FAQ'S

What if I forget to order in time?

• Unfortunately, we do not accept late orders. Please set an alarm so you do not forget next time.

Is there a membership fee, a delivery fee, or a minimum order amount?

• There is no membership charge to be part of our buying club.
• There is a minimum delivery fee for drops. 
• This fee may be reduced with larger orders.
• There is no fee for farm pickups.
  

When will I be billed for my order?

• Members technically do not get to "pay" for orders on their end. We capture payment on our end, when we are ready to do so.
• You are typically billed within 2 days before your order goes out, though you may be charged the day of delivery. Please have your card prepared for payment within that time period. 
• Your card or eCheck information is kept secure within the FarmMatch system; we have no access to it, and neither do the people in the FarmMatch backend. 
• If your payment fails, you may be charged $5-10 in admin fees per failed charge.

Can I pick up my order late?

• We require you to pick up your items by evening of each drop day, or within the hours stated on your receipt.
• If you have an unusual issue and would like to request to pickup on a one-time basis after drop day, you may do so ONLY by the following method: 

1. You must make a one-time request of the drop host (and keep in mind that it is not acceptable as a normal occurrence)
2. The drop host's info is listed on your delivery notice - and the drop is at their private residence.
3. When you message the drop host, you must propose a time for pickup, and it must be the following day, preferably before dinnertime. 
4. IF the drop host says yes to your one-time request, you understand that they are NOT responsible for keeping your food cold. 

• It is our standard, moving forward, that if you do not pickup on drop day, and if you do not make a request to the drop host for pickup by 5pm on drop day, that your items may be donated. 

• As we grow, we are working to streamline all processes and remove any burden on our ever-gracious volunteer drop hosts.

Can I edit my order?

• Members can edit/change the order (by adding or removing products) as long as it's before the ordering deadline. After the ordering deadline, the member then no longer has the ability to edit an order. 
• If you are ever wondering which orders you have placed or have not placed, you can always log in and view your order history 24 hours per day by following these instructions. 

1. Log in a farmmatch.com/login 
2. Click Orders on the left. If you are using a phone or tablet, after logging in, click on the Menu at the top right and then select Orders in the drop down.

Can I make a recurring order?

• Yes! We have a feature which allows you to make a recurring order, and to edit that recurring order each time around. In the future, you should be able to make a recurring order on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly cycle (feature coming soon).

When and where can I pick up my order?

• We host a couple of drops and a pickup at our farm (Pequea, PA). Your order receipt will contain info about the drop location, including address and pickup time. Each drop is hosted by a member who is volunteering space in their yard for our cooler. 
• Pickup Times: Your pickup will be after the time listed and will be available until end of the day.

How will I be notified of delivery of my order?

• We send email notices when deliveries are made to every person who has ordered that day (unless you are ordering for farm pickup). 
• Please add the email (hello@littlecaptaincreek.farm) to your address book to ensure these important emails do not go to spam. 
• We have also updated the delivery times on order slips / receipts to more accurately reflect what to expect.
• If we ever face significant delays, we will do our best to let you know via email. 
• If you have any issues with your order or items in your order, please email us at hello@littlecaptaincreek.farm.

I am having issues with my order. Who do I contact?

• If you have any issues with your order, or with items in your order, please email us at hello@littlecaptaincreek.farm, where you can reach our non-Amish admin, Ruth.

Why raw milk?

• Raw milk is rich in enzymes (such as the lactose enzyme, which breaks down lactose) and is rich in completely bio-available vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Raw milk is a natural source of vitamins A, D, and K2 - a trinity of fat-soluble nutrients which work in a synergistic manner. 
• Raw milk is also a healthy source of raw (un-oxidized) saturated fats, which support fat-soluble vitamin absorption, and are recognized by the body as energy. The heart, brain, and eyes (and much more) need this raw saturated fat to thrive. Together, these nutrients are the building blocks of life - bones, cells, muscles, etc. all grow in health in their presence. 
• We believe that raw milk is a God-given source of nutrition for all Mankind, and that everyone should have access to this important food. Learn more at www.realmilk.com and www.getrawmilk.com.

What is "real" milk?

• Real Milk comes from real cows (old fashioned breeds not overproducing and dying young). Real Milk comes from real cows that eat real feed (Green grass in Spring, Summer and Fall; stored dry hay, silage, hay and root vegetables in Winter. It is not soy meal, cottonseed meal or other commercial feeds, nor is it bakery waste, chicken manure or citrus peel cake, laced with pesticides). 
• Real Milk is not pasteurized (Pasteurization destroys enzymes, diminishes vitamin content, denatures fragile milk proteins, destroys vitamins C, B12 and B6, kills beneficial bacteria, promotes pathogens and is associated with many illnesses. Calves drinking pasteurized milk do not survive). 
• Real Milk is not homogenized. Real Milk contains butterfat, and lots of it! Real Milk contains no additives. Real Milk can save family farms. 
  Learn more at www.RealMilk.com.

Why don't you pasteurize or homogenize your milk?

• Pasteurization destroys the life and enzymes in milk, and deteriorates vital nutrients, fats, and proteins in milk. The body does not recognize pasteurized milk as a whole, bio-available food. Since pasteurized dairy is deficient in so much, it is unable to provide the unique and life-giving health benefits which raw dairy IS able to provide. Pasteurized milk is dead milk; Raw milk is enlivened milk. 
• Homogenization is a process that breaks down butterfat globules so they do not rise to the top. Homogenized milk has been linked to heart disease. 
  Learn more at www.RealMilk.com. 
• RealMilk.com: Real Milk is not pasteurized. Pasteurization destroys enzymes, diminishes vitamin content, denatures fragile milk proteins, destroys vitamins C, B12 and B6, kills beneficial bacteria, promotes pathogens and is associated with allergies, increased tooth decay, colic in infants, growth problems in children, osteoporosis, arthritis, heart disease and cancer. Calves fed pasteurized milk do poorly and many die before maturity. 
  Raw milk sours naturally but pasteurized milk turns putrid; processors must remove slime and pus from pasteurized milk by a process of centrifugal clarification. Inspection of dairy herds for disease is not required for pasteurized milk. 
• Pasteurization was instituted in the 1920s to combat TB, infant diarrhea, undulant fever and other diseases caused by poor animal nutrition and dirty production methods. But times have changed and modern stainless steel tanks, milking machines, refrigerated trucks and inspection methods make pasteurization absolutely unnecessary for public protection. And pasteurization does not always kill the bacteria for Johne's disease suspected of causing Crohn's disease in humans with which most confinement cows are infected. 
• Much commercial milk is now ultra-pasteurized to get rid of heat-resistant bacteria and give it a longer shelf life. Ultra-pasteurization is a violent process that takes milk from a chilled temperature to above the boiling point in less than two seconds.
  

Is your milk 100% cream-line (all fat remaining in the milk)?

• All the milk we offer is fully intact, meaning take any cream from it. This is BEYOND creamline! -- The skim milk resulting from making cream goes to feed the pigs - never to humans. We love to utilize this skim milk for milk-fed pork.

I don't see a creamline on the top of my milk which I picked up today. Why's that?

• The milk you will receive is extremely fresh and is often poured the evening before, or that same morning, so no cream may have had time to rise to the top, by the time you receive your milk. If you want your milk's cream rise to the top, we recommend not opening your milk, and waiting about 3 days. If you have shaken or stirred the milk, it is not likely that you will see any cream rise to the top.

What is the difference between A1 and A2 milk?

• We only offer A2/A2 milk. A2/A2 milk is highly digestible milk, great for "lactose intolerant" people. It can also be helpful for those with digestive issues. The difference between A1 and A2 milk is in the genetics of the cow - specifically in the beta casein protein. A1 milk is typically the milk of the conventional dairy cow; these cows are bred for high production, but many also have a mutated genetic protein which can cause a higher amount of health issues in humans. Some of those issues have been shown through studies to include digestive issues, and increase of diabetes and heart disease.

How do you keep milking equipment clean, how do you clean the cow/sheep/goat, and how do you keep the raw milk good while in storage?

• We wash and rinse our equipment thoroughly, using chemical-free liquid soap for washing, and hydrogen peroxide to rinse and sanitize. The milk house is in a separate room in our facility, and that is where we keep our equipment.
• The cow is mainly raised on pasture, so she does not often lay down in her own poop, and her conditions are kept healthy. Her diet is 100% grass-fed, which keeps her teats and udder healthy. Before being milked, the cow's udder and teats are cleaned using wet, warm towels, and her teats are dipped in a peroxide-based solution. We also strip test her before milking. 
• The goat and sheep are sometimes kept indoors in the winter, and their bedding area is kept very clean. They are milked in the same way as cows. 
• All milk is strained before entering our bulk tank. The bulk tank is kept chilled. 
  We do not use any regular testing, as we found it does not work well. If we test the entire batch once a month, we may have trouble identifying which specific animal (of all our animals) has a higher bacterial load. Therefore, we keep a close eye on udder health, and we ask our members to please let us know if they receive any sour milk. This usually covers our bases, and we very rarely have reports of prematurely sour milk. Please do let us know if you have any issues to report!