Hudson Valley Fresh milk is not to be missed.

The Blue Cleaver came across HVF milk at a Hannaford's supermarket in Kingston, New York. Budget shoppers take note: it costs a little more than ordinary agribusiness milk, but less than organic, at a price that makes local dairy farming sustainable.

We found that it tasted better than any other milk we could remember, as rich and smooth as cream. Cows from Pleasant Valley, East Fishkill, Pine Plains and Clinton Corners make the juice, and the kind people at Ronnybrook Farm in Ancramdale pack it up quick. Unlike most retail milk that usually takes five days to reach the supermarket, HVF gets the stuff from udder to shelf in just 36 hours. Local = speedy = minimal pasteurization = great flavor.

A member-based nonprofit, HVF limits its product distribution to a selected area of New York's Hudson Valley to insure that everything they sell comes fresh from the farm to you. Members sell not only locally grown produce, meats, dairy, and flowers, but also cheese, baked goods, preserves, and other artisanal goodies. Gimlet-eyed shoppers will find HVF food for sale at farm stands as well as enlightened delis and supermarkets around the mid-Hudson area.

All parties involved say that they are hoping to expand in the near future, so the Blue Cleaver will be keeping its eyes peeled for HVF right here in New York City.