i've got a milkman?!

some parents i know have trouble getting their kiddos to drink enough milk. my 2 year old boy has never really objected, but since we've started getting our milk delivered, he practically dances when he gets his "fresh milk!!"

i grew up in kirkland and remember at least 2 dairies we could visit to get super fresh milk. they have disappeared. although i was sad to see them go, i adapted and was very used to grocery store milk.

i first saw smith brothers' milk truck when we got new neighbors. they have three kids and i figured our family of three couldn't meet the required amount. recently i learned it is only one gallon per delivery, and costs the same as the grocery store, with no delivery fee. and their organic eggs are a dollar less!

at the tacoma farmer's market (post on that forthcoming) i met walt. he had a smith brothers' stand and burst my bubble, telling me how un-fresh grocery store milk can be. he told me milk can sit in the back of a store for 30 days before hitting the shelf. and that is after all the transportation time. bleck.

smith brothers' milk is pasteurized just once at a low temp, and has a shelf life of 18 days. it is delivered to my house 24-36 hours after leaving the washington farm where the open-pasture cows were milked. grocery store milk needs a much longer shelf life, so their milk is often pasteurized at a high temperature, often twice. this kills all the bad stuff, but also strips out much of the good stuff.

there are probably a lot of great ways to get fresh dairy products. so far i am super happy with this one. they sell a lot of other products, from cheeses (none organic), juices, vashon island coffee, bread, yogurt, and even cookie dough. their online system works well, and the people are very helpful. i say it's worth looking into.

now on thursdays when we hear the big cow-print truck roll up, we race down to our adorable porch milk box. my little guy starts shouting "we got fresh milk!" and proudly carries one of the 1/2 gallons into the kitchen. it feels so darned old fashioned, in a really really good way.

now we just need to create that chicken coop going i've been dreaming of!

paulette

Smith Brothers Farms
Located in the historic Kent Valley, Smith Brothers Farms is a locally owned and operated dairy farm that has been serving the local Puget Sound community for over four generations. Started in 1920 by Benjamin F. Smith with one cow and a few customers, the farm quickly flourished.

...do you like your dairy source?