Fresh milk and farmers cheese

[KDnR]

Does anyone have an idea how I could locate fresh milk in Santa Cruz area? I can not stand that stuff that they sell in the store. I am trying to make farmers cheese (which I also can't find it in stores) myself. My mom used to do that, it's a simple process. But it is not possible to make it with that store bought milk here.

[jamie_m]

I believe Jumbo Rancagua have fresh milk. That is the closest I know of to you. Or you could go South to Sagrada Familia, near Curico, there is usually a guy outside the Unimarc selling fresh milk. I'm sure it's ok but it looks sketchy in old plastic Coke bottles

[at46]

If by fresh you mean unpasteurized, then it's illegal to sell that here for human consumption. I found that people are pretty cautious when I drove around looking for it here in the fifth region, but you might still find it through some friends or acquaintances.

And if farmer's cheese is the same as cottage cheese, then the latter comes out pretty nicely by culturing any store bought milk with pajaritos de kefir (mercadolibre.cl) and cooking-straining-pressing as usual.

[KDnR]

Thank you so much jamie_m and at46 for your response.I started asking people in town, maybe I'll find someone who would be selling.

Regarding making farmers cheese from the "liquid" they sell in store.... it would never be the real thing.

[KDnR]

I found a local farmer that sells fresh milk in Santa Cruz! And it is also in sketchy old plastic Coke bottles. That is how they do things here I guess. This Sunday I will have farmers cheese .

[rocksana]

Well, this article suggests an interesting theory, pretty much blaming New Zealand and free trade for the poor quality of Chilean dairy
https://sago.cl/colun-22032018/

[admin]

Im sorry, but chilean dairy products suck for exactly the same reason they can not make beer: they are dirty and sloppy in the handling of the products.

Sour beer = dirty beer

Bad cheese and milk, same thing.

I grew-up around the dairy farms of Minnesota. The milking facilities in every dairy farm i have visited in chile has been filthy, by any even low international standards.

The cheese, ooozes fat and tast like crap, if it taste like anything at all. "Queso fresco" = "we were too lazy to produce real cheese and will sell you this white crap we put together".

The dairy industry in chile has very long way to go, and the only ones with a clue about how to run a dairy industry are the new zealanders investing in chile.

[Space Cat]

Many people (including me) consider COLUN (Chilean-owned company that collects milk from local farmers) much better then Quillayes (NZ-owned company that uses powdered milk from NZ).

Queso fresco is cottage cheese, we're quite happy to have it here because it's the closest thing to Eastern European cottage cheese (though more tasteless on its own). Mix it with sour cream or yougurt, add some jam or fruits and a perfect evening meal is ready.

COLUN and other Chilean companies completely fail at making Brie and Camembert but I love their milk and cheeses overall. Not far from Finnish dairy which is one of the best in the world

[mem]

I know...milk in the stores just tastes dead. Just dead. There is only one brand that doesnt have nasty additives

In region 9 we get raw milk from some german dairy farmers nearby but its under the table/cloak and dagger. We know of a lot of gringos that do the same with chilean dairy farmers. Its who you know like so much else in chile

[Jamers41]

In region 9 we get raw milk from some german dairy farmers nearby but its under the table/cloak and dagger. We know of a lot of gringos that do the same with chilean dairy farmers. Its who you know like so much else in chile

I guess I'm missing the gringo connection!