I own the last remaining gallon of milk recalled in the September 2006 recall of Organic Pastures milk. At least I can't imagine that anyone else has kept a gallon this long.
We were part of a buyer's club and put in an extra large order the week before the recall and, quite by accident, I ended up with about eight gallons in the refrigerator. We had consumed a few before the recall. When the recall was announced I wondered what we should do with the milk. You know, you are supposed to pour it down the drain and get your money back.
I wondered what to do.
My mom said, "Well, I've been drinking it and I'm going to keep drinking it."
So we all did.
In fact, we went to the press conference announcing the end of the recall and offered some milk to reporters. That is one way to get your picture taken.
This winter as I cleaned the freezer, I found a gallon of milk dated in mid September of 2006 -- definitely a gallon of the recalled milk. I got the bright idea to auction it on eBay and that has been my plan until now.
Pictured: Aaron McAfee, Operations Manager at Organic Pastures, verifying the milk
eBay?
Lawyers really get upset when you walk out on any kind of limb.
"What if a child gets sick from your auctioned milk?"
"I wouldn't sell it as food, I would sell it as a collectible."
"What if a child gets sick on your collectible?"
"There is no E.coli in the milk."
"What if a child gets sick on your collectible?"
"But it would be so much fun!"
The conversation went something like that and it ended with that look. It's the kind of look that makes you feel a bit stupid.
Anyhoo, I have the last gallon of milk from the Organic Pastures recall and I have no idea what I am going to do with it. I thought maybe you might have some ideas.
I've included some of my favorite ideas in the poll below, though who knows what a lawyer would say about them.
~~~What to do with the milk?~~~
Make a custard
A food scientist friend recommended that I thaw the milk out and bake with it. "Then you won't have to worry about the E.coli." So the first option in the poll is for mom to make a custard out of the milk. I do like custards.
Use in the Eat Local Challenge
I've already announced my big plans for the Eat Local Challenge which includes foraging for all of my own food for a month. This gallon of milk could be an exception along with the salt and the olive oil. It is also local, I just didn't milk Bessy herself.
Send to Dr. Mercola
Perhaps it could be considered a birthday present for Dr. Mercola or Luci Lock, but we could send this gallon of milk to be featured in one of Luci's upcoming raw milkshake videos.
Ship to Alex Avery of the Milk is Milk Campaign
Alex Avery of the Milk is Milk Campaign organized this billboard here in Central California that got tagged by a raw milk activist. I could ship the milk to Avery as a momento of some sort. This may be the most risky of the options since he might report me to the Pixley Police Department.
Send to Dennis Cardoza, D-CA
Dennis Cardoza is busy working on the Farm Bill now, he is chairman of the subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture, and his congressional district is a stone's throw away from the Organic Pastures Dairy. The milk could make a good refreshment in committee meetings.
So what to do with this milk? Vote now:
Comments (12)
Have the milk tested for ecoli. Then send the results to David Gumpert, for discussion on his pro-raw milk blog called "The Complete Patient".
Posted by Elizabeth McInerney | July 16, 2007 5:53 PM | Reply
That's a great idea, Elizabeth. Actually, it had not occurred to me to test the milk myself.
Amanda
Posted by Amanda Rose | July 16, 2007 5:59 PM | Reply
Bake custard, then share it with the others you mentioned - if you can part with it.
Posted by Gennifer | July 16, 2007 9:27 PM | Reply
Gennifer,
Now that's a thought. But you're right that the trick would be not eating it. We could test it as Elizabeth has suggested, bake it, and then send it. :)
Amanda
Posted by Amanda Rose | July 17, 2007 8:13 AM | Reply
I voted other. Use the milk in your baths and on your face as a cleanser. You deserve some "spa time" after all your hard work on your upcoming book. Plus your skin will be silky soft-which your dh would love (:
Take Care, Nikki
Posted by Nikki | July 17, 2007 10:24 AM | Reply
Nikki, You beat me to the punch. I go for a milk bath too. Saw a movie once with Cleopatra bathing in milk. I advise leaving the adders out, though.
Cheers!
V
Posted by veronica mae | July 17, 2007 11:45 AM | Reply
Awww, Nikki, that's the nicest thing anyone has said today. :)
Hey there, Veronica Mae.
Amanda
Posted by Amanda Rose | July 17, 2007 1:39 PM | Reply
I'd call up Mark McAfee and find out which lab he uses....
Posted by KerryAnn | July 18, 2007 9:30 AM | Reply
It looks like the milk will be consumed at an anniversary event for the "false recall" but perhaps I should make a small custard to ship to Avery. ;)
Posted by Amanda Rose | August 4, 2007 4:15 PM | Reply
I guess I could see the humor in all of this if my son didn't almost die from ecoli 0157:H7 after drinking OP raw milk. Unfortunatley, there are no hard facts, only 4 sick children who all drank the milk.
Please have the milk tested. The date on our bottle was September 10th. He drank the milk Labor Day weekend.
Posted by Mary McGonigle-Martin | August 11, 2007 8:06 PM | Reply
I am sorry to hear about your child, Mary. I agree that pathogenic bacteria is not funny at all. Deadly strains of bacteria and viruses could be the biggest health risk of the decades to come.
You'll find humor on this blog on a lot of not-very-funny subjects. It's my own therapy and I am sorry to offend you. Godspeed.
Posted by Amanda Rose | August 13, 2007 8:19 PM | Reply
I'm going to shut down comments to this post for a couple of days in the hopes that the SPAM bots will forget about it.
Amanda
Posted by Amanda Rose | August 18, 2007 2:42 PM | Reply