GOT MILK?

Well, now Rick will. Rick recently told me that the one thing he misses most is real milk, and cereal. I guess the milk they have to choose from in Iraq is not good milk, it's either powdered milk, or goat's milk, neither he cares for. It was the one thing he missed most his last deployment (besides us, of course), and looked forward to having when he came home.
SO- after doing some research on milk, I discovered that they have something called, SHELF STABLE MILK. The link shows just what the difference is between regular milk, and shelf stable milk. The difference is that they process shelf stable milk at a higher degree than regular milk, killing more bacteria. The milk is still the same but processing the milk at a higher temperature makes it shelf stable. The milk unopened has a shelf life of aprox. 190 days. Once opened it has to be refrigerated and has to be used within 14 days, lucky for Rick he has a refrigerator to keep his milk in. All the ingredients in shelf stable milk are exactly the same as normal milk. The only noticeable difference is the way it is packaged. It is packaged in tetra packaging, similar to the packaging soy milk, rice milk, and almond milk is packaged. There are several different brands, Hershey's who also makes chocolate and strawberry flavored shelf stable milk in individual packages, Borden's and the brand I found Gossner Foods Premium Milk, it is made near by in Logan, Utah.
After looking at Costco, Wal-Mart, and a few other stores, and even having my S-I-L Jenn looking for it in N.C., where did I find it? DOLLAR TREE, a dollar store. I had thought I had seen the little individual packs there at one point in time but thought it was peculiar they were selling milk not refrigerated, now I know why. So Jenn had found it in N.C. for approx. $3 for 32 oz, Dollar Tree sells it for $1 for 32 oz. What a bargain, and the expiration date is 9 months from now...........but just to convince ourselves before we sent some to Rick, Katelynn and I had to give it a taste test, the verdict, tastes just like milk, because it is milk, it is best chilled, and will be perfect for hot chocolate, cereal and even to drink some with cookies. So he soon will be able to enjoy some cereal and some milk after a long day just as if he were at home.