OK fellow raw milk drinkers, help me out with this one. I had two jars of Jenny Johnson's grass-fed raw milk from back on May 6th that we never drank. I left it on the shelf in the garage figuring I'd feed it to the farm cats sometime. We never got around to that and pretty soon it started to separate or "clabber". I've heard of clabbering milk for a week or so but what is this that we have three months later? I brought the jars inside to pour down the drain today and discovered this most interesting site. The top layer is gold, dense and greasy, just like butter. As I opened the jar I was braced for a horrible smell but surprisingly it was mild and pleasant. I actually stuck my finger in it for a taste and it is VERY sour, but not foul or putrid. The smell reminds me of kefir.
The second layer is pure whey. But after all these months can I strain it off and use this whey? Is this the fluid that the pioneer women used to preserve and ferment?
The bottom layer is what has me stumped. Is this cottage cheese curds? Is it milk solids? And again, after all these months, can it be used for anything? Fats rises to the top, protein sinks to the bottom?
Gosh, for anyone who ever asks, "how long does raw milk last?".....just depends on what you want to use it for. I sure wouldn't try this with a carton of milk from the grocery store!
