I vaguely knew that there were still milk-delivery services around, but I’d never actually seen one in action until I spotted this truck making a delivery on Webster Street this yesterday morning, and was transported back to the 1960s and my parents’ first house in Newton.
The driver, Dale, told me he has about 150 stops in Newton on his route. They deliver twice a week. Thatcher Farm, which is in Milton, no longer has its own cows; the milk comes twice a week from Hatchland Farms in New Hampshire. In the summer, if you’re not home for delivery, they advise putting a plastic bottle of frozen water in their insulated door step box or your own cooler, or if you have an extra refrigerator in your garage they’ll put the delivery in that. I don’t know if this is their normal marketing method, but he asked what kind of milk I drank, handed me a glass bottle quart, and told me to put the empty bottle in the Webster Street house box.
So I did a taste test vs. my normal Trader Joe’s skim milk, which was a few days old. I like them both; the Thatcher Farm tasted a little creamier. The glass bottles are very appealing, but more expensive: $3.10/half gallon (glass or paper) vs. $4.85/gallon in plastic. (Does milk taste different from glass bottles?) For someone who doesn’t like food shopping, though, you could eat pretty well from the rest of their product list, if you had another source for fruits and vegetables.
I have been sharing a Thatcher Farm delivery of milk with a neighbor for years. I love the glass bottles and additionally since my husband hates to shop this makes my life easier, he never has to worry about not having milk in the morning for his cereal.
You have choices. We’ve been using Crescent Ridge for years.
I was a Crescent Ridge customer when my kids were little. I loved all their products and the kids thought it was great fun to have “Larry the Milkman” deliver milk to us. The one and only downside I ever experienced was the occasional dropping and shattering of those lovely glass bottles.
Remember the Egg delivery trucks? I haven’t seen them in years. Is there one still around?
I just saw a Crescent Ridge truck this morning on Washington as I heading to the commuter rail station for the 16 minute late inbound train. I typically get MOO Milk from the Cambridge Coop or Whole Foods if needed. I would be more likely to use a delivery service if we had an Organic farm here in MA that would deliver, but alas we do not yet. I have bought Crescent Ridge before and it is good though!
Somewhere, because I don’t think I ever threw it out, I have a toilet paper tube full of those cardboard circles that used to be in the tops of milk bottles, holding in the crimped paper caps, which I took it into my head to collect for a while. (Weird kid.)
They sell milk in bottles at both Shaws and Whole Foods. What would be the difference?
Hello, I;m Dale the milkman. I enjoy delivering in Newton on Monday and Tuesday.
Please give us a call at 617-696-6000 I will be happy to give a sample of our
farm fresh milk and our price list. I have meet a lot of wonderful people in town.
Hope to hear from you, Dale
I believe Dale is the first milkman to ever post on Village 14. Let’s all make him feel welcome!