Milk in the Washington DC Suburbs sucks.

[desenso]

I recently moved from the midwest to the suburbs just outside Washington, DC. In the midwest, milk would stay good for several days, sometimes up to a week after its sell-by date.

Here, on the other hand, the milk always turns WELL before its sell-by date. Sometimes up to 5 days early.

What's the deal with this? I've tried milk from various distributors / producers / stores. It's all the same.

 

[balamw]

Find a Trader Joes. At least in California they have better/chepaer milk than the "regular" supermarkets.

B

 

[pseudobrit]

I recently moved from the midwest to the suburbs just outside Washington, DC. In the midwest, milk would stay good for several days, sometimes up to a week after it's sell-by date.

Here, on the other hand, the milk always turns WELL before its sell-by date. Sometimes up to 5 days early.

What's the deal with this? I've tried milk from various distributors / producers / stores. It's all the same.

Do you have a thermometer for your fridge to check the temperature?

 

[kainjow]

That's why I prefer powered milk

 

[mkrishnan]

Haha, I thought this would be the most random thread, but yeah, I could see how that would be irritating.

Hmm... perhaps try box-packaged / non-refrigerated milk? It has a much longer shelf life in general (i.e. ... 6 months or more?). It doesn't taste too bad. Although you kinda had a direct connection to the udder in the Midwest.

 

[Vuzie]

Have you tried a local dairy? In the DC Metro Area there are a few "local dairies" that are either in Maryland or Northern VA Local milk will always taste better since it doesn't sit in plastic containers for all that time. South Mountain Creamery (Middletown, MD) often sells at DC Area Farmers Markets. Or buy your milk Organic from Trader Joes, Whole Foods, or "MOM's". They generaly have local milk that lasts longer.

 

[freeny]

Have you tried a local dairy? In the DC Metro Area there are a few "local dairies" that are either in Maryland or Northern VA Local milk will always taste better since it doesn't sit in plastic containers for all that time. South Mountain Creamery (Middletown, MD) often sells at DC Area Farmers Markets. Or buy your milk Organic from Trader Joes, Whole Foods, or "MOM's". They generally have local milk that lasts longer.

Went to high school in Middletown.

To the point, check the thermometer in your fridge. Milk always has a shorter shelf life in cities and the surrounding suburbs due to shipping and crappy refrigeration.

I live in NYC now and there is always two dates on the milk cartons here. One for New York City and one for the rest of the area. The NYC date is always 3-4 days shorter then the outlying areas dates. To counter this we usually buy smaller containers more frequently to keep up with the dates and spoiling.

 

[Jschultz]

Haha, I thought this would be the most random thread, but yeah, I could see how that would be irritating.

Hmm... perhaps try box-packaged / non-refrigerated milk? It has a much longer shelf life in general (i.e. ... 6 months or more?). It doesn't taste too bad. Although you kinda had a direct connection to the udder in the Midwest.

udder direct connection...lol

I never thought about that though. My milk last a pretty long time. Heck, our Illinois midwestern milk does taste pretty good too, if I may add.

 

[adk]

If you really, really want good milk look into whether or not there's a dairy that has home delivery. There's one that delivers to my area. It's packaged in glass bottles and a real live milkman delivers it. It's not exactly cheap, though, their milk costs about $3 per half gallon.

 

[desenso]

Yeah, I figured it probably had to do with longer transit times and a lack of good refrigeration (but not in my personal refrigerator which is kept at the max frigidity to keep sodas as cold as possible!). I wish there was a Whole Foods nearby, but it's about a half hour walk from my apartment, versus a CVS or Harris Teeter within 1-2 blocks respectively.

Guess I'll just have to go with freeny's suggestion of buying the smaller containers more regularly, because unless powdered milk has come a long way in the last 5 years, I don't think I could stand that...

Trader Joes or Whole Foods really need to put a store by my apartment! Oh yeah, and Buffalo Wild Wings need to get into the DC area too.... but that's another complaint for another time.

 

[bousozoku]

Don't the regular grocery stores have Parmalat milk that can stay on the shelf for months unrefrigerated until opened?

 

[latergator116]

why not get Anderson Dariy from las vegas,nv its good and i live in las vegas nevada around hendrson

Because he doesn't live in Las Vegas?

 

[jbstew32]

I had the same problem when I was staying just outside DC in MD. Sometimes the milk would spoil 5 days before the date...definitely not the best thing to smell early in the morning.

I even ruined some perfectly good kahlua and vodka once with some cream/milk that went rancid too soon. the dude abides.

 

[desenso]

I even ruined some perfectly good kahlua and vodka once with some cream/milk that went rancid too soon. the dude abides.

LOL. That's great! I picture a moment of genuine sadness...

 

[Martin C]

I'm lucky to have this great organic milk at select locations in NYC and also at the Green Market in Union Square.

 

[Kwyjibo]

Trader Joes or Whole Foods really need to put a store by my apartment! Oh yeah, and Buffalo Wild Wings need to get into the DC area too.... but that's another complaint for another time.

Try the Buffalo Wing Factory its good.