Raw Milk?

I saw an article about raw milk. I found it very interesting. I did not know that milk, when processed and pasteurized loses alot of its protein and vitamins. But it is processed to destroy bacteria. Cows produce safe milk in an alkaline stomach. Depending what a cow is fed depends on the milk it produces. Acidic results in milk that may harbor bacteria. This I found while reading is produced when cows are fed corn and grain. Amazing, right? Here are some more facts about raw milk you may not now about:

Q: Is all raw milk the same?

A: No! There is a lot of variation due to the many factors that go into its formation. What the cow is fed, how and where it's raised, how the milk is collected all play important roles in its safety and quality. Cows pastured on organic green grass produce milk with amazing health benefits.

Q: Won't raw milk make me sick?
A: Not if it is properly collected from cows fed organic grass (and a minimum of grain). Heavy grain diets change the composition of the milk and hinder its ability to protect itself. Grass-fed milk has natural antibiotic properties that help protect it (and those lucky enough to drink it) from pathogenic bacteria. If you've been using pasteurized dairy products, you might want to eat small amounts of yogurt or kefir for a week or so, to give your digestive tract a pro-biotic boost, before switching to raw milk.

Q: What is pasteurization?
A: Adapted to partially sterilize raw foods (from a technique originally invented by French scientist Louis Pasteur for use on beer and wine), pasteurization is a heating process designed to destroy all bacteria and most enzyme activity. Along with partial sterility, the pasteurized product then has a much longer shelf life. UHT pasteurized milk (totally sterilized) can last for months without refrigeration. Just to be clear, milk that has been pasteurized can no longer be considered 'raw.' 

Q: What is homogenization?
A: Homogenization is the process of forcing whole milk through small orifices under very high pressure. This breaks the fat globules into much smaller particles and prevents the cream from rising to the top. The intense pressure also subjects the milk to high heat for a second time, alters color, flavor and, very likely, nutritional value of the end product.


Q: What about the saturated fat and cholesterol in milk?
A: These two very controversial but extremely essential substances are found in every cell membrane in our bodies. Without them, we'd soon die. There's far too much to discuss in a few sentences, so click on the two links above to learn more about why these two important ingredients of whole, raw milk are so crucial to your health.

Q: How long will raw milk keep? 
A: When kept at the optimal temperature of 36-38° F. (2.2-3.3°C.) you can expect fresh raw milk to last from 7-10 days. Higher temperatures allow the normally occurring lactobacilli to get busy making lactic acid, which gives soured milk its characteristically tangy taste and reduces its shelf life. Bring a cooler bag and ice or gel packs with you when buying milk on hot summer days or if you have a long drive home - it'll stay fresher tasting longer.

Q: Can raw milk be used in cooking? 
A: Ideally, no. The whole idea behind not pasteurizing milk straight from the cow is to preserve the delicate bioactive factors it contains. When heated to cooking temperatures or poured into coffee or tea close to the boiling point, you're effectively pasteurizing it and thus depriving yourself of the beneficial enzymes, immunoglobulins and other factors it contains, as well as increasing its allergenicity. Hi-speed blending can physically damage raw milk as well, so if you like smoothies, puree the other ingredients first, then stir in the raw milk.

Q: I'm lactose intolerant. Can I drink raw milk?
A: Chances are good that you may, even if you're of African or Asian descent, assuming you can find a reliable source near your home. Unheated milk contains its full complement of enzymes and lactase-producing bacteria needed by our bodies to break down and assimilate the milk sugar lactose. These helpful bacteria are killed in the pasteurization/homogenization process. Fermented milk products, such as yogurt and kefir, naturally lower in lactose due to the actions of variousLactobacillus and other lactic acid-producing bacteria, may be better tolerated by some.

Q: I want to try raw milk! How can I get it?
A: The amazing folks at the Weston A. Price Foundation have an excellent site that lists raw dairy suppliers in almost every state and in several countries around the world. Click here to begin your search.

Starting Our Garden

Last year we had bought a tomato plant and got 2 tomatoes off of it. I bet you are like only 2? Well we ended up with a bad case of some little creepy tomato worm on our plant and it wiped it out in a few days. I dont like to use pestisides at all especially on my food. But this year I will be prepared with a homemade recipe for that. So all you little creepy crawlies BEWARE!
Gator's grandpa has a few extra tomato plants that he's gonna grab for us and they will be in containers. Last year Gator made a raised garden bed for us and we had only the tomato plant last year. This year I think we are going to put strawberries in there and watermelon. I have already started the watermelon from seed. I have celery growing too! From food scraps!

So easy to start. Check out my garden blog to find out how easy this is to do here.We will be doing some potatoes this way too. And I am going to also do some herbs. Parsley, Basil and mint. I hope all turns out well. What are you planting this year?

Homemade Brown Sugar

Sometimes a recipe calls for brown sugar and you look and find you don't have any. If you have two ingredients you can make brown sugar from scratch. All you need is regular sugar and molasses.
For every cup of brown sugar your recipe calls for you combine with a fork 1 cup of white regular sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons of molasses. Combine till well blended and store in an airtight container. That's it! How easy is that???

How Much Do I Measure?

We who cook do so with love. We love the food and we love sharing what we make. But what about trying international recipes and you are a little confused by the measurements in kilos and grams. Here is a great site that shows the different measurements to help you out.  US Cups to Weight by Ingredient

I am going to be coming back to this post to add more but I just ran across this and had to share.

Helpful Hints

Just a few helpful hints to help out my friends here.....



Expanding Frosting
When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it
with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You
get to frost more cake/cupcakes with  the same amount. You also eat less sugar/calories per serving. 

Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place
them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will  keep the food moist and help it reheat faster. 

Newspaper Weeds-Away
Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet
newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go,
cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic, they will not get through wet newspapers. 

Broken Glass
Use a dry cotton ball to pick up little broken pieces of glass – the
fibers catch ones you can’t see!

No More Mosquitoes
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes
away.

Squirrel Away!
To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with
cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn’t hurt the plant and the
squirrels won’t come near it.

Easier thank you’s
When you throw a bridal/baby shower, buy a pack of thank you cards
for the guest of honor. During the party, pass out the envelopes and
have everyone put their address on one. When the bride/new mother sends the thank you’s, they’re all addressed! 

After Purchasing New Bike
If you purchase a new bike for your child, place their picture
inside the handle bar before placing the grips on. If the bike is stolen
and later recovered, remove the grip and there is your proof who owns
the  bike.

Flexible vacuum
To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an
empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It
can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings. 

Reducing Static Cling
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not
have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling
when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and — voila — static is gone. 

Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill it with
hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don’t dry the cup. Next, add
your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it
comes right out.

Foggy Windshield?
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the
glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser!
Works better than a cloth!

Reopening envelope
If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include
something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for
an hour or two. Voila! It unseals easily.
(Of course, you could steam the envelope open, too, with your
kettle)

Hair Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It’s a lot cheaper
than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It’s also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn’t like when you
tried it in your hair…

Good-bye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it 1/2″>with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dishwashing liquid, mix well.
You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever! 

Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it
“home,” & can’t digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or
so, esp. if it rains, but it works & you don’t have the worry about pets  or small children being harmed! 

Take baby powder to the beach
Keep a small bottle of baby powder in your beach bag. When you’re
ready to leave the beach sprinkle yourself and kids with the powder
and  the sand will slide right off your skin. 

Bed Sheets
After drying my sheets, put both sheets and one pillowcase in the
other pillow case. Fold neatly in a square. Next time you change
sheets, you just take the one pillow case and all the sheets and
pillow case are inside. No need to look for matches.

Reheat Pizza
Heat up leftover pizza in a non-stick skillet on top of the stove,>set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy.
No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really
works.

Easy Deviled Eggs
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.