Even though I love the sense of community that comes with a cow share operation, there are certainly drawbacks to being locked into a weekly delivery system. December means the end of the semester, so I'm out of Charlottesville for a month during the break. I had hoped that break would correspond with my cow's dry season, when she'd naturally stop producing milk. Apparently Gertrude is too tough to let the winter slow her down. For the four weeks that I'm gone, the milk doesn't stop coming, and even though I can't pick it up (I'm not quite crazy enough to drive four hours round-trip every Friday) I can't stop paying for it. I'm not really paying for milk, I'm paying a cow boarding fee, after all.
So I'm left with two dilemmas: I'm milk-less, and my milk is homeless.
The homeless milk is the easiest predicament to solve. It turns out that it's pretty easy to find someone who is willing to take on an extra half gallon of milk during the holidays. It's another reason cow shares can be tough--the amount you recieve every week is completely inflexible. You can't get any more or less than your share allows. When I posted my half-gallon as single and ready to mingle on the local raw milk forum, there were many interested parties who needed extra milk.
Of course, it's illegal for anyone to financially compensate me. Nobody can buy it from me. However, bartering and thank you gifts are legal. My holiday milk donations are earning me home made granola and candles.
So my milk isn't going to waste, problem #1 solved. What about me? I'm used to drinking whole, raw milk, and I find myself now with a fridge full of pasteurized 1%.
I'm despondent.
No comments:
Post a Comment