Q: How long does raw milk stay drinkable?

A: As you probably guessed, this can vary. Ideally, it should last 2 weeks minimum, and even longer up to a month and more is common with our milk (most people don’t realize raw milk can last this long). But it depends on how healthy the cow is, how fast the milk was cooled down after milking, and how cold the milk is kept.

Rule of thumb is to keep your milk in a very cold refrigerator, definitely below 40, and more like 33 if possible. You don’t want it to freeze but you want it to stay extremely cold.

The other factor is keeping your milk cold when transporting it home from wherever you are buying it. If you go to a farm to purchase raw milk you can be sure that most farmers go to a lot of trouble to chill their milk quickly and keep it cold. If you then show up with no cooler to carry your milk home in (or a cooler but no ice in it) you are going to lower the shelf life of that milk.

So if you want the longest shelf life possible, buy from a farm with healthy cows, check to see if they cool the milk down fast and keep it cold, transport it home in a cooler with ice, and keep it in a very cold fridge.

Now, let’s say your milk starts to turn after a while. Should you just toss it? No, the fact is that raw milk never actually goes “bad.” It just changes to something different. It is always usable. Milk that is starting to turn can be used for baking buttermilk biscuits or pancakes, they will be delicious. Or you can use it for your animals or even as fertilizer on your lawn (this is a fantastic way to make use of raw milk, it makes great fertilizer).