Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Learning to Milk a Cow and Homemade Cough Drops

I've always wanted to do this! It is so much harder than it looks. It definitely takes some practice. This fit right into our study of milk cows for the Prairie Primer homeschool unit study we are doing. My friend, Jenny, knowing of my love for raw milk, invited the kids and I to milk her sweet Jersey cow. Afterwards we tried our hand at making homemade cough drops. We had a wonderful time!

Jenny showed us how she uses a little warm bleach water to wash the udder to make sure bacteria doesn't get into the milk.
Wiping down the udder.

Josiah gave it try. I think everyone should have to do this as least once in their lifetime, so they can appreciate where their milk comes from.

Josiah wanted some milk straight from the cow. So Jenny shot some into his mouth. We all got a chuckle out of that one.


Hailey's turn. Cutest milkmaid ever!



We took the milk into the house and strained it through a filter.

She uses several filters just to be sure. I feel very confident drinking her milk after seeing the care she takes to keep everything clean. 

I tried these raw cough drops made from raw honey, slippery elm and marshmallow root powder. They were super easy. But when I tested them out on Josiah later that week when he had a cough, They didn't seem to work. 

Jenny had a more complicated recipe involving a candy thermometer that was more like cough drops you get in the store only they were made with all natural ingredients and raw honey. These seemed to work better for Josiah and he thought they tasted good. 

Trying out new recipes like this is my idea of a fun time, especially if I can do it with a friend.

While Jenny and I were in the kitchen, my two redheads and her son went down to a small pond on their property to fish. I snapped this pic on their way back to the house. Love the shadows on the water from the trees behind them. The kids had such a great time!

Thanks again, Jenny, for such a wonderful day. We will never forget it! 

God Bless,
Jackie

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The pics are so beautiful. We always wanted to live in the country. We were going to be the gardening/animal keeping kinda' family. The Lord had other plans and moved us to Seattle. So, I really enjoyed seeing the pics. The one of the kids coming up the hill was stunning. I kept thinking, "Wow, they get to live there!" I love it when you share your adventures.

As a thyroid cancer person, I was interested that she uses bleach to wash the udders, not iodine. Most commercial dairies use iodine, so when people going through treatment have to go on a 4-6 week low iodine diet, they remove all diary from their diet. It's a LONG 6 weeks, trust me! Wish I would have thought to go to a private dairy, like your friend's.

Thanks for letting me come along your homeschool field trip today!

Camille said...

How FUN! What a wonderful experience for you all. Mmmmm...I *love* raw milk!! :)

Love to you!
Camille

Kim @ Homesteader's Heart said...

It's official. We'd have a blast being neighbors. LOL! Love the angle of the picture of you and your daughter. *smile*
Have a great day.
Kim

Jill said...

I so enjoy seeing all the things your children get to do in the country. I would love to teach this to my girls. When I was little my mom had an elderly friend who had goats they would get fresh milk from. I loved the taste and I loved going there to visit! Great memories and a great experience for your children as well.
Have a wonderful day!

Blessings,
Jill

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