Texas Daily Harvest
Get your daily dairy
Reviewed by Kate Thornberry, Fri., Nov. 4, 2011
Dairy farmers Kent and Ramy Jisha began the process of switching their conventional dairy operation in Yantis, Texas, to an organic, low-temperature pasteurization dairy in 2007 after attending an event where noted organic spokesman Jerry Brunetti spoke about the necessity of sustainable farming practices. The Jishas even went the extra mile of having their entire farm certified organic, making Texas Daily Harvest one of the very few certified organic dairies in Texas.
"I think there are two others, but they both sell all their output to Organic Valley," says Jisha. "I think we may be the only certified organic dairy in Texas that sells directly to the public."
While a large fraction of their dairy products are sold in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, every Saturday family friend Ruth Wilmore loads up a truck and brings Texas Daily Harvest dairy products to the Barton Creek Farmers Market. Many Austinites have discovered that the superior flavor and digestibility of grass-fed, low-temperature-pasteurized dairy is worth a special trip. Once you've tasted the difference, it's hard to go back.
Wilmore sells milk ($2, pint; $4, half-gallon; $7, gallon), light cream ($6, pint), half-and-half ($4, pint; $6, quart), and buttermilk ($4, quart), as well as Greek-style yogurt (plain, strawberry, mango, blueberry, and blackberry, $3) and drinkable yogurt (same flavors, $2.50 a pint) and a variety of cheeses including feta, Edam, Colby, Gruyère, cheddar, jalapeño cheddar, and mild pepperjack ($14 a pound). A delightfully creamy Parmesan cheese is competitively priced at $7 for 6 ounces.
"The low-temp-pasteurized dairy just tastes so much better," avers Wilmore. "And it's so much better for you! 'Ultrapasteurized' dairy is really just fried fat. Once the fat in the milk has been heated to that temperature, the body can't digest it. So your body stores it, just like other bad, fried foods. When you use low-temperature pasteurization, the fat molecule stays the same as in raw milk, and you can digest it."
In addition to the Barton Creek Farmers Market, Texas Daily Harvest milk and yogurt (and in some cases, a few other products) can be purchased at Whole Foods Market, Wheatsville Food Co-op, Fresh Plus Grocery, and Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage. A larger variety of products is available via Farmhouse Delivery, Greenling, and Farm to Table.
