Fresh milk's great flavor comes from the pasture grass the mother cows eat

Around the Mid-Autumn Festival, August and September are the annual low point for dairy cow production, and the fresh milk shelves are always empty.

To explain why fresh milk always disappears in these two months, you first have to understand that what produces fresh milk is not a machine, but the great mother cow.

Most dairy cows in Taiwan are Holsteins from the Netherlands, large in both body size and yield and marked with black-and-white patches. They are naturally afraid of heat, and this year Taiwan's climate has been especially abnormal. For farmers everywhere, it was as if spring never came, and all production seasons shifted later. Lemons, mangoes, and even the pomelos everyone ate while moon-gazing these past few days all appeared at fruit stalls later than usual. For dairy cows, the already unbearable summer became even harder to endure, and no matter how high the terrain or how powerful the electric fans, they could not relieve the heat.

When people cannot eat, cows of course cannot give milk either, so every year there is always a milk shortage in summer and a milk surplus in winter.

"This year is especially severe, so we had to notify all our home-delivery customers that everyone must endure the hardship together, and all orders are reduced by one bottle to cope." said Dr. Tsai Tso-hung of Szu Fang Fresh Milk.

Large plants that buy from many dairy farmers can still barely scrape together shipments from different sources, but fresh milk from small brands indeed disappears in these months, or else sells out the moment it is stocked.

For example, yesterday at Costco, which recently opened a branch and caused a stir and is expected to open 10-15 branches in Taiwan, an entire row of freezer cases was actually empty, looking very out of place during a holiday packed with crowds.

Then suddenly a commotion came from in front of the empty cases. It turned out that peering through the fogged glass, behind the empty shelves staff were dragging boxes and preparing to restock! Mothers were all gearing up for their family's fresh milk needs, determined to grab the freshest, most timely first-choice good milk. But just as everyone lined up at the front line, the first bottle was pushed out, and the three words "yogurt drink" instantly crushed everyone's enthusiasm.

"Oh, no way around it, let's just go home and mix powdered milk." And with a whoosh everyone scattered.

But to be fair, fresh milk producers really do have it hard. In summer fresh milk sells so well there is not enough, but once winter comes, probably because people do not drink cold fresh milk, and because when the weather turns cold the mother cows are happy and milk output surges, fresh milk ends up unsellable in winter. Large plants can supply hotels and convenience store coffee to adjust, but small plants have a hard time enduring it, often absent in summer and in winter left to absorb it themselves or sell at low prices.

People often wonder why fresh milk from Japan and Europe tastes so good, and why the fresh milk from each pasture tastes so noticeably different, yet fresh milk in Taiwan all tastes about the same?

The reason is still that large plants buy fresh milk from many different dairy farmers. To ensure safety and brand flavor, they have no choice but to sterilize at 130 degrees. But safe as it may be, the flavor is killed off along with it. A few pastures, such as Szu Fang Fresh Milk and Ji Jheng Fresh Milk, can only, because they produce and sell their own, fix the formula starting from the food given to the mother cows, namely pasture grass, ensuring the fresh milk produced has the same flavor with a grassy aroma, and only they dare sterilize at 85 degrees or even 65 degrees, so it tastes noticeably different. It is just that the yield is relatively small.

When October arrives, the weather cools, and fresh milk production rises again, remember to support the fresh milk brands that work hard to offer different flavors, and do not let good fresh milk disappear. Especially on cold winter mornings when you do not want to drink fresh milk straight from the fridge because it is so icy, you can pour it into a microwavable cup and, as you like, heat it for 10-15 seconds. Once the milk fat is heated, it immediately releases the various aromas hidden inside, definitely better than drinking it straight, and it is one of the drinking methods beloved by experts and connoisseurs!