Fresh Milk!!!!

What a treat!  On a few occasions now, I've had the pleasure of drinking milk almost straight from the cow!

In Sri Lankan stores, you can buy milk in several formats.  Dry powdered seems to be a favourite for many people.  Maybe because it keeps well, without refrigeration?  Refrigerators are very expensive here in comparison to income. I think the dry milk is fine in tea.  I haven't had it on its own.  I don't know if anybody just drinks it.

You can also get UHT (ultra high treatment / ultra high temperature) milk in tetrapak boxes. UHT milk is heated to 138C-150C for 2-4
seconds to kill microbes and deactivate enzymes that spoil milk.  It can be stored un-refrigerated for up to 9 months if unopened.  Once opened, it needs to be kept cold like normal (pasteurized in Canada) milk. It tastes a little different from normal milk, but I like it. Google says it's slightly poorer nutritionally.  It has 1/3 less iodine and the proteins degrade during storage.

You can also buy fresh milk in bottles.  The labels say it's sterilized.  I'm assuming that means pasteurized. 

But!!!!  A few times now, I've had the pleasure of drinking milk almost straight from the cow!  Three  restaurants in Haputale offered warm fresh milk.  A delight on a cool night!  The film of yellow cream seems so decadent!  One restaurant in Haputale offered ice cream made with fresh milk.  It definitely had a distinctive farm taste.  And!  In Nuwara Eliya, we even met the cow who's milk we drank!  What treat!

Pictures
1-Rajini milking her cow with her nephew watching.  The cow is a friesian. She makes about 16 litres /day.  She spends her evenings/nights in this little barn.  During the day, she sometimes wanders the local roads/fields.  Sometimes she is tied in a field to keep her from eating the neighbours gardens.
2-Rajini, Toby, and Ajith (one of the caretakers at the Montfort Hotel) in the barn. 
3- Rajini's 3 year old niece. We had a great time saying animal names and making animal sounds.  Adorable!!!
4- This man biked/walked past our hotel everyday to bring his milk to the transfer point down our street.
5- Sithi (Suddu), the other very kind caretaker at our hotel, helping us get fresh milk at the transfer station.
6- The milk testing equipment, and certification at the milk transfer station.
7- Rajini's chickens. 

8- Rajini's house felt dark and run down to me, but her garden was super well organized and immaculate!!! She seemed very proud of her work

9- One of the many many amazing views in Nuwara Eliya, near Rajini's house.

10- The cutest little red truck carrying a milk can at the Kellibeddatea factory in Haputale.
11- The Golden Hills restaurant in Haputale.  An old tea factory that was converted into a beautiful creative space.  This is one of the places we could get fresh warm milk.  And fresh milk ice cream!!! 

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