What equipment to pasteurize milk?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Dairygoats : One Thread

Well, I've got to the point where I think I can get enough milk to be worth pasteurizing. I'm wondering do you save the raw milk in fridge for a couple of days and then pasteurize all at once? Or do you do each days milk separately? I can only get about 2 qts a day right now. I'm wondering if it could be done in my pressure canner because it has the temp on the guage? Every time I get ready to try something new with the goats I'm reminded how much I still need to learn! I have really got hooked on goats so the learning is a lot of fun. Thanks- Kathy

-- Kathy (kack@mybluelight.com), April 23, 2002

Answers

I use nesting kettles. With just 2 quarts you could eaisly just use a spegetti pot or the like. My pressure canner has a pound guage on it not a temperature guage, so I just use a candy thermometer, like 2 or 3$ from Wallmart. I would pasutrise the milk as soon as you get it in from the barn, strain it right into your container, heat it to 165, give it a good stir and then put pot and all in the sink running cold water with ice around it. When cold enough to pour, put it into your container, the glass milk jugs with the plastic lids from the store work great! I refresh all the house milk each morning, so we are always drinking really cold fresh milk. I do store it unpasturised when I have to get alot of milk together to try some cheese. Right now with kids on lambars drinking, all milk comes in and goes on the stove immediatly, that way there is no unpasturised milk in the house for mistakes on CAE prevention to be made. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 23, 2002.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ