Tapping into the past, Western Washington dairy farmers Anna and Chris Groeneveld, owners of Sky Valley Fresh (https://www.skyvalleyfresh.com), are happy to provide their customers with a safe alternative to raw milk. Safe because it’s pasteurized. But it’s a slower — and some say gentler — way to pasteurize milk. It’s called slow vat pasteurization, and it’s not new in the dairy world. Far from it. It’s actually an original way of pasteurization — the way people’s grandfathers used to do it.
Using this method, the milk is heated in a large tank to 145 degrees F for 30 minutes and then cooled That’s markedly different from what happens in the vast majority of milk processing plants in the United States, where chilled raw milk is heated by passing it between heated stainless-steel plates until it reaches 161 degrees Fahrenheit and then held at that temperature for 15 seconds before it’s quickly cooled back to its original temperature of 39 degrees.
While the heat kills the foodborne pathogens that might be in the milk, opponents of pasteurization says it can also kill enzymes, proteins and immunity-supported compounds. For many, this is why they buy and drink raw milk — and feed it to their families.
However, public health officials say there is no evidence that pasteurization reduces the healthy components of raw milk and that its benefits far outweigh any perceived problems.
But some dairy farmers, like the Groenevelds are now using slow-vat pasteurization and bottling their milk to sell direct to customers, thus eliminating the trip to the large processors.
Their dairy’s milk is not homogenized, which means it provides another benefit from the past: cream at the top. It also has a longer shelf life than raw milk.
As for the taste, which the farm says is superior to milk pasteurized at the processors, it has a lot to do with the fact that their milk isn’t homogenized. Anna explained that homogenization breaks up the fat in the milk and therefore doesn’t coat the mouth.
When milk isn’t homogenized, you get a fuller richer flavor,” she said.
According to a report from the American Dairy Science Association, vat- pasteurized milk tastes fresher, thus providing a taste similar to raw milk without the health concerns.
Also from the same report: “Vat-pasteurized milk has become popular again as more small dairy processors are using it to appeal to customers seeking a more “farm-fresh” milk.”
When asked why the couple decided to go this route, Anna quickly said: “We didn’t want to go down the raw-milk road.”
She quickly concedes that there’s still some confusion about what slow vat-pasteurized milk is. “We have to educate people about it,” she said.
As part of that, the dairy’s milk will be available in a vending machine near the dairy parlor at the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe. And she and the dairy 4H kids will be on hand to answer questions.
“We are rooted in the community and we continue to build connections while strengthening our commitment to local and sustainable agriculture,” says their website. “Knowing where your food comes from means knowing you’re supporting local farms like ours.”
Bottomline, the farm is weaving the past into the public’s current desire to buy fresh local food.
“The pendulum shifts,” said Anna. “Now people want to know their farmer. And we want to be their farmer.”
As for their investment in this new venture, they were able to repurpose some equipment from other farms that were no longer using it. They also had a lot of the infrastructure for a dairy since they had been dairying for many years. And also the cows.
“We have the opportunity to grow this,” said Anna. Future plans include offering chocolate milk, butter and cream
The dairy’s milk can be bought at Falling River Meats and Equilibrium Farms. And it’s available at the farm for self-serve at the customer’s convenience. It’s run on the honor system.
Their dairy, which is licensed by the state, sells its milk in half-gallon and pint containers. The cost on the farm, 29524 Fern Bluff Rd., Monroe, Wash., is $5 per half gallon.
Just up the road from Sky Valley Fresh in Skagit County is another dairy, Jersey Girls Milk Palace, which is also using slow vat-pasteurization and doesn’t homogenize its milk.
“Our milk is whole milk right from the farm,” said Don Kaaland. “It’s a good alternative to raw milk. We like keeping it local.”
He thinks dairies like this should be scattered all over the country.
He said the idea for this new venture came about when he spent five days with Amish farmers in Pennsylvania, which he said have some of the nicest dairy farms you’d ever see.
“Someone turned on the light bulb,” he said, about his decision to go this route.
For him it was a big investment; $170,000.
He sells one-half gallons for $5 and full gallons for $8. Flavors include chocolate and strawberry. The milk is available in a refrigerator in the trailer on Collins Road just off Cook Road outside of Sedro-Woolley. It’s run on the honor system.
The dairy is licensed by the state.
“Just about all of our customers are repeat customers,” he said.
“I see it as the future,” he said. “I like the small-dairy approach. My cows are all named.”
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