Old-Fashioned Milk Delivery

Via

As soon as the alarm went off this morning, I jumped out of bed and ran to the front door. I knew today was the day- the first day of our old fashioned milk delivery from the local dairy.

While visiting our Farmer's Market a couple of weeks back, we decided to sign up for this weekly service, delivering milk to us fresh between 3-6 each Tuesday morning from one of the many family-run dairies that still operate in our area. It was a decision we made just as much because we want to know more about where our food is coming from these days as it was for the nostalgia of it all.

See for quite some time now, we've been purchasing a national brand of milk labeled "organic" from the supermarket shelf. While at first the unusually long expiration date was a selling point, lately The Mister and I have become increasingly uneasy drinking "organic" milk that is often good for a month after purchase.

Sure, we'll pay a premium for milk delivered right to our front door- roughly $1 more than if we purchased at the grocery store. But we know we're getting hormone free milk from cows grazing on alfalfa, hay and grain, brought to us by a family owned and operated dairy that has been in business since 1927. They've even partnered with local produce growers and will deliver a mixed box of fresh veggies comprised of whatever bounty is being harvested that week.

I love that we can conveniently order additional products like cheese, half and half and even a freshly baked pie through their online ordering system (though the dispatcher prefers a good old fashioned phone call the day before) or leave a note on our doorstep requesting any extras the truck may be carrying. We also pay our bill by check once a month- no debit or credit card. Though some dairies do, our dairy does not charge an extra fee on top of the listed product price. The price is what it is on the photo-copied menu we received (no fancy brochure here!).

It's a solution that sort of feels good all the way around. Slowing down the pace a little to enjoy the simple things, wholesome food fresh from the source and supporting a local family owned business.