 
A yogurt lover's dream: thick water buffalo yogurt from The Woodstock Water Buffalo Company is richer and sweeter than yogurt from cow, sheep, or goat milk. And, it’s much easier to digest.
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ROWANN GILMAN is a Contributing Editor.
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March 2005
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Woodstock Water Buffalo Milk Yogurt
Boffo Buffalo—Richer And Easier To Digest
EDITOR’S NOTE: In February 2008, the five-year-old Woodstock Water Buffalo Company and Starhill Dairy, which had recently changed its name to Vermont Spoondance Creamery, closed its doors and was reborn as Bufala di Vermont, under new ownership. The company had won first place for fresh mozzarella seven months earlier in the American Cheese Society’s 2007 competition. The many fans of its cheese and yogurt should know that all is well—in fact, the yogurt is better than ever. Read the review of Bufala di Vermont Water Buffalo Milk Yogurt, which replaces this article. |
CAPSULE REPORT: Yogurt-lovers are in for a new treat, with the thick, creamy, sensual yogurt made from water buffalo. The probiotic yogurts are also available in a lowfat kid’s version and a line enriched with Omega 3s.
Nestled in the green hillsides of Vermont’s South Woodstock lies the only water buffalo milk dairy in the U.S. The Woodstock Water Buffalo Company is home to a 100-head herd (“the girls,” as they’re called) that yields an astonishingly rich, thick milk—the makings of a yogurt that will send you into a starry-eyed trance. You’ll never think of yogurt the same way again.
This is the ur-yogurt: dreamy, creamy and thick enough to stand up a spoon in. While “the girls,” those dear, enormous-yet-so-gentle creatures, may be far from their native roots in India and Southeast Asia, where buffalo milk is milk, they’ve made themselves quite at home in Vermont (actually, they’ve adapted well to five different continents) where they are producing the sweet, extremely thick milk—it’s really more like Half & Half—that yields ultra-rich flavor. Both thickness and flavor are due to the milk’s high fat content and total solids: more solids mean less water, so unlike the soupy supermarket yogurts you’re used to eating, spooning up Woodstock Water Buffalo Yogurt is more like enjoying a lovely serving of cheesecake.
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| One of “the girls.” |
The first thing you notice as you pop off the container’s lid is that this yogurt is pristine white. That’s because water buffalo process the beta carotene they absorb into Vitamin A, eliminating any coloration. But beyond its startling good looks, water buffalo milk yogurt boasts an even more valuable nutrition profile than the cow’s milk variety: It has 58 percent more calcium, 40 percent more protein and 43 percent less cholesterol. In addition, it contains high levels of tocopherol, a naturally occurring antioxidant.
The Woodstock Water Buffalo Company uses no preservatives or thickeners to achieve  its Swiss-style yogurt, uses only probiotic acidophilus cultures—the ones that help maintain intestinal health (the lactose-intolerant claim that buffalo milk yogurt is no problem in the digestion department). The dairy uses all-natural flavorings—many of them locally made—in its flavored yogurts. Their mission is to bring fresh water buffalo milk and cheese products (they also make outstanding buffalo milk mozzarella and buffalo milk ricotta) to the American consciousness while promoting agricultural diversity. “We want to create a unique product and help develop a new form of sustainable agriculture on Vermont’s hillsides,” says Dr. David Muller, the dairy’s founder.
You’ll find none of the chalky texture or tangy undertaste that deters many yogurt eaters from this optimal source of calcium and other nutritional benefits. The yogurt is absolutely delicious on its own, but we recently tried the Maple and Vanilla flavors as toppings on a Pear-Maple Crisp with deliriously satisfying results.
Varieties
There’s a water buffalo yogurt for regular folk and for those who want extra-healthy yogurt:
- The basic yogurt line, available in a dozen flavors in 8-ounce cups, plus 3 flavors in pints
- Woodstock Water Buffalo Yogurt enhanced with with Omega-3 essential fatty acids
So make a note in your dairy diary: Try Woodstock Water Buffalo Yogurt. And if you’re in the neighborhood, stop by the dairy to have a look at an actual hairy but girly water buffalo, and perhaps even enjoy a chat with the staff.
WOODSTOCK WATER
BUFFALO MILK YOGURT
Artisanal Yogurts
- Omega-3 Enhanced
6-Ounce Containers
Black Cherry, Strawberry &
Raspberry
$1.79
Suggested Retail Price
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Woodstock Water Buffalo Milk Yogurt with Omega 3s. |
- Water Buffalo Yogurt
6-Ounce Cups
Plain, Low Fat Plain, Vanilla, Vermont Honey, Vermont Maple, Vermont Cappuccino, Vermont Black Currant, Chai [cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves], Blueberry, Raspberry, Strawberry
$1.69
Suggested Retail Price
For a retailer near you, check the website’s Store Locator for a retailer near you.
For more information visit WoodstockWaterBuffalo.com
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