Our Experience with House Cows: Milk cow kitchen

Monday, October 13, 2014

Milk cow kitchen - book review

I've said this before, I'll say it again, if you want to get a house cow, you need to read every book you can find on cows. Even if you don't agree with everything in every book, the more you read, the more you will understand what your options are. And some books cover different topics in more detail.

Mary Jane Butters very kindly sent me a copy of her beautiful book "Milk Cow Kitchen" for review. Mary Jane also hosts the Heritage Jersey chatroom, which is a great forum to chat and learn about house cows. Its free to join, so head over there and take a look (but don't forget to come back to read the rest of my review).

The thing that I like best about Milk Cow Kitchen is the photos. Not just the beautiful cows (and cow girls) but also the detailed step-by-step shots. Its one thing to read about how to hand milk or how to use a milking machine, but having photos of each step is a huge help. A few other topics that Mary Jane covers in detail that I haven't seen discussed in other books includes:

pastuerisation and chilling the milk
santisation of the milking palour and the cow teats
transporting cows
putting down a cow :(
crochet with baling twine!

And I didn't even mention all the recipes yet. Even if you don't have your own cow, if you have access to milk, you will want to use some of the recipes, including cheese and ice cream, all expertly photographed and looking delicious.

I know it may seem like there are a lot of books available on milking cows, but I do think that they are all different, and its worth reading widely to prepare for any situation. I would certainly add this one to your reading list, as it covers a number of topics that don't appear in other books, as well as the wonderful photos.

What other house cow books can you recommend?