Milk and Lattes

I could easily be a latte-a-day girl. I could fall so quickly into the habit of having one with me in the car or beside me at my little table as I write. I love the feeling of sipping espresso through foamy milk and forgetfully leaving my sunglasses on inside, with good music and distractions all around. I'm not one, primarily because I don't go into town everyday, don't have an at-home espresso machine, and don't want to become dependent on a drink to fall into a particular mood.

At home I generally make do with herbal, green, and black teas, regular coffee, lots of water, and now, as the weather cools and storage becomes easier, raw milk. Milk is one of my favorites, I craved it for months when I was pregnant, and still crave it off and on. I began drinking raw, organic milk in 2005, while working at a non-organic dairy in the mountains of eastern Pennsylvania. My boss was not the most careful farmer, and I realized, as I watched the milk truck come to collect his milk, that I would never drink the milk he sold to the milk company. His farm was filthy, his cows were sickly, and his milk consistently failed bacteria tests, but it was still shipped out often enough to disturb me. Near my apartment, a natural food store offered raw, organic milk, and when I tried it, I knew this was nothing like the milk I'd been drinking, and far superior to anything Harold's sickly cows could give. Cream on top, and rich, satisfying flavor all the way down. I was addicted, healthier than ever, and determined to have my own, healthy, happy, raw-milk making cow one day. That day hasn't happened yet, but it's closer than ever, and I really can't wait. Thankfully, our local natural food store doesn't require me to wait. I'm bringing a half-gallon home tonight to drink with cookies and a really good book!