Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Creme de le Creme



Check out the cream line on these jars of milk. EmmaLouMoo is not ALWAYS this generous, but I do get a half gallon of heavy cream from her every day.


As I bump along in my life, it occurs to me how much nicer a lot of homemade products are and how expensive it is to buy them. 
I can’t help but think how throughout my lifetime they vilified butter and pushed margarine, only to later discover margarine is very unhealthy for you, whereby real butter actually has many health benefits and as a complete product is good for you. I have to be suspect of something that never goes bad...I heard margarine is 1 molecule shy of being plastic and I suspect its true. Cool whip is another product I find disturbingly stable.
The same vicious and biased battle has been waged over Crisco and Lard (look up the history of it, Crisco was not even meant to be food.) The egg has been victimized as well as real milk, grains and just about everything else. I just can’t bring myself to eat substitutes. There is nothing like the real thing and I believe God knew what He was doing when He put it all together for us. I don’t think you can improve on raw ingredients.
I for one, cannot survive eating just vegetables and even if I could, there would not be much satisfaction in it for me. I have to consider that no matter what I eat, if its not done in moderation and  balance, even WATER can be toxic. Yes, there is a woman who died from drinking too much water. She did it all at once but none the less, it proves my point. The food is not the problem. Our appetites and behaviors are the problem.


I had to chuckle some years ago, as I read a post from a woman who wanted some ideas of meals she could make for her Grampa. Apparently Grandma had passed on some years before, leaving him alone and in his 90’s. He still lived alone and stubbornly refused help from anyone for anything, doing his own house work and even gardening. She thought maybe he would accept some pre-made dinners. She made the comment “he doesn’t eat healthy like we do, he just eats things like meat and potatoes and such.”
...and yet he is 90, and lives independently. That says something about so called ‘healthy eating’ to me.
So much of our life is centered around food. We have ‘dinner parties’, meet people at restaurants, have folks over for meals, plan dates around food, fond memories and character are built around the family dinner table and it’s the gathering place for most all holiday celebrations. It’s just a very important part of life and sustenance, there is no getting around it. 
To me, if it’s real food, its ok to eat. Everything from wood pulp to human hair is being processed and added to our daily food chain in order to increase profits. Factory farming injects everything from growth hormones to unimaginable stuff into our meat products to increase the weight. Nearly everything you buy in the store has things you cannot even pronounce, much less spell. Nothing is done to increase value, just profit. There was once a time when turning out a superior product was the goal of most companies, now it’s frequently to see what they can get away with.
Along with all the processed and synthetic foods there seems to be a rise in autoimmune diseases (I know, as I am a victim), heart disease and all kinds of other maladies. If we think this is not linked to the way we eat, we are kidding ourselves. I really think my diet in my younger years contributed greatly to the problems I suffer from now. I do know that even though Randyman and I consume an AWFUL lot of ‘unhealthy’ animal fats, because I cook only with real butter, lard and use lots of milk products, we raise lamb, chicken and beef and I feel better than I did years before. I believe this is because our food is more natural and other than his addiction to soda pop and chips, we don’t eat anything processed. I make our bread, our broth, our dairy products and just about everything else. 
I am a raw milk advocate, because I know firsthand, the benefits it has brought me personally. I do, however, understand the need for pasteurization of commercial milk, because of the often incredibly unsanitary conditions it goes through during processing. Not everyone is in a position to have their own goat or cow. Never the less, there are things you can do at home, to improve the quality of your dairy products, even if you cannot get good clean raw milk. You can make your own milk products, saving money, producing a superior product and controlling what goes INTO your body.
So, even if someone is not fortunate enough to have a goat or cow, there are things that can be made better and cheaper without much work, from (ugh) commercial milk and cream. 
Now, bear in mind, I DO have a cow...and goats, so I have never made anything with commercial milk. But you can. 
Some of these things are just plain decadent. You may not need them often, but when you do, why not just make it yourself? WE can still take pride in producing a superior product, even if commercial manufacturers do not. Our friend the chef, lauded the flavor and quality of my butter, cream cheese, sour cream and other stuff, which made me smile pretty much all over. He has asked me to freeze it and ship it to him, as he loves it.
Cream Cheese is almost sinfully easy to make. It’s one of my favorites, as it is practically foolproof and I do so love a good cheesecake. It’s also great to mix up with some powdered sugar for blintzes, or to dump some jalapeno jelly, or chili sauce with crab over for a great dip and let’s not forget cream cheese icing on top of carrot cake or homemade cinnamon rolls.
I use 3 quarts of heavy cream to 1 quart of milk, or even half and half. Warm it to 86 degrees, stir in 2 TBL of live cultured buttermilk, using an up and down motion to stir, not round and round, then put 2 DROPS of rennet in 1/4 cup of cool water, mix it into the cream , cover with a clean cloth and let it sit for 12 hours. I put the cream pot in a larger pot of hot water to do this, so I don't burn the cream with direct heat.





After 12 hours you should have a curd mass, so carry it to the sink, and CAREFULLY ladle it into a muslin lined colander. 
I use a cheese ladle.






Make sure its a BIG piece of muslin as this makes a LOT of cream cheese. Tie up the corners of the cloth, hang it over the sink, or over a bowl to drain for another 12 hours and thats it. I use a big jelly bag. 


Amazing how much money they charge for this stuff in the store.
You CAN adjust the amount of heavy cream to milk to affect both the flavor and the calorie content of the finished product.




Buttermilk, by the way, is a ‘mesophilic culture’. There are other cultures that fall in that category, even clabbered milk, which you CANNOT get from pasteurized milk as all the beneficial bacteria in it has been destroyed. But live culture buttermilk is one type of this culture and can be used for lots of different stuff, like making cheeses.
Use this same buttermilk to culture a half gallon of heavy cream for making cultured butter. The resulting butter will be more flavorful, break faster and give a better yield than just plain old sweet cream butter. I always have this visual of cultured butter at the opera or museum, but it’s just not so.
I put a bit in my jar of cream and let it sit out over night or for a day or so until it thickens. (cover loosely) Pour it into your KA with the whip and a cover (definitely one of those pour covers) let her rip. When the butter breaks, you will have little rice sized pieces of butter clumping up. Strain the new buttermilk into a sterile quart jar and save to culture the next batch and to bake with. I use a funnel and a nifty little strainer to do this. Then I slosh the butter in the strainer under cold water under until it runs clear. I work the butter in the metal bowl in a wee bit of cold water, changing it often until all the buttermilk is worked out of my butter, then I work out the water with a little kneading and shape it. It’s important to get all the buttermilk out of the butter, or it will go ‘off’ quickly.


 I use a couple of different butter presses. I have an old antique wooden press that makes close to 1 pound bricks and a small one that makes pats. You can work the salt in at this point, if you want salted butter. I only salt the butter we will use on the table, so salted butter is always shaped in a little ball to fit my Butter Bell, or in the pats. The rest is in bricks or balls that are measured to 4 oz for cooking. I do this so I can distinguish my unsalted butter from the rest, as it is for cooking and making ghee.
The buttermilk is now used to culture other stuff, make bread or biscuits, pancakes or waffles, or marinate chicken to tenderize it. What I don’t use goes to the chickens who love it.
Another product you can make with a minimum of fuss or tools, is sour cream. My cream is raw and very, very thick. (thank you EmmaLouMoo!)



Because its so thick I thin it a bit so I use about 3 cups heavy cream to a cup of whole milk. Warm it to about 80 degrees or so and stir in about 1/3 cup of live culture buttermilk. Put it in a sterilized container, like a widemouth canning jar or something, cover with a paper towel and set it somewhere warm for a day or so. Like yogurt, the longer it incubates the more tart it becomes.Not too high tech! It won’t be AS thick as commercial sour cream because they add stuff to theirs for thickening.
Because I get 1/2 gallon a day of heavy cream from EmmaLouMoo, (I am talking ‘scrape off of the spoon thick” heavy cream) I make a LOT of butter. It won’t keep forever, not even in the freezer, so every few weeks I make ghee. Ghee is awesome stuff. It’s basically, ‘oil of butter’. It’s about 1 step further than the clarified butter you use to dip lobster or crab in.
 All of the milk solids are cooked out until just the purest stuff is left then it is strained and poured into sterile jars. It keeps somewhere close to forever in the pantry. Ghee has an extremely high smoking point (something like 400 degrees) so I use it instead of butter for stir frying, frying eggs, making cheese sandwiches, etc. It doesn’t burn like butter. Its perfect for sauteing and ...its HEALTHY!
It’s a very popular ingredient in eastern cuisine and I understand there is Ayurvedic ghee that is over 100 years old.
All there is to making ghee is to dump about 5 pounds of UNSALTED butter in a big pot and melt it down. Let it keep simmering until it separates. Skim off the foam that comes to the top and toss it out. It will eventually become very clear and golden with all the solid bits on the bottom. At this point I carefully pour it into another container, making sure none of the stuff on the bottom goes with it. Then I wash out the pot, dry it really well, pour the liquid back in and let it go for a little longer, to make sure ALL the water and solid stuff has been cooked out of it. Then I let it cool a bit, strain it into sterilized pint or half pint jars, cap them and put them in the pantry until I need them.



One of the simplest “cooked” things to make with milk, is yogurt. All that is required is some milk, a little powdered milk and some starter culture. The easiest way to acquire starter is to buy some plain, live culture yogurt at the store, and use some of it to kick start your batch. Then you can hold back some of your own yogurt each time to culture the next batch. This is good for several generations before you have to go back to an original starter again. With a pot, a thermometer, and someplace to incubate your yogurt you are good to go. I already blogged this some time ago, so we won’t harp on it.
Cream Cheese
1/2 gallon heavy cream (not ultra pasteurized!)
1/2 gallon whole milk (not ultra pasteurized!)
2 TBL live culture buttermilk
2 drops liquid rennet in 1/4 c water
Warm milk and cream to 86 degrees in clean stainless steel container.
Stir in buttermilk using up and down motion
Make rennet solution last so it doesn’t weaken and stir in using up and down motion.
Cover with clean cloth and sit aside for 12 hours.
Look for clean break, CAREFULLY ladle out curd and drain in cloth bag for up to 12 hours.
Salt if desired.
Cover and keep refrigerated for up to a week or freeze
Sour Cream
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup live culture buttermilk
Warm cream and milk to about 80 degrees, stir in buttermilk.
Pour into sterile container and cover with paper towel and rubber band for 24 hours or so in a warm place. (think water heater closet)
It WILL thicken more once chilled but will not be as thick as commercial which has thickeners added to it along with other stabilizers.
Cultured Butter
1/2 gallon heavy cream
2 TBL live culture buttermilk
Stir buttermilk into cream, cover with cloth or papertowel and allow to sit for 24 hours or more to thicken.
Churn until cream breaks into rice sized pieces of butter and sloshy liquid.
Strain buttermilk into sterile jar.
Wash and knead  butter in cold water until water runs clear. Knead out additional water, salt if desired and shape. Refrigerate or freeze.
Ghee
3-5 lb of unsalted butter
Melt in large heavy bottomed pot.
Simmer until milk solids have fallen to bottom of pot and water has boiled off, removing foam now and then, careful not to stir everything up.
Butter will clarify and become a clear golden color.
 This takes about 20 minutes.
When most of foam has stopped, strain into another container, careful NOT to pour milk solids into container. 
Clean pot throughly, return ghee to pot and simmer a bit longer to make sure all milk solids and water have been simmered out of it.
Let cool a bit then strain again into sterilized canning jars.
Put on lids.
Refrigeration is not necessary.


When you have made these items, then you can make this.
An incredibly rich and moist chocolate cake made with homemade butter, homemade sour cream and topped with icing made with homemade cream cheese. Ahh life is good.






61 comments:

  1. There is nothing like a Jersey cow!! But, even so, that EmmaLouMoo is something else! I applaud your post - very well put and so true. And thank you for the recipes. I have 'half' of a Jersey cow and will be faced with gallons of fresh, raw milk each week (oh, the agony....:o)). I already make yogurt and some soft cheeses, but now I can branch out! Thanks again!!!

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  2. yw! I can't even imagine not having a cow. I dread the 60 days in spring she will have to be dry before freshening again!

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  3. Oh my. Oh goodness. Yum. There is a farm close to us that has a herd share program. You can purchase a whole or half share of a cow and get 1.5 - 3 gallons of raw milk per week. Is raw milk safe? Pardon my ignorance but I imagine then you get cream too?

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  4. All we drink is raw. Once you pasteurize, you have killed all of the beneficial bacteria and vitamins. That's why they have to add back vitamin D. You can't even take up the calcium from pasteurized milk. As long as stuff is kept clean you are ok. Cows are vaccinated now for brucellosis before they are a year old. Also, you will find if you leave raw milk out for days, it will 'clabber', which is like yogurt, only milder. Pasteurized milk would immediately rot. I left some raw goat milk in the fridge for 6 months. I pulled it out the other day and it did not smell bad, and hadn't even separated. It had just the tiniest amount of mold beginning to grow on it. It took that long for the bad bacteria to overcome the beneficial bacteria in it!
    You would have to ask them to leave the cream in. Most herdshares skim the heavy cream off the milk before they sell it.

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  5. Thanks so much for the info. I often think about the manipulation that goes on in our foods from farm to table. There must be a link between the crap that is put in foods and cancer, ADHD, autism, etc. As much as I think about it, I am guilty of eating processed foods way too much. I looked at the butter I bought the other day and read the ingredient list: butter and natural flavorings. What the heck is natural flavoring? I don't even want to know.

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    1. there is a link, google, adhd, and autism diets, and youll see that theyve removed cows milk wheat gluten and a host of other things. since I do not have access to "raw" fresh milk, I have switched my children to almond and soy. I miss all the baking that Ive done with regular milk :(

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    2. Yes, commercial milk comes mostly from Holstein cattle. They have found that Holsteins almost 100% of the time give A1A1 milk which does have links to lactose intolerance and exacerbating autism as well as a variety of other maladies. Goats, camels, sheep and the majority of Guernsey and Jersey cows give A2 A2 milk which seemingly does not have the same affect. If you don't have access to raw milk, it is much better to use an alternative to milk.

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  6. Your blog is my very favorite! I can't wait to read it and see the beautiful pictures! Keep it coming!

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  7. Oh My Goodness. Look at all that Goodness! The cake at the end made me drool. LOL

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  8. Oh man! Now you've done it, I'm gonna have to find a source for raw milk. I had never even heard of ghee before now, ( well actually when the boys were in martial arts that's what they called their uniform :p ) but I found it completely fascinating! My day is complete, I learned something new.
    We had goats when I lived at home and I shared the milk with my boyfriend, then he married me! See? Raw milk is powerful!
    That Emmalou sure keeps you hoppin' doesn't she?
    I want that cake....

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  9. I can't wait to get my cow! DH is going to start on the barn, god willing this spring. I still have'nt made up my mind on the breed. I keep going back and forth between a Jersey and a Dexter. I work full time and won't be able to put up that much cream and milk but I'm not sure if a Dexter will give me enough. Oh desicions! I love love your blog and learn so much from it every time you post. I hope my Great Pyrenees pups grow up to be as good a livestock guardians as your pups are.
    Oh I'm r4eboxer from the Easy Garden site BTW. I'll be posting the soup recipe soon.

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  10. OH I forgot to say that now I know what that flat ladel with the holes in it is. LOL. My MIL had it and I couldn't figure out what in the world it was used for. Now I know! CHEESE

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  11. Love, love, love the blog Petey. Thanks for all the recipes..... I think we should all plan a vacation to visit and you can teach us! :o)

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  12. Replies
    1. I think you should start a summer workshop. We could come up and stay in tents. You could make some money with all this knowledge.
      I have made goat cheese and that's about it. I love your clear directions on how to make these wonderful basics in the kitchen. You are precise and clear about how to do this and I can tell that you love doing it.
      That cake at the end was "the cherry on top". You gave us a reason for making the effort... and, as if that wasn't enough, you tell us about the health aspect. You Rock!

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    2. Thank you farm lady! That WOULD be really fun!

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  13. AWESOME POST!!!!!!!

    I'm a raw milk fan too & while my girls are dry I rarely use milk because I can't stand store bought stuff.

    I'm envious of all that cream!!!! I so wish I could afford a cow, but I feel blessed to have my goats :)

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  14. Where would one go to purchase a cow who has not been fed hormones or otherwise been altered in any way and how much would I expect to pay for one.....the same goes for goats as well.

    Mary Swygart
    God Bless *+* <3

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  15. Where would one purchase a cow or goats that have not been genetically altered or fed hormones, etc and how much should I expect to pay for one or two of each?

    Love your posts,blogs, recipes, etc.

    God bless *+* <3

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  16. There are organic dairies and often you can find a nice family cow for sale. Price depends on area, age, breed, production and other factors such as wether or not cow has freshened, is dry, bred, etc. I would expect to pay $800 and up to $2500. I would however, recommend a cow that has experience and is gentle for a first cow.Pretty much all the same with goats, they are much less expensive to keep and to feed, but also produce less, are harder to contain, and you don't have the benefit of all the cream as goatmilk is naturally homogenized. It is quite nice tho! I have purchased unregistered Nubian goats for $60-$150. Registered goats cost more. It is best to make sure your goats are free of CAE ad CL, both pretty devastating diseases that are prevalent. A simple bloodtest will tell.

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    1. There is a website which is great for information on family milk cows. It is a board with lots of people and combined experience. http://familycow.proboards.com

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    2. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to respond. It is most appreciative.

      God bless *+* <3

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    3. Thank YOU for taking the time to stop by and comment, Mary :)

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  17. Isn't it also possible to burn ghee in oil lamps?

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    1. I have read that Hindus do it, i think it is part of a religious rite, but I could be wrong. I've never tried it!

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  18. How long can you keep frozen cream cheese for??

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    1. You know, I don't honestly know! I have kept commercial cream cheese in the freezer for quite awhile in the past and used it for cheese cake. My own I don't freeze very often as it's so easy to just make some when I am going to need it.

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  19. Absolutely Love your blog. I get raw milk and cream from the Amish. There is nothing to com[pare to the taste of the cream and Butter. I also use free range Brown eggs for the same reason. Wish I could have a cow and Chickens. We were allowed to have Chickens in town when I was a kid. Too many restrictions that cause us to go the unnatural route.

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    1. Thanks Sue, and thank you for taking time to comment. I wish more people could find raw milk available. I have family 15 hours away who would love it, but can't get any, and I feel awful everytime I have to pour out or clabber for the critters, knowing they'd love having it! We have become over restrictive and over regulated, much to the detriment of America's health.

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  20. I'm a complete novice when it comes to this stuff but have recently been trying to learn how to do some things on my own. I don't mean to sound stupid, but what is rennet and where would I find it?

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    1. It is a product that makes the milk 'curd' up. You can buy animal or vegetable rennet in liquid or tablet form. I use liquid vegetable rennet most of the time. It goes a pretty long way as you only use drops or 1/4 tsp at a time. I purchase most of my supplies from leeners.com but there are several good suppliers online. You can also buy "junket rennet" at the grocery store (at least you used to be able to) but i like a little higher quality stuff. I didn't have satisfactory results with the junket.

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  21. oh man I need me a jersey cow! I can't drink milk from the store but we have a place around here that sells milk that is not homogenized and I seem to handle that better. They just sell it in a few places and I have to go there to get it. But man how wonderful it would be to have a cow to where you could be overwhelmed with milk all the time to do things with. ;)

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  22. Pretty cool when a full bucket of milk can make your morning! The depth of flavor in your homemade products is out of this world too! Home made butter on buttermilk whole wheat waffles..OMG

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  23. A suburban girl here, I also don't want to sound too clueless, but how do you make/get cultured buttermilk? And will you be posting the recipe for that cake? It looks amazing.

    ~Kit

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  24. I culture my hvy cream before I make butter by inoculating it and leaving it out a day or two and the resultant buttermilk I pour off is thick and creamy and far superior to what you can buy. You can use commercial live culture buttermilk as your initial culture, which is easier than waiting for your raw milk to clabber.
    You can then make 'mother cultures' from that which you can keep going indefinitely. I make new mother cultures about every 4-5 weeks.
    I don't remember where i downloaded the cake recipe from, but here it is

    1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
    ● 2 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
    ● 3 eggs
    ● 3 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
    ● 2 tsp. vanilla extract
    ● 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
    ● 2 tsp. baking soda
    ● 1/2 tsp. salt
    ● 1 cup sour cream
    ● 1 cup water

    FROSTING:
    ● 1 cup butter or margarine
    ● 1 cup peanut butter*
    ● 4 cups confectioners' sugar
    ● 1/4 cup milk
    ● 2 tsp. vanilla extract
    ● 1 cup finely chopped peanuts
    Directions:

    1. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and brown sugar; beat in eggs, chocolate and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream.

    2. Gradually beat in water. Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

    3. For frosting, cream the butter, peanut butter, confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla in a mixing bowl until smooth; set aside. Split each cake into two layers. Place a bottom layer on a serving plate; spread with about 1/2 cup frosting.

    4. Repeat layers twice. Top with the remaining cake. Frost top and sides of cake. Gently press peanuts into sides of cake.

    Thanks for stopping by, Kit :)

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    1. oh yeah, I opted for cream cheese frosting on mine.

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  25. I thoroughly believe that if it wasn't food 100 years ago, it's not food now.

    We drink raw goat milk from our small herd of LaManchas (I'm saving for a cream separator so I can do more yummy dairy products like sour cream and cream cheese), raise our own chickens for meat and eggs, eat venison instead of beef most of the time, grow our own vegetables and grind our own grain. Some days I think I must be crazy to do all this!

    So glad to have stumbled across your blog!

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    1. We are of like mind! I wish more people had the opportunity we do. I'd love some input on your whole grain cooking. I got my grinder last spring and love it, but find there are some definite differences in the making and have to do some tweaking for the final products from my regular recipes. Any tips and favorite recipes always appreciated!

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  26. My niece pinerest your blog and am glad she did. I loved reading it. I just wish I knew what some of it meant. I always wanted to go back to the basic, trying whole fresh milk real butter. I moved to Tennessee 8 years thinking I could go back to basic. but I haven't. I don't even know where to start. Or if I dare. since I have no idea where to start. I love that my Niece posted this. And just wanted to leave you something just to let you know that someone read it this year. Thank you for sharing....

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Patty. As far as going back to basic, how about starting with a couple of chickens? They are very low maintenance and provide fresh eggs and fertilizer for the garden as well as some bug control if they are able to forage around a bit. If you get to try some real whole fresh milk and butter, you won't ever be happy again without it, I can tell ya that!

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  27. Thank you! And you are invited to dinner...bring the cake; )

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  28. Thank you for sharing these recipes. Now I want a cow!

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    1. Seriously, one of the greatest joys in my life is having a Family Cow. Starting my morning with a bucketful of fresh, raw milk just starts the whole day on a good note for me, and the cow herself is like a therapist LOL So much so, that the few times I have NOT been milking (such as recently because of some health issues) I feel a little depressed and I miss my sour cream, cream cheese, butter, milk, soft and hard cheeses and all the other good stuff that goes with it!

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  29. You said this would be cheaper for those of us who buy commercial milk, but its not. The costs of the cream alone would be around $12.50, and the milk would be $1. Add to that the price of rennet and buttermilk culture (which I doubt would be much, but I don't know.) How much cream cheese does this recipe make? Because I can get 2 1/2 pounds for $8 at Sam's. Now, if I had a cow or bought raw milk, then it would be worth it, but not with commercial milk.

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    1. I haven't priced heavy cream lately, but I can't believe 3 qt would cost $12.50…you can use half and half, or adjust the milk/cream ratio to 50/50. Considering that bowl is a 2 qt bowl and is full of cream cheese and you normally buy it in 8 0z pck I still think it's a pretty good deal. Nevertheless, I still would use raw milk. I've never cared much for commercial pasteurized stuff.

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  30. Great post, Petey! Our food system is screwed up for sure!

    I've had a family milk cow, a Guernsey, for six months now and love having our own delicious milk, butter, and yogurt. I haven't ventured too far into cheese making because I lack the supplies, but someday I hope to. I think I'll try making sour cream though...that I can do!

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  31. FABULOUS post!! Thank you so much for taking the time to teach these valuable recipes!

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    1. You are welcome! Have fun with it and thanks for taking time to stop in and say howdy!

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  32. oh yum
    such great recipes, thank you for sharing!

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  33. I love your response Ma Kettle ;-)

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  34. I just love your attitude about using what god made for us to use in the natural way. And I get so angry about how all the food that has been adulterated. I grow organic fruits and vegetables, and make all my own things. I sell my organic produce and at the same time I educate the community about harmful doctoring of foods that they eat and drink. And to my amazement, most of them had no clue at all about what is being put in the foods they buy at the store. Which in turns has lead them to start eating healthier, and they in return have become like family. Now they are the ones who go out and tell others about eating organic and buy local from organic farmers. I believe we need to stick together, because that in my book is what god created the food for. To be natural and true. I look forward to seeing more of your posts.

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    1. It is such a privilege to be able to live this lifestyle where we can supply most of our own food. We grow our own chicken, lamb and beef, mill my own flour, enjoy our own eggs and make all our milk products. Most folk are stuck in the city and I feel bad for them! Organic there is sometimes out of their price range

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    2. oh and thanks so much for stopping by and thanks for taking the time to say hello! :)

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  35. I was hoping to do some of these recipes with my students but I am not sure where to get rennet or live culture buttermilk. Can I get that at the grocery store or are there other suggestions?

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    1. You can get live cultured buttermilk at the store and sometimes rennet as well. I purchase my rennets and cheese cultures online. There are several sources you can google :)

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  36. Was wondering if you could link the yogurt comment to the blog you have on that. Would really appreciate such. Or if you can add a Search ability to your blog, that would be great too. Thanks!

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    1. yes indeed and you can also make cultures of your yogurt, clabber and buttermilk buy sterilizing a jar, filling with your culture, place in water even with top of liquid, put on lid and boil for ten minutes. Be sure to put something under your jars so they don't crack from the heat induction

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  37. I notice every recipe for yogurt says that every few batches you need new starter...someone had to make that starter from something..after research I realized that If you did it right you could use the same start indefinable without it losing its punch...starter dies from using all of its food source before you use it again..if you put it asleep in between uses it wont eat its food source and die...I put a start for my next back in the freezer immediately after making a batch...I did 33 batches in a row without fail and without needing new starter.. thick nice greek yogurt and yogurt cheese..then we moved and I couldn't take it with me so I started again...10 batches in and still thick like the first time.

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  38. I wish I was able to get milk from a dairy farm to make my own butter. We use to get milk from cows when my father n law was alive. they had a small dairy farm. But there isn't any around where we live now to get fresh milk from a cow anymore.

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  39. You are living my dream! We are moving to Oregon from Arizona this summer. I'd love to rent some land but have no idea how to go about finding it. I would love any advice I could get from those who knows the state. My family is getting back to the simpler ways of life which is how I came across your blog. Thank you for all of the helpful information.

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  40. what is rennit? where do you get it?

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