# Store bought goat milk



## pasotami (Jun 1, 2006)

OK - I have been trying to tell myself that owning a dairy goat would be a better choice for my family than a cow so I went to the store and bought a carton of goat's milk. Mind you, I did this years ago and the milk tasted the same as this carton did.... the milk has a sour taste to me, not sweet. More like cow buttermilk "sour" not a spoiled sour... the sour is something I am not fond of but I have had many tell me that I would not be able to tell the difference between good goat milk (fresh) and cow's milk..... I really do not want to buy a milk goat if I do not like the taste of it. Is it just the store bought goat milk that taste that way? I do not have any neighbors that milk goats to be able to try it fresh.


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## nehimama (Jun 18, 2005)

I really wish you had someone with dairy goats close by, so you could taste truly fresh and good goat milk. Nothing you get in the store is ever as good as what your own farm could produce, but you already know that.

Personally, I'd go for a nice milk goat over a milk cow, but I'm older and can handle a goat much better than I can handle a cow. But I do understand your reluctance to buy a dairy goat, not really knowing if you'd like the milk. 

NeHi Mama


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## MommaSasquatch (Dec 5, 2005)

Store goat milk and fresh are really two entirely different substances. I WILL NOT drink store goat milk. I can't. I gag every time, just the smell grosses me out. Fresh is wonderful and delicious.

Before we got our goats I heard everyone saying that fresh was nothing like the stuff from the store but I was pretty skeptical. I made sure to sanitize all the equipment thoroughly and chill it quickly like everyone said and they were totally right.


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## vancom (May 5, 2006)

I did the same thing, and was completely freaked out. I already HAD goats, and none of them was milking yet. I was curious, and glad that I stuck to it after tasting that horrible "fresh" goat milk.

Now, I'll tell you that it's not like cow milk--as my dad stated when he visited this spring: "it has a bit of a tang to it." But he even agreed he'd drink it even as my mom freaked out over it. We all drink it here, though...

Vanessa


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## pookshollow (Aug 22, 2005)

Would you expect a store-bought tomato to taste as good as one you grew yourself and picked ripe from the vine? Or an apple shipped thousands of miles to taste like one sun-warmed and straight off the tree?

We've been drinking goat's milk for just over a year now, and it's wonderful. The two weeks between one goat drying off and the other coming fresh when we had to buy store milk were awful! Coffee just didn't taste the same, cereal tasted funny and dh complained that he had to eat store cheese instead of our homemade goat cheese.  

If you do decide to get a goat, try and taste her milk before you buy - some goats have a stronger taste than others (as do cows I'm sure, but you never notice because it's blended in with the milk from thousands of other cows). Angel, my Nubian cross, had slightly funky milk for the first few months of her lactation, but it tastes OK now. I just set it aside for cheese while that happened - the cheese was fine.


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## Sherrynboo (Mar 19, 2005)

I don't even like milk but like fresh goat milk! Now I just need to get a REAL dairy goat instead of the little mixed breed who does not have much of a bag.

Sherry in GA


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## natybear (Mar 26, 2005)

I raise nubians, and I have to say, I like to drink the milk after a bit of the fat has separated out. It doesn't taste bad, but it can be to creamy for me. Spoiled, who me? I think maybe a little.

There is a difference between does though. I probably couldn't tell you who's is who's just from tasting it, but I do taste a does "flavor" before I put it in the mix. Some just taste different and need a little time, I have never had one that tasted bad enough to through it out or get rid of her, but some just taste better than others. I suggest getting a taste of real fresh goat milk before buying one and tasting the particular goats before you buy her. Unless showing is important to you right now, flavor, body structure(for longevity) and personality are what you should focus on when purchasing your doe(s), but if there is a buck to near by, or if it is her first freshen, she might need abit of time to mellow her flavor a bit.


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## dezeeuwgoats (Jan 12, 2006)

I would like to put in my $.02 here and suggest that we have a permanent sticky under this heading here in 'Goats'. I always feel so bad when someone 'takes the plunge' to try goat's milk and buys it at the store. BLECK.

There is no comparing store-bought to fresh. Check the realmilk.com site if you can for local producers. I would never have bought goat's if I had gone by the store-bought taste. I raise nubians/nigerians and the milk is extremely good, no off taste, no tange, no nothing. 

Niki


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## ozark_jewels (Oct 7, 2005)

The difference between fresh goats milk and grocery store goats milk is just as big as the difference between fresh cows milk and grocery store cows milk. They are worlds, no, rather *galaxies* apart!!!! Fresh milk, either goats or cows should be sweet with no sour taste at all.


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## AllWolf (Dec 27, 2005)

I have never brought goat's milk from a store because I have heard it is awful. I had a buddy that raise's goat and got them to get me some goat's milk to try to see if I like it and when they gave me some I took it home and got it good an cold and oh my did I love it so now I got me some dairy goats and soon going to have my own milk to feed my family. To me the goats milk I have tried taste just like cows sweet milk but that is just one type of goats milk I have tried. 

Good Luck on what you decide..


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## ChickenMom (Sep 27, 2005)

The taste of goats milk changes after 3-5 days, the sugars begin to break down and it gets that "taste", some say goaty. Store bought milk is pooled into tanks and picked up 1-3 times a week and processed, that is why it tastes different. We only drink ours if it is 4-5 days old or fresher, if it happens to stay around longer than that I make cheese. The cheese doesn't keep that flavor change however to me the yogurt does so I make it with fresh milk. Ours is sweet and tastes like milk, not really like cows milk (store bought or fresh) just milk. 
I second tasting the milk before you buy a doe, I have one doe that has terrible milk. I don't know what breed she is (mixed) she doesn't have any dairy goat in her. The doe I milk is an Alpine/Spanish cross, her milk is excellent but she doesn't give very much.


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## pasotami (Jun 1, 2006)

This makes me feel a lot better about the possibility of our family buying a milk goat. I truely love Jersey cow milk - tons of cream. My doctor probably hates that and would like for me to get a goat! LOL - Now that the scare of drinking store bought milk is over - (just thought maybe some of you really liked that buttermilk sour twang) - what breed of dairy goat give a sweet creamy milk? Had to ask this since I have no idea what breeds there are.


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## Freeholder (Jun 19, 2004)

It depends on what size goat you want to get. If you want a large breed goat, get a couple of Nubians. They have the richest (highest butterfat) of the large breeds, and high butterfat is what makes ALL milk taste good (cow milk included). 

If you want a smaller breed, look at the Kinders, which are a Pygmy/Nubian cross. They can have up to 7.5 or 8% butterfat, and the milk is so rich that the cream will actually rise. If you want to make butter, you'll have to let the cream rise for several days in order to get enough, but it will rise! Alternatively, a mini-Nubian would be good -- that would be a cross between Nigerian Dwarf and Nubian. (Pygmies are a little meat breed; Nigerians are a little dairy breed.) And if you want to go really short and don't mind milking into a pie plate, you could get a Nigerian Dwarf. However, they still seem to be pretty expensive, and they really are pretty small for comfortable milking. I saw some nice ones at the fair a few weeks ago -- and nice as they were, I still wouldn't want one. There's such a thing as TOO small, in my opinion. 

I favor the Kinders, even though I'm selling all of mine (I need bigger goats for packing). They have the best milk I've ever tasted; make good small meat animals (and you will have extras to go in the freezer because they are also prolific!); and have nice personallities.

Kathleen


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## goatkid (Nov 20, 2005)

I think milk from Nubians, Saanens, Alpines and La Manchas is the best. The milk from Toggenbergs can be stronger and some dairies don't milk Toggs for that reason. I never liked to drink milk as a kid. When I got older, I bought a bottle of goat milk from a health food store, thinking I might like it. Yuck! It was nasty. The milk from my goats is 100% better than that first goat milk I drank. I still am not a milk drinker, but enjoy goat milk on my cereal and I cook with it. I also like goat yogurt and cheese. DH is the milk drinker in the family and would drink a gallon a day if he weren't watching his fat and cholesterol.


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## Jillis (Sep 11, 2005)

I had to trick my dd into drinking fresh goat's milk because she had tried the store bought and it was gross. The fresh is sweet and delicious...we had Nigerian Dwarf milk. It tasted similar to and better than store bought cow's milk--- a little sweeter and creamier. No "tang" at all.


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## pookshollow (Aug 22, 2005)

> if it is her first freshen, she might need abit of time to mellow her flavor a bit.


Really? Well, that would explain Angel's milk! You learn something new every day.  She's a Nubian cross, and I've noticed that her milk takes much longer to go through the filter, and since I've been making cheese with her milk combined with the Saanen's milk - there's a _lot_ more cheese from the same amount of milk.


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## lphlady (Feb 23, 2005)

I milk Nubians and love the milk! No comparison to store bought. I will say that I believe what you feed, as well as some of the browse they might get can affect the taste of the milk. I also think if you run a buck with them it can taste a little "goatie" especially during breeding time. We drink raw goat milk and it tastes great when properly refridgerated up to maybe 4 days then it tastes a little off. No problem. I just freeze what we don't use withing 2-3 days. It's great for feeding calves, bottle babies, making soap, lotion, etc. You can even drink it after it is frozen. Not as good as fresh, but still better than store bought. I too think Tog milk is a little too strong. Happy milking!


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## ChickenMom (Sep 27, 2005)

I was told that Nubians are the "Jerseys" of the goat world. I bought a Nubian buck this year and he will be my dairy buck for next year. I don't have any Nubian does though, just a Boer/Nubian cross.


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## pasotami (Jun 1, 2006)

I went to the nearest Amish community to pick up my harness yesterday and popped the question on the harness maker. He had the funniest story of how when he was young they pulled a test on his mother for she stated she did not like goats milk and they had both jersey and goat milk - needless to say, Mom picked the goats milk. He stated that he would have more goats now but his family was bigger and needed the volumn and butter from the cow. Well, looks like you all have sold me on the goat verses the cow (unless someone drops a mini jersey on me! LOL). Now I need to find a "good tasting" milker to bring home! Ah - I almost forgot, my Amish friend stated that they kept their milk goat up and fed her, she did not roam free as my sheep do to eat anything. This I may have to try, I would rather her be in with the sheep since they get the best pastures! Guess I need to start another thread on what to feed a dairy goat.


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