steaming

[cindy]

im not sure if this is the right slot for this post, but ive been having a little trouble with my milk....especially in winter.
i have looked it up and asked a few other people about my problem, and the most convincing answer was that becuase of winter, cows dont get green or fresh feed anymore, it is now dried and processed feed which isnt as rich in nutrients as fresh feed, thus resulting in the milk being less fatty. i dont know how accurate this is...but it doesnt sound like complete rubbish.
everytime i come accross a batch of milk that doesnt work with my steamer i end up using it for milkshakes or cooking.
what i have noticed works better for the steaming is 'long life milk' , but here in south africa it is alot more expensive compared to normal fresh milk.
any comments?
i would just like to know if anyone else has the same problem.
doing microfoam with the "winter" milk isnt working at all...i end up with very watery, wishy washy milk/coffee.

 

[CCafe]

I don't know what the winters are like in South Africa but here in the Midwest it gets pretty darn cold. When cows get sick or they are on the lean side and they don't have enough body fat they will produce less milk. But from what I have read and what I have talked about with my Aunt and Uncle (used to be dairy farmers) there is actually more fat in the milk over the winter months then in the summer.

When food source is not as abundant in the winter as it is in the summer months the cow will rely on more body fat to be converted over to milk. Something like 1 pound of body fat equates to about 7 pounds of milk. That body fat from what I understand actually raises the total amount of fat in the milk.

Homogenization is probably the blame. I have found it sometimes varies from manufacture. Smaller milk companies have been popping up all over Iowa offering farm fresh milk. I have found a lot of cream on top of my 2% from a few of these places. Which suggest that the homogenizing process hasn't been completed properly. It doesn't bother me because I was raised on milk from the cow and not the store.

If you need a better understanding I suggest reading this article from HowStuffWorks http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/question147.htm for a basic understanding.