can cows being in heat cause off-flavors?

[Guest guest]

I have been most

successful with laminated labels from a brother label printer. I was using

paint markers from the auto parts store, the best thing otherwise, and one of

my share owners bought me a labeler for a gift, as she found it worked great.

So far it has…it withstands many dishwashings.

I also concur,

check those inflations! As a matter of fact, switching from one cow to another

using the same inflations (which I do) can transfer stuff.

I am going to order

silicone inflations next time.

www.majestyfarm.com

Sometimes I

wonder whether the world is being run by smart

people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.

From: RawDairy [mailto:RawDairy ] On Behalf Of Sally Holdener

Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2007

10:41 AM

To: RawDairy

Subject: **Possible_Spam** Re:

can cows being in heat cause off-flavors?

Well, I don't know if the pasture

can still be called fresh, as it's dormant and not growing much right now,

although we are having a pretty milk winter. We had 70 degree weather on

January 6th! We're in northern Virginia.

It's weird, trying to figure this out. Some shareholders have the

described the milk from last week as just " strong " or " really

creamy " and others as " fishy " or " farmy " . I'm

going out to the farm again today, and I'm gonna see if I can walk around in

the barn a bit and look at the milking equipment, although I'm not really sure

what I'm looking for. I'm also going to see if I can get the farmer to

make me a copy of his last 6 months of their bulk tank test results from their

diary co-op. We're doing our own testing every 1-2 weeks and SPCs have

all been below 2500 (wish I could get a more specific number, but I guess

that's the lowest they can estimate with the bulk tank panel done at our local

USDA lab.) I'll see if I can take some pictures, too.

The jars are a bit of a weak link,

but this was a pretty wide-spread issue last week, although not everyone

complained about it, just those with sensitive noses, I think. We did get

our farmer to start sniffing the jars as well as looking at them closer before

filling them, and did catch a couple more that weren't really very clean this

week. We are planning to convert to assigned jars for each shareholder by

April. We have to find some kind of paint or marker that will stay on

glass and the lids through multiple washings. Any recommendations?

I'm going to hit the craft store in a few days to find something.

Thanks!

Sally

Sally

are your jars really.

really clean? The only time we have had an off taste, more a 'green' or

it tasted like rubber smells(??!) was one year they were turned out onto

the lush spring flush of green grass. the next year because our planting

schedule, they got turned out a little later and we didn't have that

taste. Also. certain weeds can affect the taste of the milk. As far

as kelp affecting the taste, we have never had that before. they ingest

what their bodies are missing until they 'feel'right then our girls have

backed way off the kelp.

You mentioned that they

changed feed ration and got new pasture. a lot of changes all at once for

them. this may affect the taste too.

If your cows can still get

fresh pasture, where are you located?

ro in IA