Raw milk is as safe as any food, as long as it is produced under strict sanitary conditions.

Not all raw milk is produced under strict sanitary conditions, though! Many farmers don't sanitize udders and equipment sufficiently, or chill the milk rapidly. While some folks might be able to drink milk from those farms without problem, people in high risk groups such as children, elderly, pregnant and nursing women, and people with weakened immune systems should stay away from it.

We pride ourselves on producing the best, cleanest milk possible. The state of Vermont has standards for selling raw milk that we meet, which includes testing our cows to make sure they are healthy, rapidly chilling the milk, and keeping our equipment sanitized. We maintain a clean milking parlor and test our milk twice a month.

Be an informed buyer. Don't assume that anyone who has a cow is doing the best job possible. Before you buy raw milk from anyone, you should ask the farmer about their practices and ask to see their operation, which they are legally obligated to show you in the state of Vermont. Does it look clean? Is the equipment shiny, or splattered milk milk and manure? How do they chill their milk (putting jars of warm milk in the fridge is NOT good enough)? Ask them if they are selling milk legally. There is no reason that any farmer who is motivated to do the best job possible can't meet state requirements.

We invite you to come visit our milking parlor and processing room so you can see for yourself!

That's impossible to answer because we do not standardize milkfat like a dairy plant does. Fat content changes with the season, cow's diet, and stage of lactation, although they don't make as much cream as jerseys. Individual jars of milk will vary widely.

Similarly, at times the cream is noticeably yellow, other times it is more snowy white.

The cream always rises to the top which makes it easy to collect for making butter or sour cream.

There is a very good chance that the answer is yes. Doctors tell people that they are lactose intolerant when they have trouble digesting super processed factory milk which has been rendered hard to digest.

Store bought, factory produced milk is nothing like the perfect super food that is raw milk. I have known many people who were "lactose intolerant" but could drink my raw milk just fine.

In most cases of "lactose intolerance", the problem is what was done to the milk, not that the person is truly lactose intolerant.

On Farm

1. Purchase the amount of milk that you want that says "on farm [amount]".

2. Contact us and we can figure out a good time for you to come by the farm to get your milk.

3. Come at your appointed time. You don't need to bring jars, but you should bring a chilled cooler to keep your milk cold on the way home. (If you are only going to buy milk once and don't want to have to bring our jars back here, then DO bring your own jars.)

4. If you love the milk and want to keep getting milk from us each week, we will set up a weekly pick up day for you and you will pay by cash or check in future weeks. Bring back your clean jars and lids each week.

5. Feel good because you are making a healthy choice that will have far reaching effects in you and your family's life!

Great question! You are right, in Vermont we have about 3 feet of snow on the ground for half of the year. My cows are not on pasture during that time.

The biggest difference between my cows' summer diet and winter diet is that in the winter, their grass has been harvested and baled up as hay. They are still grass fed during the winter.

This blog gives more details about grass fed milk and how my cows spend their days during the winter.

I sell milk legally, and the state of Vermont requires me to collect the contact information of raw milk customers.

The purpose is in case of a recall, so they can reach out to you and make sure you are safe.

I have never had a milk recall, and therefore the state has never asked me for the information of any of my customers.

When a butcher custom processes an animal for you, they need to know how you want it broken down. They fill out a cut sheet to record your choices.

That depends on how big your actual hog is and how you have it processed, but to be safe you should plan on 3.5 cubic feet for a half hog or 7 cubic feet for a whole hog. In many cases it will take less space.

Yes. You may opt to butcher a whole hog purchase yourself and save the butcher processing fee. Please contact us and we can work out details.

Our pigs eat a lot of forage in the summer, hay in the winter, dairy by products, and non gmo grain. We do not give them food scraps that contains harmful ingredients that I would not feed my family.

To buy pork on the farm, visit us during store hours Saturday from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, or by appointment (closed Sundays). The farm store is the red building on Birchwood Dr before you go up the steep hill to our log cabin.

You are welcome to come browse our brick and mortar store and buy individual cuts, and whatever else strikes your fancy. You can also purchase pork bundles here on the website and pick them up at the farm store.

We accept cash, checks, credit cards, and venmo.

We have soap available for purchase in the farm store, open Saturdays 10 - 12 or by appointment (closed Sundays). We do not ship soap, it must be purchased in person.

Hilary used to have a goat milk soap store on Etsy called The Northwoods Goat and she sold soap world wide. She is now selling cow's milk soap here on the farm.

Soap can be ordered in batches of 40 bars for a discount.

We are about 30 minutes from Jay Peak Resort. Jay Peak is famous for its skiing and water park.