How to Get Raw Milk in Massachusetts

Folks ask me where/how to get raw milk in Massachusetts.

Here are some options:

• Get yourself to a Massachusetts farm that is licensed to sell raw milk. This is the easiest option. The closest farm to Boston is Oake Knoll Ayrshires At Lawton's Family Farm in Foxboro. I blogged about it here. You have to schedule an "orientation", so that they can meet you, and then you have to call a day ahead whenever you want milk, so that they know how much milk to get from the cows! They only have 10 or so cows. Besides milk, they sell a few other products. NOFA lists other Massachusetts raw milk farms here. Besides Oake Knoll, I've been to Upinngil Farm in Gill: also Ayrshire cows, great milk, and cheap!
  
  
• Pick up some raw milk on your next trip to Maine or Connecticut. Make sure to bring a cooler or an insulated bag. For extra points, bring an ice-pack of some sort, or ask for ice at the store—some stores will give you ice for free. I've purchased raw milk at Rosemont Market on Munjoy Hill in Portland, Maine, and at the giant Whole Foods in Portland. Also, I've never been, but my friend recommends Golden Harvest Market, in Kittery, Maine.
  
  
• Join a buying club. One of the most popular is Just Dairy. Just Dairy carries a fantastic variety of farm fresh products, but their membership fees are high if all you want is some milk now and then. Mr. Tarzan is a new buying club that I blogged about here. Unfortunately, Mr. Tarzan's geographic scope is somewhat limited, at least for now. There are periodic rumors of new buying clubs emerging in JP and in Cambridge, but I don't know if they've gotten any traction.
  
  
• Start your own buying club. All you need to do is get a bunch of people together, take turns driving to a farm, and figure out the finances and logistics to everyone's satisfaction. Harder than it sounds; but there's definitely demand for it. And if it goes big, there's no reason you can't pay yourself for your time.
  
  
• I have heard that there are dairy cow share programs in Massachusetts. I don't know exactly what the authorities think of this, so I won't provide any details.
  

As far as other raw dairy products go:

• Raw milk cheese is legal, so long as it is aged at least 60 days before sale. (This is a federal law.) Roughly speaking, hard cheeses are old, and soft cheeses are young. So raw cheddar is easy, while raw brie and farmer's cheese are problematic. I did have some brined raw feta a while ago that was fantastic. It may have been under brine for more than 60 days, but I'm pretty sure it violated the spirit of the law. I'll have to try making some myself.
  
  
• My understanding is that you can't (legally) buy raw cream, raw butter, or any other such "processed" raw dairy in Massachusetts.

That's what I know. Please comment if you have additions, corrections, questions, or whatever.

Want Raw Milk Delivered To Your Doorstep?

Do you want raw milk delivered to your doorstep in Cambridge or Somerville? Or to some other neighborhood, perhaps? If so, please read on.

A friend brought to my attention a new raw milk buyers' club:

Mr. Tarzan (aka MrTarzan.com)

100% grass-fed organic raw milk in glass bottles ($4.50 per half-gallon, no mention of deposit), grass-fed yogurt, and free-range organic duck eggs, delivered to your door. No membership fee, $2.50 delivery charge per order. If you are consuming small-to-moderate quantities of raw milk, this is significantly more affordable than existing raw milk clubs.

Here's the catch: At the moment they plan to deliver within a 15-minute radius of Waltham, MA. Unfortunately, my neighborhood of Cambridge/Somerville falls just outside that radius.

I've communicated with Mr. Tarzan himself (Mel Oktay) and told him that I thought I could drum up sufficient demand in Cambridge and Somerville.

My request:

If you live in Cambridge or Somerville and you would use such a service, please LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW indicating how much milk you might order per week, and approximately where you live (neighborhood or major intersection is fine if you don't want to leave your home address). Leave contact info, if you like; or when you leave your comment, set it so that you will receive email notification of follow-up comments.

If enough folks leave comments, then it will be worth Mel's while to deliver to us!

Watch this space for an update.