we own a cow!

….or at least, part of a cow.  a very small part.

(I’m not sure if this is her or the part, but she’s pretty.)

During the summer we’re fortunate enough to get most of our groceries from the local farmer’s market, and Windsor Dairy is one of the market regulars. We love their cheeses, and have been anxious to try their other dairy products.  It’s not as easy as it sounds, though, because the dairy is a raw milk dairy, and in Colorado, as in many states, it is illegal to buy or sell raw milk.  What’s a law-abiding raw milk craving girl to do?  Buy part of the cow, of course!  If you own the cow you can drink the milk, so Windsor allows people to become members and purchase cow shares.  So on Saturday, after wandering around Boulder doing a photo shoot for some friends (more on that in my next post),  the husband and I ventured up to the Windsor Dairy farm, about an hour north of Boulder. Why would we go to all this hassle, instead of just going to the store and getting some quick and easy skim milk?  Some people think that unpasteurized milk is loads better for you (chock full of proteins and vitamins and omega-6 fatty acids) than pasteurized milk, and we wanted to try it ourselves to see.   Here’s what our milk looked like (we also bought raw butter, raw cottage cheese, and raw mozzarella)

Since you’re buying a part of a cow,  Windsor Dairy strongly recommends that you take a tour of the farm and learn about where your milk comes from and how it is made.  This alone was worth the trip. A couple photos from our tour:

They also raise chickens at the farm.  Ever wonder where the term “hen-pecked” comes from?  Turns out female chickens (the hens) like to swarm around the male rooster and make sure he’s clean by picking all out bugs and dirt off him, etc. It must be a tough life being a rooster.  Check it out:

This young lady keeps everyone in line.  She lost a leg in a car accident, but she still can run faster than I can.

Abigail is a bit of a trouble maker.  Her mother couldn’t feed her when she was born, so she has been bottle fed since birth.  She likes to eat the chicken feed and pretend she knows how to drive a tractor.

The baby cows hang out in their own separate area. Here they are all lined up and chomping on grass.  All of the cows at the dairy are grass fed.

It was fantastic being being able to see where exactly where our dairy products will come from, and to meet the people who will care for the animals producing them.  We had a wonderful time touring the farm and hanging out with the cows.  To learn more about the farm and sustainable agriculture, check out Windsor Dairy.