"Liquid Wonder"

                                                                       

I made a run up to Safeway yesterday, and ended up back in my time machine. My choice of conveyance for a "Back To The Future" experience was not a DeLorean....instead it came in the form of a restored old milk truck.

As I parked and headed into the store, an old blue and white milk truck pulled up to the front loading zone and the driver exited from the sliding front door, two racks of ice cold, gallon glass bottles of fresh milk, one in each hand.

I followed him into the store and watched him progress to the dairy case where he began stocking that liquid memorabilia from a by-gone era. When he was finished I walked over and ran my hands over those icy glass bottles of white and chocolate milk. The bottles read Danzeisen Dairy. Keeping them company were pint bottles of orange and strawberry milk. 

                                                         

I couldn't resist. I plucked one of those glass gallon bottles, straight from the 50's, and stuck one in my cart, all the while nearly half believing there might be a broken clock tower somewhere in the midst.

I finished my shopping, went home, put my groceries away, parking that "50's milk" prominently on the top shelf of my fridge. Went over to the cabinet, grabbed my vintage Coca Cola glass and stuck it in the freezer to get a nice chill on it.

After 15 minutes I went and retrieved my chilled glass, then poured a lovely eight ounces of fresh from the dairy milk into it. Dug around in the cookie jar and plucked an oatmeal raisin cookie and stood at my kitchen counter, alternating between a bite of cookie and a sip of ice cold milk. it was heaven.

Just had to google who these Danzeisen folks are. Found out the Danzeisens have been dairy farming for more than half a century here in the valley. A few years ago, realizing that they weren't making much wholesaling out their milk to the big distributors, they decided to market their own....except in a very unique and special way.

The family scoured the country until they found some old glass bottling equipment. Then they set up operation right on their farm, including big old stainless steel vats and bottle cleaning equipment.

They then went out and had a talk with "old Bessie" and all her kin, and began milking their cows three times a day, ferrying their liquid wonder back to the plant, and shooting them into pristine glass bottles.

Their cow family are fed on good and wholesome sweet alfalfa, no additives, no hormones...and the results are sublime.

Having arrived late to the scene, i have since learned that our local Fry's, Whole Foods, Safeway and a dozen other local supermarkets carry the Danzeisen's milk. And once you've polished off that gallon bottle, you return it to the store for a $2 dollar credit.

Pardon me, have to go. Gonna go pour myself a glass of milk, cop another cookie, and sit and listen to some Buddy Holly tunes. And life is especially good on Snead Drive this Saturday morning.