June Dairy Month: From Our Jersey To The Kitchen Table

The Simple Joy of Raw Milk on Our Homestead

There is something deeply grounding about carrying a warm pail of milk from the barn to the house.

Maybe it’s the routine of it. Maybe it’s the quiet rhythm. Or maybe it’s simply the fact that so much goodness can come from one gentle Jersey cow standing in the barn, feisty and impatient as she waits for her morning or evening grain.

For us, raw milk has become more than just “milk.”

It has become part of our homestead rhythm—woven into ordinary days in the most meaningful ways. It is what the kids reach for after most meals. It fills jars in the fridge, creams coffee, and turns into some of our favourite staples here at home: rich cultured butter, homemade yogurt, rich ice cream, and cheese that feels a little like magic every time it comes together. And it all starts with Showstopper. Our Jersey girl has a way of turning the everyday into something special.

Jersey milk is hard to beat. That beautiful golden cream rises thick and heavy to the top, carrying all the richness and flavour Jerseys are so well known for. Every jar feels like a little reminder that some of the best things truly are simple.

Cultured Butter: A Taste of Another Time

If there is one thing that makes me feel like I belong in another era, it might be making cultured butter. There’s something so satisfying about skimming cream from fresh jars of milk and setting it aside. Giving it time to culture. Waiting. Then churning until it transforms.

Real butter has a depth to it that’s hard to explain until you taste it. Rich, slightly tangy from the culturing process, creamy and full-bodied in a way store-bought butter simply isn’t. Spread on warm sourdough with a sprinkle of salt… It doesn’t need anything else!

It feels old-fashioned in the very best way—simple work with a beautiful reward at the end. What I am particularly excited about is the fact it is simply just cream. No carrageenan, as I value ingredients that do not contribute to inflammation in the body.

So, Holly; why cultured? What does that even mean?

Cultured butter is made from fermented cream. I know, it sounds a bit questionable and I won’t lie, I was hesitant to taste it after fermenting my gallon of cream the first time I attempted it. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised! Think about your best late Summer memory of eating corn on the cob and that real butter flavour that your taste buds associate with sweet corn. That’s it! That’s the beautiful, rich, and slightly tangy flavour of cultured butter. It’s likely the flavour that most ‘extra buttery’ popcorns attempt to replicate.

Now, add in the fact that it’s easier to digest because a lot of that lactose is pre-digested, and it offers a healthy dose of beneficial probiotics for your gut.

It’s guaranteed to transform the simplest of foods. Scrambled eggs; next level! Sourdough’s best friend. Mashed potatoes - knocks them out of the park every time.

I like to salt our cultured butter with Celtic salt to take advantage of the numerous minerals readily available in the salt. Cultured butter has become a super food in our house!

Homemade Yogurt: A Staple in Our Fridge

Yogurt has quietly become one of our most-used staples.

There is almost always a jar tucked in the fridge.

Some batches are spooned into bowls with raw honey or jam. Others are added into our own personal baking. Sometimes it’s just enjoyed plain because the texture and flavour of homemade yogurt prepared with Jersey milk is so good on its own. It feels hearty and nourishing.

What surprised me most about yogurt-making is how easy it is to make. It’s a lot…. of waiting. I know I love a food that makes itself, and yogurt is as close to this as you’re going to get.

I make our yogurt in my Ninja Foodi. It has a yogurt setting and the fermentation time is adjustable. This allows me to choose the right length, or even extend the fermentation time to achieve the thickness and tanginess I prefer in my yogurt. After about 8-10 hours, I then strain the yogurt to release additional whey. This achieves a Greek yogurt result. It’s devine!

One ingredient that is essential to the yogurt-making process is your culture. I purchased an heirloom culture online, which allows me to retain about a half cup of yogurt from each batch to inoculate (act as the culture) for my next unmade batch. Similar to the idea of sourdough starter; your initial batch of yogurt is going to continue making future batches for you as long as you maintain your active culture properly.

Yogurt has become my guilty pleasure, and I don’t feel guilty about it at all. We can all appreciate how expensive groceries have become, with the quality of so many food items declining I feel good having the ability to produce a healthier yogurt that hasn’t been stripped of it’s nutritional benefits or loaded with processed sugars is important.

There’s comfort in knowing exactly where it came from—from the barn to the kitchen, and then to the table.

Cheese Making: My Favourite Kind of Kitchen Magic

And then there’s cheese. Cheese making still feels a little magical to me. Milk, culture, patience… and then watching it transform. In all honesty - so much of this has taught me patience (Rob can affirm that my ‘results-oriented’ nature sometimes leaves me with room to acquire more patience!

Curds separating. The texture changing. The smell of warm milk filling the kitchen. Also… the glass bottles - it’s perhaps the less than glamorous part of the cheese-making process. They all need a good wash, and return to the refrigerator, ready to be filled with milk again.

Milk jars and suds aside, the process is hands-on and practical, but there’s also something deeply rewarding about it. You begin with something so simple and end with food your family can enjoy and appreciate.

Each attempt is its own; a recipe that turns out a little differently each time depending on the milk, the season, and the day.

I love that part. Winter blocks yield a cheese that is an off-white colour (without added Annetto, which is a marigold-derived colourant added to give the orange colour). Early summer milk of a pastured cow yields a beautifully golden yellow cheese, with a hint of grassy flavour that comes through.

Red Pepper Cheddar Cheese

Homestead life has a way of teaching you to appreciate process over perfection, and cheese making reminds me of that every time.

It can be an intimidating process, however it’s a skill that is worth it. Sitting down to a meal that is paired with, or has your homemade cheese incorporated into it is really gratifying. Not just that, cheese is the perfect ‘anytime’ snack.

The Gift of a House Cow

Is having a house cow worth it?

For us, the answer is yes. Absolutely yes.

Not because it’s always easy, not because it saves time, but because of what it adds to our days.

The connection, the routine, the quiet moments in the barn with only the sounds of classic country music in the background.

It is the small portion of ‘farming’ that my husband and I get to do together. It’s precious.

It demonstrates for our children that you can make healthy foods right at home. It changes the phrase ‘from farm to table’ from just a catchy marketing slogan to a tangible lifestyle. And, is yet another reminder that good things take time.

Showstopper gives us milk, yes—but she gives us more than that too. She gives us reason to slow down. To make things from scratch. To gather around food we created with our own hands. To hold onto a small piece of my childhood. To cling onto a little bit of old-fashioned living in a world that moves far too quickly.

And truthfully… I wouldn’t trade that for anything.