A Day at Raw Farm
A Day at Raw Farm
There is something about pulling up to a farm and reading the sign out loud. Farm store, dairy, farm: that is the whole story in three words. Bailey and I drove down to the Central Valley to see where some of our favorite dairy comes from, because before you cook with an ingredient, it helps to know where it was made and who made it.
Our guide for the day was Jessica, who walked us through the entire Raw Farm product line and answered every question we threw at her. Here is what we learned.
The On-Farm Store
The farm store is simple and welcoming: a long porch, planters of white flowers, and a hand-lettered hello sign by the door. Inside it feels like a working farm, not a showroom, with stacked milk crates, corrugated metal and wooden shelves.
Raw Farm has been family owned since 1998, and you see it everywhere, from the branding on the crates to the family photo on the cereal boxes.
The Whole Line, on One Board
The menu board reads like a pantry list for a whole-foods kitchen: whole milk in three sizes, heavy cream, two cultured butters, four kefirs, and cheddar in block, shredded and jalapeño versions. There are bulk sizes for families who go through a lot, cold-pressed orange, apple and pomegranate juice, and a shelf of merch.
As a teacher, I love a menu like this because every item is one step away from the one before it. Milk becomes cream, cream becomes butter, milk becomes kefir and cheese. It is a lesson in dairy in a single glance.
Cream on Top, Cheddar on the Side
We started with the milk. It is labeled cream top because it is not homogenized, so the cream naturally rises and settles at the top of the bottle. Give it a shake and it blends back in, or skim it off for your coffee.
Then came the cheddar. We tasted both the original and the jalapeño side by side and talked about how each one would behave in a grilled cheese versus a cheese board. It is made with whole raw milk, vegetable rennet, cultures and salt.
We also tasted all three cold-pressed juices: orange, apple and pomegranate. They are a collaboration with another farm, a lovely example of neighbors working together, and we are already looking into them for fall mocktails.
Raw Farm makes kefir in four flavors: Plain, Golden, Vanilla and Lemon. We brought home the Plain, because Bailey and I already have a plan for it: homemade tzatziki. We like using kefir in place of Greek yogurt in the kitchen, from dips and dressings to marinades and baking. One thing to keep in mind: kefir is pourable, so it is thinner than thick, strained Greek yogurt and will give you a thinner result. When you want that thicker texture, strain the kefir first.
Kitchen Words from the Farm
A dairy tour comes with its own vocabulary. Here are the words we heard most, and what they mean in the kitchen.
- Cream top: milk that has not been homogenized, so the cream rises and collects at the top of the bottle.
- Cultured: dairy that has had live cultures added and been given time to develop flavor, like kefir and cultured butter.
- Kefir: a tangy, drinkable cultured milk. Think of it as pourable yogurt with more zip.
- Rennet: an enzyme that helps milk set into curds, the first step in making cheese. Raw Farm uses vegetable rennet.
- A2/A2: a label for milk from cows that produce only the A2 type of beta-casein, one of the proteins in milk.
Milk You Can Wash With
One surprise was the soap. Raw Farm makes six bars with raw milk, beef tallow and raw honey: Rancher, Brown Swiss, Grazing Grass, Sweet Cream, Raw Honey and Field Flowers. The cutout shapes on the boxes, a cowboy hat, a cow, a blade of grass, a milk can, are a sweet detail.
It is a great example of using the whole animal and the whole harvest, something we talk about often in class. Tallow and milk have been used in soap making for generations.
A farm tour is only as good as the person giving it, and Jessica made this one. Thank you, Jessica, for knowing every product inside and out and for explaining how each one is made and how people use it at home.
Remember that Plain kefir we brought home? Here is what it became. Cucumber, fresh dill, garlic, lemon and good olive oil turn it into a bright, tangy tzatziki that is perfect with garden vegetables, grilled meats or warm flatbread.
Kefir Tzatziki
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain kefir
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup fresh dill, stems removed, chopped
- ½ cup cucumber, grated and strained
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of ½ lemon or lime
- Kosher salt, if needed
Directions
- Prep the cucumber. Grate it, then press it in a strainer or squeeze it in a clean towel to remove as much liquid as you can. This keeps the sauce from turning watery.
- Blend. Add the kefir, garlic, dill, cucumber, olive oil and lemon or lime juice to a food processor. Run it until everything is well blended and smooth.
- Season. Taste, and add a little salt only if it needs it.
- Chill. Transfer to a small bowl or container, cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
Tzatziki is just the beginning. Here is what else is on our test-kitchen list. Stay tuned as we reveal each creation.
Starting from whole milk to show how curds and whey actually form.
Fall-spiced creamers made with heavy cream, no mystery ingredients.
Orange, apple and pomegranate juice, shaken into drinks for the season.
Follow Raw Farm
See what is happening at the farm and find their products near you.
- Instagram: @raw_farm_usa
- Facebook: facebook.com/rawfarmusa
- TikTok: @rawfarm
- YouTube: youtube.com/c/rawfarm
- Website: rawfarmusa.com