Chocolate Milk: Your New Workout Recovery Drink?

Chocolate Milk: Your New Workout Recovery Drink?

Choosing a post-recovery workout drink can be a difficult task. There are hundreds of products to choose from, all of which seem vaguely similar, yet claim to be drastically different. However, one of the best options for your post-workout recovery drink may already be sitting in your fridge! Here are five reasons why chocolate milk may be the best choice for your next recovery drink:

1. An ideal recovery beverage will have between a 3:1 and 4:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio. This helps speed up the recovery process after a tough workout. It also helps to replace fluids and electrolytes lost during exercise. Chocolate milk, including SMC’s chocolate milk, falls right within this range!
2. It’s a more natural supplement! It’s very difficult for a powder or pill to replicate the variety of nutrients, fiber, and vitamins we can get by eating and drinking whole foods. Chocolate milk allows you to maintain a more natural and organic diet, which can lead to a happier and healthier you.
3. Many athletes, particularly runners, lack vitamin D and calcium in their diets. Chocolate milk provides these nutrients; alongside the protein and carbohydrates you need for an effective recovery beverage.
4. When milk enters the body, it creates a spike in insulin, which can help you transport sugar into the muscle, where it turns into glycogen. Alongside this, it stimulates muscle protein repair and growth.
5. Chocolate milk is generally much cheaper than most recovery products. Sometimes it can be close to 1/3 of the price of your average recovery beverage.

So, next time you finish your workout, consider grabbing a bottle of SMC chocolate milk instead of an expensive recovery beverage. You’ll probably see the same results by drinking a more delicious, natural, and nutrient-packed beverage.

South Mountain Creamery does dairy differently! South Mountain Creamery is an all natural dairy farm offering glass bottled milk, yogurt, butter, ice cream, and a variety of specialty vendor products delivered to customers’ homes throughout Maryland, DC, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Sign up for home delivery today and have milk delivered straight to your door: www.southmountaincreamery.com

10 Uses For Milk… Besides Drinking It!

10 Uses for Milk… Besides Drinking It!

Sure, you can drink milk, but have you ever considered using it around the house? Check out these 10 different uses for milk!

1. Thaw frozen fish: Use a milk bath to thaw your frozen fish! Milk acts as a natural moisturizer to restore hydration and flavor back to frozen fish. Try leaving a piece of frozen fish in a milk bath in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
2. Polish tarnished silverware: Soak tarnished silverware in sour milk for 30 minutes. Wash in soapy water to polish and brighten your silverware.
3. Repair fine china: Have fine china with hairline cracks? Put a piece of china in a big pot, cover in milk and simmer for 45 minutes. The proteins in milk bond with the clay, sealing the crack.
4. Create an industrial-strength hand cleaner: Regular soap just not working? Create a paste of oatmeal and milk. Rub on hands to remove grime and soften skin. Try adding lemon juice to help with exceptionally greasy messes.
5. Stain remover: One of the best ways to get rid of ink stains on clothes is to soak the stain in milk. Adding vinegar to the milk while soaking with help to break down and lift the stain.
6. Shine patent leather: Run a milk-soaked rag over patent leather shoes. For deeper shine, apply milk to shoes, let dry, and buff shoes to a shine. This method also works on patent leather purses and jackets. You can even apply milk to a clean cotton swab to wipe scuff marks off patent leather.
7. Helps swallow large pills: Milk coats the throat and protects te stomach lining as the pill breaks down. Be sure to check with your doctor first, as milk can react with some medications.
8. Cool a spicy mouth: The casein in milk helps to lessen the problem of a burning mouth after eating spicy food.
9. Boost the flavor of corn: Milk can boost the flavor of corn on the cob. Check out South Mountain Creamery’s corn on the cob recipes on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/southmtcreamery/corn-recipes
10. Condition Hair: Fill a spray bottle with cold milk and spray hair thoroughly. Gently comb hair and rinse after 30 minutes. No need for conditioner!

South Mountain Creamery does dairy differently! South Mountain Creamery is an all natural dairy farm offering glass bottled milk, yogurt, butter, ice cream, and a variety of specialty vendor products delivered to customers’ homes throughout Maryland, DC, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Sign up for home delivery today and have milk delivered straight to your door: www.southmountaincreamery.com

Taken from the November 2013 issue of Dairy Herd Management

Celebrating National Dairy Month

June is National Dairy Month! 

Whether it’s ice cream, yogurt, sour cream, or a cold glass of milk, South Mountain Creamery encourages you to purchase more local dairy products to celebrate National Dairy Month. Dairy is the third largest agricultural commodity in Maryland. There are over 520 dairy farms across the state!

National Dairy Month was created by the National Dairy Council in 1937 and to celebrate the dairy industry and to promote dairy consumption. Today, milk is still considered a nutrient-rich powerhouse. From essential minerals like calcium, to its body building protein and vitamins, milk remains the clear drink choice for a healthy lifestyle.

Celebrate National Dairy Month with SMC:

Include milk, Maryland’s official state beverage, in your diet. With nine essential nutrients, calcium, potassium, phosphorous, protein, vitamin D, vitamin A, Vitamin B12, riboflavin, and niacin, dairy is a nutrient powerhouse! Find dairy-inspired recipes and ideas on the SMC Pinterest Board.

Join SMC on a guided tour. Learn about local agriculture and how your milk is made. All of our tours end with a delicious scoop of super-premium SMC ice cream. Visit our website for more information and to schedule your tour.

Experience Maryland’s dairy farms first-hand. The Maryland’s Best Ice Cream trail features eight dairy farms that produce farm fresh ice cream and sell it directly to consumers on the farm. Pick up your Ice Cream Trail Passport at SMC or any other participating creamery!

Sign up for Home Delivery. Drop the hassle of going to the grocery store every week and have milk delivered straight to your door! SMC is the return of the milkman, delivering to over 9,000 homes in DC, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. We have over 500 products available in our online store. Sign up for home delivery today.

Find other local Maryland dairy products near you at www.marylandsbest.net

How will you celebrate National Dairy Month?  Be sure to tag South Mountain Creamery in your celebration! #30DaysofSMCDairy

The Milk Wagon

One of South Mountain Creamery vintage delivery trucks.

Spot our delivery vehicles driving down the road, and you'll see cow spots, cartoon characters, and milk bottles from Middletown, MD, to Alexandria, VA, to Annapolis, MD, and more! A dairy delivery company isn’t complete without a fleet of delivery trucks. Today, South Mountain Creamery has over 20 delivery trucks to deliver to homes in Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Fourteen years ago, on April 13, 2001, South Mountain Creamery began deliveries to 13 local customers in Karen’s purple Ford Explorer. With the start of dairy delivery, South Mountain Creamery became the first on-the-farm milk processing plant in the State of Maryland.  They processed and bottled the high quality milk from their dairy cows.  The decision was made to use reusable glass bottles for the milk and home deliver it to customers, just like other local dairy companies had done since the early 1900s in the Middletown Valley.

"Spot" SMC delivering to your neighborhood in our black, pink, and brown spotted delivery trucks.

As the company grew, the Sowers added more delivery trucks to their fleet. In the beginning, these trucks were all pre-owned by other delivery companies. During a visit from an agriculture statistician, the Sowers were informed that a milk truck was available for sale in Frederick. Karen and Randy visited the owners of the delivery truck, who ran a milk delivery business called "The Milk Wagon." The woman was selling the truck and all of its contents (tires, milk boxes, supplies, etc.) They purchased the truck and brought it and a pickup truck full of supplies back to the farm. The Milk Wagon soon became Truck 91, South Mountain Creamery’s newest addition to the delivery fleet.

Years later, the driver of The Milk Wagon became an SMC delivery driver and is still delivering today! Truck 91 doesn’t leave the farm, but is a reminder of SMC’s beginning and continued growth.

Early deliveries make for beautiful sunrises!

Our success over the past 14 years as South Mountain Creamery and the past 34 years as Sowers Dairy and we owe everything is owed completely to our customers!  Your families, friends, neighbors and co-workers that have shared their SMC experiences, recruited new customers and have come out to see what we do every day – make every moment worthwhile. From our South Mountain Creamery family to yours, would like to thank you for all for your continued support.  Thank you!

How SMC Milk is Made

At South Mountain Creamery, we do dairy differently! Our animals are raised from birth and cared for on the farm 24/7. SMC is a one-of-a-kind operation, allowing us to work from field to fork! 

Step 1 - Cows Grazing

One of our ladies enjoying a sunny afternoon in the fields!

In order for cows to produce milk – Cows have to eat…. And sleep.  Cows usually spend about 8 hours grazing, 12-14 hours sleeping and ruminating or chewing their cud, and 2 hours milking. Our cows get to graze in their pasture on our family farm.  They graze in the morning after milking and in the evening after milking, They get to relax and graze on grass. SMC cows eat a nutrient balanced ration of grains and grass that are grown and harvested right here at SMC. We raise our animals and grow and harvest our crops on six farms totaling over 2,000 acres.

Step 2 – Harvesting Milk

Karen explains the milking process in the Milking Parlor.

SMC cows are milked by hand two times each day at 1:30 am and 1:30 pm– rain or shine, 365 days a year. We also have an operational robotic farm, where our high producing cows can be milked up to six times per day! Milking time takes about 5 minutes per cow. We have a double ten herringbone milking machine, which allows us to milk 20 cows at one time.  This reduces the amount of time the cows wait to be milked. Nobody likes standing in line.  Milking machines mimic the action of a young calf by creating a pulsating vacuum around the teat, which causes the milk to be released from the udder.  Join us in the afternoon and watch the cows being milked in the milking parlor.

Step 3 – Storing Milk

The milk goes from the cow, through a pipe to our storage tank next door.  Milk is stored on farm at between 35 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit until it is pumped to our on-farm production facility. The milk in our storage vats is stirred constantly so it does not separate. 

Step 4 – Transporting Milk

Milk is pumped to our on-farm processing facility daily through stainless steel pipes.  We eliminate temperature changes and transporting time because everything is done right here on the farm.

SMC uses glass milk bottles instead of plastic.

Step 5 – Processing Milk

Whole milk, once approved for use, is pumped into storage silos where it undergoes pasteurization, homogenization and bottling.

Pasteurization:

Every particle of milk is heated to a specific temperature for a short period of time to ensure all of our milk and ice cream are safe for human consumption. We use a High Temperature/Short Time pasteurization process – or HTST. This eliminates all bacteria that may be harmful to your health and ensures the highest quality, best tasting milk.  HTST is more expensive than regular pasteurizing processes but this guarantees the freshest and best tasting milk.

Homogenization:

The fat in milk naturally separates from the water and collects at the top. Homogenization shrinks the cream globules and uses a screen to push and shrink these cream globules. This process breaks the fat into tiny particles so it no longer separates.  The cream is then suspended throughout the milk. 

Bottling:

The milk is then put into our glass bottles.  Glass bottles ensure that SMC milk is the best tasting milk on the market.  It’s just one more way that you can taste the SMC difference.

Fresh milk. Delivered straight to your door!

Step 6 – Delivering Milk

Then milk is sent off in our delivery trucks to be delivered to your door! Our glass bottled milk is also available at our farm store. We also sell milk to restaurants and specialty stores.  SMC milk is the only milk that comes to you straight from the cow to your door because we do everything right here on the farm!


Learn more about the SMC Difference at www.southmountaincreamery.com!