleach is fine. Use hot water, of course. The dishwasher works great if your jars don't have a label. If I hand-wash, I triple rinse my jars with hot water before putting them in the fridge to chill.
When I'm ready to bottle, I label the jars with the milking date before I fill them. Just FYI - the milk is going to keep longer the faster it gets cooled, and by keeping it cold at all times. (Such as not leaving it on the counter while you eat your morning cereal. Stand by the fridge while you pour your milk, and get it back in there right off!) The milk can last up to maybe two weeks at the longest.
Strain off the cream if you want it separate. Dip your container or ladle in evenly so the cream can flow over the top, and pour into your jar. Repeat until you start getting milk tracing in the cream.
Now the milk goes into jars:
And into the fridge. Sanitize the dispenser, etc; and you're ready for more milk!
The milky depths of this morning's milking.
As far as pricing, that's up to you. We charge a little more than we would if Ana wasn't A2A2. I keep the prices on the fridge for a reminder for my customers. For the most part, my customers are regulars who have a certain amount of milk reserved for them on a certain day of the week. The money goes by the honor system.
I'm afraid this wasn't quite as short as anticipated, but hopefully it is a little helpful info in the world of keeping your milk fresh and oh-so-tasty!
Until next time, my dairy friends!