Milk
YouTube video: https://youtu.be/-ytluwKhdEk
How we do it
You may already know how milk is made, but just in case you don’t, let us walk you through the process.
Farm Fresh
Within 12 hours of milking the cow, our milk is minimally processed and bottled on-site. It’s pasteurized and homogenized, then bottled in glass bottles for delivery to customers. It doesn’t get fresher than that!
It all starts with our cows. Their grass and grain-fed diets keep them happy and healthy, so they can make great-tasting, nutritious milk. They never receive hormones, and when they need antibiotics to feel better, their milk is taken off the line.
To enhance our cows’ overall care and comfort, we’ve built a robotic milking barn that allows the herd to enter and exit the milking facility whenever they want. When a cow wants to be milked, they can walk up to one of the automatic milking machines. They’re given some feed as a treat while the machine cleans and attaches to the udder, and the cow is milked! Because our cows get to choose when they eat, sleep, or are milked, they’re free to make their own daily schedule and be milked as many times as they want.
Pasteurization
HTST Pasteurized Milk (what we have) vs. UHT Pasteurized Milk (from big stores)
A lot of people say there's no real difference between regular pasteurized milk and the kind you find in grocery stores. But that's not totally accurate. Our milk, which is pasteurized using the HTST method, actually tastes better and might be better for you.
Here's the scoop: HTST stands for High Temperature Short Time, and it's how we pasteurize our milk. Other companies often use UHT, which stands for Ultra High Temperature. The main difference is in the temperature they use. UHT heats the milk up a lot more, which messes with some of the good stuff in milk, like proteins, enzymes, minerals, vitamins, and good bacteria. HTST pasteurization, on the other hand, keeps more of these good things intact because it uses lower temperatures. But, there's a trade-off. HTST milk doesn't last as long on the shelf because it's not heated as much.
Bacteria:
UHT kills more bacteria and microorganisms, which is why it lasts longer. But it also kills off good bacteria and can mess with the taste and quality of the milk.
Proteins:
The higher heat in UHT milk messes with the proteins more, making them less effective. So, UHT milk lasts longer but doesn't have the same quality as fresh milk.
Minerals:
Calcium, which is super important for your body, is still there in both types of milk, but UHT milk makes it harder for your body to absorb it because of the high heat.
Vitamins:
Some vitamins, especially the ones that dissolve in water, get messed up by the heat in UHT milk. So, it might have slightly fewer vitamins than fresh milk.
At South Mountain Creamery, we use HTST pasteurization because we care about giving you the best milk possible. It might not last as long on the shelf, but it's as close to fresh milk straight from the farm as you can get.
Raw Milk
We are not legally allowed to sell raw milk, however, all of our milk is minimally processed and pasteurized to meet state guidelines.
Ice Cream
What is Super Premium Ice Cream
Super Premium Ice Cream is considered an ice cream with a butter fat percentage of 14-18%. Our ice cream has a butter fat percentage of 16%!
We make almost 100% of our ice cream without any artificial flavors or dyes! To find our full allergen list, please reach out!
FROM OUR FARM TO YOUR FRIDGE
After our cows are milked, the milk is brought to the processing plant and we get right to work on creating our signature flavors. Follow along as we take you through our process of making farm-fresh ice cream!
SUPER PREMIUM ICE CREAM
We use two kinds of freezers to make our ice cream. The first is a continuous freezer that blends the milk, cream, and sugar together. Then it’s pasteurized and rests for 6-12 hours to let the flavors and ingredients come together. Afterwards, the ice cream is cooled and mixed in the refrigerated churn where we also add in flavors and toppings.
The second way we make ice cream is using a batch freezer which is similar to the old hand crank style of making ice cream. This process allows us to be more hands-on and creative with the flavors we create.
Once the ice cream is made, and packaged, either a pint, 1.75 qt or 3 gallon pail, the batch is moved to our blast freezer, which hardens the ice cream incredibly fast -20 degrees Fahrenheit, giving it the smooth texture you know and love!
Butter
We are proud to make fresh, wholesome butter right here on the farm.
Our rich and creamy, European-style butters are made with pure, fresh cream. They are higher in butterfat than your average butter, so they’re perfect for spreading, baking, and cooking.
Drinks
No matter what your cup of tea is, we have something you’ll enjoy drinking. From lemonade and sweet tea to eggnog and more, our tasty beverages are made here on site from fresh, local ingredients.
Our drinks are made with no artificial flavors or colors.