Carousel Changes

Just a really quick FYI...I'm excited about just having updated the carousel at the top of this page. I am limited as to the amount I can offer and didn't want to lose some I've been recommending all along. But I just had to add one of Joel Salatin's books, (in my personal opinion, THE sharpest guy out there regarding sustainable farming...and to add to his expertise, the guy's a flat-out hoot!) The hard part was in deciding which one to add. For now, we'll settle with this one...Enjoy as you learn!

I am also very happy to show-off a 5-star-reviewed book on something close to my own heart...URBAN Homesteading. As they say, "You can take the girl out of the country, but not the country out of the girl." Well, I'm glad about that, to tell the truth...and glad to find this book to help us convert our small city back yard into something more on the sustainable, and yes...country side of life.

As always, there is The Book...which is the version of the Bible that drew me to knowing Jesus.

And Nourishing Traditions is a must-have in any traditional foods kitchen.

Education about the truth of fats, the good and the bad, (if not familiar with traditional foods, you may be surprised at the fallacy in what our culture has been taught), is a must for this site, as is the information about real, unadulterated milk. (ie: raw)

Peruse. Click. Read reviews. Choose. Always keep learning!

Prebiotics vs. Probiotics

Some of us only recently began to feel comfortable discussing things like, 'probiotics'. We heard it a little here, a bit there, and eventually came to understand it had something to do with yogurt and intestines, although maybe not in that order...

But we did figure one thing out for sure...They're good for us!

Then, we started hearing a word so slightly different that some of us thought, "Probiotics, Prebiotics...Humph...some one's just trying to throw us off...they must be the same thing." And honestly, references made to both did include gut talk, so...yeah, must be the same thing.

But just in case the wondering still tickles the back of your brain every time you see the newer TV ads or glance at the prebiotic pill promotions...your ticklish brain may be grateful to know, that yes, there is a difference.

Pretty simple, too...Probiotics are what we, so far, talk about on this site. Good Bacteria. This is the stuff we work so hard to cultivate in our lacto-fermented foods. It's living and breathing. So very good, in fact, that God made sure we all got some of it in our intestines from the get-go. And he made sure we'd get plenty more of it in Mommy's raw milk, and as time progressed, the unadulterated milk of other animals as well. He even gave man the idea of fermentation. Do I know how? You know I don't, but everything good comes from God, so I know the idea had to come from him!

Unfortunately, antibiotics, environmental toxins, and medications like NSAIDS and a host of others, kill off those good gut bacteria. And in our "safe", (facade), world of pasteurization and ultra-pasteurization and sanitization...we don't get probiotics back into our systems very easily. So, our bodies succumb to grody illnesses like IBS and anything related to a lowered immune system because our first line of defense is broken. Over time, what seems little, grows into big and bigger still health problems...if we don't take steps to re-establish the beneficial colonies of good bacteria living in our intestinal tract. Yogurt has gotten many accolades for this and it is a fine effort, but there are better efforts like dairy kefir made quite simply from unpasteurized milk and living kefir cultures. NOW, you're packing a whopping 9x MORE probiotic power in your dairy punch!

Prebiotics help probiotics by acting like good kitchen scraps heaped upon the compost pile. In other words, they feed our good bacteria. There are some items of food we don't include in compost, like meats and fats. They don't add that much nourishment to the compost, they draw flies, and they cause it to smell disagreeable. (If you know me and this site, you know I am not saying here that meat and certain fats are bad for you...they are indeed, very good if grass-fed.) In the same way, prebiotics aren't just anything tossed in to help the gut. But you don't have to take a pill, (as so many suggest), to get them, either. In fact, although we haven't discussed them specifically as prebiotics, they have been discussed...because they are quite simply, fiber.

This type of fiber isn't digested by our bodies, however. Instead, when prebiotics reach the intestines, they make for a fine lunch for the good colonized 'probies' living there. Get it? Prebiotics are probiotic food.

Every time we've talked about grains, fruits and veggies, we've talked about foods containing prebiotics. Honey's another one...and we all need just one more excuse to consume that, don't we?

Probiotics continues to be the greater challenge, so we ferment and culture and grow our little lovelies so we can tuck them away into our intestines. But the average Joe needn't be too concerned with prebiotics as long as he is consuming plenty of healthy grains and produce.

Those with highly compromised intestines, however, may want to consider a season of adding prebiotics and probiotics in pill or powder form to the diet in order to get the gut up to speed, then continue along the more natural route of foods as your source. If you are on high doses of antibiotics, are taking chemo...or recovering from chemo, steroids, or any of a host of medications that can compromise immunity due to compromised gut health, this might be the course of action to take. But don't take my surmising as prescription...Please dig into some research, ask others who have been 'in your boat' and come through and talk to your natureopathic doctor or medical doctor if this is you.

Now tell me...You really were wondering about this probiotic-prebiotic thing, weren't you? 
(Okay, Okay...I was.)

So, as always, eat well, move around a bit, get around other like-minded beings, be full of and stand on your faith in the healing provided by the true 'Lover of our Souls'...because this will take us beyond the limits of physical foods, herbs and medicines. And just...live well. Yes, Laugh! He made laughter. Yes, Cry! He made tears, too. Yes, Love! He is the author of all things loving and lovely. Yes, BE in whatever way God provides for you in this season, BE that to the fullest. All the while remembering, he always knows what he's doing even if we don't have a clue. So, in the name of Jesus and all he has provided for our health through his created world and the deep cuts he took in our behalf for no other reason than his magnificent love for us...BE healed.

Today, just sign me,
"GUT-sy Lady" ;0)

Piima Milk and Gently Pasteurized Milk-Alternatives to Raw (Part 1)

With all the current hoop-la over raw (real) milk, not too many folks even know about an alternate way to restore nutritive value to pasteurized milk. There are a few catches, which I'll tell you about and then lead you to the best routes I know around them. It takes some effort to get started, but once the starter is created,  it's a pretty easy go.

Why would anyone want an alternative to raw milk?

Before I get started, let me clarify about this raw milk thing. I'm talking about unadulterated milk from clean facilities and reputable farmers, preferably farmers that we know. Proper raw milk from cows that graze on grass, grass, grass. Yes, there are times of the year when grains are supplemented, or in the best cases, hay is fed, but for the most part, it's a grass thing. This is important. Very important. The "Food, Inc." documentary, (which may be watched via Netflix), tells us that a cow's system can be detoxed in a period of about two weeks...Two weeks on a pesticide-free grass diet. 

Let's look at the cost of unadulterated milk. Whether it's via cowshare, as in Virginia, or directly bought from the farm, as in Texas, it's going to cost more than store-bought, pasteurized milk. A cowshare may run from $50.00 to $100.00. Monthly boarding, which covers vet care, feed, milking, etc, runs around $35.00. This varies from farm to farm. The cowshare owner reaps about 4 gallons of milk/month and usually either travels to the farm to get the milk or shares the cost of transport with other owners. That's nearly $9.00/gallon before the original cost of the share and travel are computed. That's nothing to laugh about. Consumers pay big because farmers have to pay big to jump through the same hoops as mega-bucked industrialized corporations. They have less quantity to offer the public. Common sense tells us that it's going to cost more. And the truth is, better quality costs more...usually. Consumption of real milk does cut deeply into the pocket and is a viable reason, especially in the current economy, for many to pass on the raw milk opportunity. But I have watched since I first began to consume real milk, and in spite of the cost, more and more families are opting in...many of them running on single incomes. There are so many 'newbies', in fact, that my transport group has had to split and both groups are maxed out because a single car/van can only carry so many jars. (It's a good problem to have!)

I am not going to spend a whole lot of time on the why's of this phenomenon, but here is what many are looking at as the trade-off: They simply spend less on doctor's bills because this enzyme and nutrient rich product is healing digestive disorders and, falling in line like dominoes, a plethora of other health disorders.

But there are those pesky "Diet Dictocrats", so aptly named by Sally Fallon Morrell of the Weston A. Price Foundation. They have demonized non-pasteurized milk for so long and with such vehemence, largely funded by pasteurized milk manufacturers, that most of us have inadvertently bought into the lie. And while there was a time when non-pasteurized became dangerous because of TB, this is a thing of the far past. Read more about that HERE. (I strongly encourage readers to educate themselves on the truths of real milk!) Or you can look back into my archives and read more about it, HERE. So, because we believe the lies, we hesitate, for love of health, to venture into this brave, 'new' world of traditional eating that just about begins and ends with unadulterated milk.

It's understandable that many would hesitate. The internet has put out some really scary stories...even for someone like me who has been drinking real milk for years. Even in my 'seasoned' state, I read one article and felt my pulse quicken from the fear it generated. So sad. I am inclined to believe, after looking at this for several years now, that people get more angry over food choices than religion. Indeed, some have made food their religion.


And while I do get angry myself about the depth of deceit that has spun its web around our food world, making the subject of nutrient-dense food into a religion is not going to happen here, even if I do believe strongly in what I teach and share.

So, maybe at this time, you just can't cross the line into traditional eating or specifically, raw milk. Still, because you are aware of the lack of nutrients contained within pasteurized milk, you may feel backed into a corner, but there are a few courses you can go. The first would be to omit milk altogether from your diet. If you are not drinking rBGH or rBST- (hormone-) and antibiotic-free milk, I would recommend this route. At the same time, if your milk is from a conventional dairy and isn't treated with antibiotics, that's a bit scary, too. The cows at conventional dairies are over-crowded, live in bacteria-spawning environments and don't get grass, their natural diet. (Major cattle industry has become so defensive about this that they are trying to get laws passed that no passers-by may take pictures.) Sorry, but the truth is, to keep these cows from producing pus-ridden, sick milk, to keep them well enough to pass inspection, antibiotics in large amounts are necessary. 

So although you do know your pasteurized milk is nutrient-starved and that pasteurization kills precious enzymes and nutrients, milk is a part of your life and...you want your milk. 

Then there are those who know all this, have the funds, but for whatever reason, don't have access.

This article is for all of you.

Piima milk may be for you. Gently pasteurized is another option.

Piima milk is a cultured milk, some compare it to buttermilk. It will not be exactly like what you're used to. Although some of piima starter retailers claim it may be used to regenerate life and nutrients into any milk, it is strongly recommended that the milk be whole, organic, not ultra-pasteurized, and not homogenized. Since the Weston A. Price Foundation is known for being a food purist, I would lean toward thinking that what they recommend is the BEST way...but not the only way. Get the very best quality milk you can. Stick with whole...this we know we can still get anywhere!

Remember, the fat in God's food works for more than taste...It works in synergy with our bodies for the best assimilation of that food. If God made it with fat and told us it's okay to eat, if the smell of burning fat was pleasing to him as documented in the Old Testament, then there is something good to it. Science has found that good. The problem is that toxins find their way to fats. So, if the food is toxin-laden, the toxins are going to be found in the fat. If you're consuming meats from suppliers that don't incorporate the use of green, organic fields into their animals' diets, leave the fat behind.

Piima is a culture that comes from cows that feed on the butterwort herb. Apparently, milk from cows eating this herb clabbers better than milk from cows eating regular grass. (If milk clabbers well, it is an indication of some good enzymatic power going on.) Piima is needed to 'start the starter', and may be purchased at Cultures for Health. To make starter, add the piima to the best quality cream you can find. It is taught that ULTRApasteurized is a 'no-no'. While pasteurized cream/milk retains some nutrients, enough to allow piima to create enzymes and nutrients, ultrapasteurized apparently does not. Once the starter is made, it can be used in pasteurized milk to restore nutrients and enzymes. Retain some of the finished product to use as starter for the next batch. This is sometimes referred to as 'serial culturing'. (Retain 1 Tbs./Qt.)

It can be difficult to locate cream that is not ultrapasteurized, so you may need to start with an online source for a cream that's 'gently pasteurized', like Trickling Springs of Pennsylvania. Because creameries using low temp pasteurization, as Trickling Springs does, are more localized, (shelf life is less, so they don't ship cross-country), you may have to do some research to find gently pasteurized milk/cream in your area.

For those with funds and desire, but not the desire to put forth the effort to create piima milk, you may want to go with just ordering gently pasteurized milk. It's not the best option, but it's at least a step better than what can be found in stores.

A word of caution: Do your homework! Understand that the word, 'natural' is not regulated...even MSG can fall into the 'natural' category if it's found in another ingredient. Also, even the word, 'organic' has loop-holes. I know...we so want to trust everyone that smiles at us while telling lies, don't we? But Jesus was cunning. (Yes, it's true, even though we don't sing of that aspect of his character in our pious hymns.) Let us be imitators of Christ and be cunning, too. At least to the point of not being deceived in our food choices!  The best way to get it right is word of mouth from others who perhaps investigate more deeply than ourselves, (Weston A. Price Foundation chapter leaders, for instance), or by interviewing the farmer ourselves. As much as possible, KNOW YOUR FARMER.

Making piima milk starts with making piima starter. We'll get right to it in the next post!

Baby Bottle Choice Affects Breast Milk Vitamin Retention?

Most people traveling to this site are going to be of the mind that breast-feeding is best. I believe the same. But it's not the only way to go. Not when breasts become infected. Not when moms return to work. Not when parents want and need a night out. Sometimes, in today's culture, we have to use alternative methods to nourish baby. The bottle is the only reasonable option I know.

But with bottles comes burps. Gas. Bloating. Crying. Maybe screaming. Perplexed first-timer parents may think they're bad parents...or worse, from frustration, become bad parents.

The good thing is, we've had an answer since the latter '90's. The bad thing is, a lot of us didn't have a clue. But now that nearly everyone has internet access, we are better educated.

Let me tell you about Dr. Brown's bottles. Here are the only two things you really need to know about them:

1) Follow the directions, and
2) They work.

Funny how we've attributed baby's gassy belly to mother's milk, or other milk, for so many years. And while casein at times is the culprit, we really jumped on the bandwagon of the idea that "SURELY, there is something man-made that is better!" (Enter the demon, soy...And now we have the reports of arsenic in baby formula. I don't want to scare people, and I know that many are looking at arsenic found in playgrounds, etc, and saying it's not really so much of a problem. But do we really want to unnecessarily add arsenic to baby's consumption? I think not.)

Okay, so some reading this are using formula. If you're using soy, get your baby the heck off of it.*  And I do feel it's important to find out if your formula is among those sited for arsenic. If you're using anything else and still experiencing colicky symptoms, and you probably are, try Dr. Brown's Natural Flow bottles.

So, what if you've already made the switch from breast milk to formula? It's not like you can go back once the well's dry, so you need to find alternatives. If you're stuck on formula, I'd like to say, and would have yesterday, to find a good organic one. But since the arsenic was found in organic baby formula, now I have to qualify that recommendation by guiding you to look for an organic, soy-free formula that doesn't use organic brown rice in it's equation, since it's organic brown rice that appears to be the greatest problem. If you can take the jump into something really different, but quite effective, may I recommend goat milk? As water is the 'universal solvent', goat milk is the 'universal milk'...often tolerated by babies with diary intolerance. Goat milk is said to be lacking in some necessary vitamins babies need, but those who have a problem with this will simply put vitamin drops directly into the milk prior to feeding.

There is so much more to this dairy intolerance issue. It has been found in many cases to stem from the lack of living enzymes in today's pasteurized milk. The enzymes from real, clean, unpasteurized milk are the little critters God created to help bodies digest and assimilate everything good in milk. The bacteria within milk, the good bacteria...(Oh, you didn't know there was such a thing?...Oy!)...they are the soldiers, the first line of defense, and they kick butt when it comes to bad bacteria. They make homes in the intestinal tract, (think, "yogurt", in which healthy strains of bacteria have been reintroduced...it's a thing called, "probiotics"), and work in synergy with the all the body's many defense mechanisms to keep disease away.
In fact, pasteurized milk, because it has much less self-preservation, (the good  bacteria found in unpasteurized milk kills off bad bacteria, but when milk is pasteurized, ALL the bacteria, good and bad are killed), is left defenseless from contamination, thus we have the reason for treating pasteurized milk with antibiotics.  


Back to the bottles...These are great in that they don't allow air in. That's great for that poor little distended belly as well as for nutrient retention. Recent research has proven that as breast milk is oxidized, (exposed to air/air mixed in), it loses its nutrient value.

Woop-woop! That morsel requires attention since this site is dedicated, (mostly), to nutrient retention and enhancement! How wonderful to discover something of modern science that really adds to our quality of life! If plastic worries you, forget it. BPA-Free bottles. OR, choose glass. How's that for being relieved that somebody's listening!? The nipples are made of silicon and although I haven't looked into the nitty-gritty, Dr. Brown's claims they are helpful in the problem of nipple confusion.

My granddaughter choked, gasped, spit up, cried, screamed and fussed, passed gas, gas, gas and cried some more...before we switched to Dr. Brown's. Now, all that stuff is almost completely a thing of the past. And it happened just like that. (Click your fingers.) As "The Nourished Nana", I am especially pleased about the research concerning retention of milk vitamins. Nice news.

I don't see any really good reason to reiterate here all that can be taken straight from the horse's mouth via a link, so go HERE to learn about the mechanical science of Dr. Brown's bottles.
go HERE to learn more about the research about oxidation of milk causing nutrient loss.
Go HERE to learn what others have to say about them. (And if you lean towards suspicions when it comes to testimonials on a site that promotes itself, check out what folks at Amazon.com have to say about them!)
Go HERE to learn about arsenic in baby formula.
Go HERE to see how concerned we need to be/not be about arsenic consumption.

*Learn about soy.
Soy, Babies and Beyond
Soy, Sex-What Next?
What about Other Milk Substitutes?
Busy Days and Mayonnaise

Next Post: Hoping to tell you how to make pineapple vinegar. (If you're not using iodized salt anymore, you'll be happy to know that pineapple is one very good food source for natural iodine. Somebody say, "YUMMMM!) I started a batch today and it should be ready to go in about 34 more hours. One way it's used is in Mexican Sauerkraut, but I bet you can find lots more!

Making Your Meat Cry 'Uncle'!

Got Milk?

Just a short blog today as I share an experiment that terminated in my husband's and my bellies.

A problem area I've often heard of and experienced myself is toughness with grass-fed meats. No one wants to pay grass-fed, (well-earned by the farmers, I might add), beef prices and be dissatisfied at the end of the meal, and there is a misconception, a huge and costly one, about how marinades can help in that area. Well, from experience, I learned that marinades are made for flavor much more than they are for tenderizing. We may get a mouthful of flavor, yes...but that flavor may go away well before the meat can actually be swallowed.

Some use powdered meat tenderizers. I don't go for them because first of all, they are processed and secondly, some of the ingredients may hinder health via allergic reactions...not only in the future, but almost immediately upon consumption.

Others use aging, which can be great, and I don't have a problem with, IF it's grass-fed, but many find intimidating to attempt on their own because of the risk of contamination. There are ways to avoid this, of course, but our culture has a phobia about it, so I'm shooting for a one-way-to-please-all method. (Is there really such a thing????)

Oh, well, anyway...I think we found the best way, at least for us. To some of you, this won't be news, but to others...it will be exciting.

And here we go again on the milk wagon, because milk is THE tenderizer that rocks!

According to my research, the surprising thing here is that the important ingredient is not the raw enzymes, as I had assumed, but the calcium. It only stands to reason that non-pasteurized, non-denatured milk would be the best choice. Buttermilk is touted as the best, but I have suspicions that this is because the mainstream market is uninformed about whole, raw milk.

We had a couple of grass-fed rib-eyes in our freezer, and frankly, the last time we ate them, we were disappointed, but we didn't try to tenderize them, either. So, we decided this time, to do some research. When I found that many marinades can actually make meats more dense, I delved deeper and repeatedly found that buttermilk, the old 'Southern Way' of tenderizing chicken, can be used to tenderize any meat with great results.(And for those of you not eating grass-fed, this works for you as well.)

There are scientific principles for this, but it's Sunday and I'm thinking that even though it's not rocket science, to decipher them here today is just too much work for my day of rest...So to stick it in a teensy nutshell, the calcium triggers the enzymes in the meat to start working upon the meat. With a little time, all the little nuances within meat that hold it so tightly together, (meat is muscle, after all), have to cry, "Uncle!", and loosen their grip.

We went out with the intent of bringing home buttermilk, got side-tracked, and returned home sans buttermilk. We were both too tired to try again, and decided that we'd give our raw milk a try instead. Our reasoning was that it, being wholly whole, would have everything in it contained in buttermilk. So, this morning, the steak went into the raw milk.

About timing: The denser meats, such as beef and lamb, need only 2-3 hours. We soaked our steaks about four hours, not because we were trying to overdo, but because that's just the way it worked out. These were the same grass-fed cuts from the same farm feeding their cattle the same way as the last time we ate their steaks. And the last time, although we felt good about them being grass-fed, we were disappointed in the texture.

Today, removing our pink-in-the-middle steaks from grill to warmed plates...slicing through butter-like texture...Believe me when I tell you there was no disappointment.

...Silent euphoria split only by occasional "Uuuuummmmms!".

Ice Cream Sunday! -Happy Dad's Day!

I don't know that I'll get this posted today. I write in the gap of time where we are ready for church but it isn't time to go...quite yet. This afternoon, we have a family gathering here...It's all my husband asked for this Father's Day. So, I made homemade ice cream.

We've been having such an adventure with ice creams in the past few weeks that I thought it only fair to share my recipes with you, and to weave it all into my most recent posts about coconut, I am going to include a coconut ice cream recipe! It's actually more of a pineapple-coconut recipe and if you want authentic pina-colada taste, you can add a touch of rum. I'll tell you how.

To start, I use the Cuisinart. I don't remember how to use the ice cream makers that use salt. I was so very happy to see this evolution in ice cream making because it's the easiest thing since Ezekiel sprouted grain breads. It cost us well under $100. and got the one with two ice cream bowls. It was my birthday present at the beginning of this month and may well be the most-used birthday gift I've ever used, barring shoes.

Because we drink raw milk, but understand that there are those who are either squeamish about it or not able to access/afford it, I am including how to make the ice creams with both raw milk/cream and non-raw milk/cream.  
If you don't use raw, I strongly encourage organic, hormone-and antibiotic-free milk. If you can pay the extra, there are also companies that offer GENTLY-pasteurized milk, meaning they pasteurized at lower temperatures, killing all the bacteria (sorry, even the beneficial ones), but at least leaving some of the enzymes alive to do your gut a little bit of good.
I will also include changes to the Cuisinart recipe in regard to sweeteners. I do not use stevia. I have no reason for this except that my family doesn't care for it. If you know the equivalents, and like it, by all means, do use it.

Cuisinart recommends the following for Vanilla Ice Cream:
1 C. Milk
3/4 C. Sugar
'Pinch' of  finely ground Sea Salt
(I don't know about you, but I've watched Emeril and others with their 'pinches' and their 'pinches' are much larger than mine. So, bowing to their expertise, I now use larger pinches. -MY 'pinch' is 10 twists of my salt mill. I say, let your pinch be what you decide tastes best.)
    ~Whisk until the sugar & salt blend with the milk, then stir in:
2 C. Heavy Cream
1Tbs Vanilla Extract (Try paste, you may never go back.)

Store in refrigerator at least 2 hours or overnight. Follow your ice cream maker instructions for freezing. After it's done, (Cuisinart takes about 20 minutes), put in freezer-proof, covered container and freeze at least 2 hours for firmer consistency.  

RAW MILK Vanilla Ice Cream w/alternate sweetener


I suspect that due to the active enzymes in raw milk, the final product tends to come out less firm than that made with pasteurized milk. Whatever the reason, Wardeh of GNOWFGLINS teaches to use all cream instead of using part milk and part cream to aid in firmness. Regardless of which ice cream recipe we use or what ingredients, we freeze the final product for at least 2 hours prior to eating because we like a firmer ice cream unless we have a machine for soft-serve, which we don't.

If you have goat milk, you can easily substitute it for at least 2 of the cups of the dairy required in the recipe. I have to recommend against canned goat milk. I don't understand why, but my husband and I agree that it tastes a little like dirt. Fresh, raw goat milk looks surprisingly 'cleaner' than raw cow milk, (although they are equally clean), because it is a bright white color. It tastes wonderful. Goat milk from cartons in the stores is probably better than canned, but I haven't tasted it or checked for additives, etc...You be the judge of your own comfort level there. Goat milk has such tiny fat globules that the whole milk is 'self-homogenized', with all that good-for-you fat naturally mixed right in. It is the milk of preference for many who have struggled with milk allergies. Because the fat (cream) is mixed in, there may actually be no need for additional cream, even though I did include a cup of cow's cream in a recent batch of goat milk maple-walnut ice cream, (recipe coming up). The votes call it the creamiest yet

Another milk option is coconut milk. When I made Coconut Ice Cream, I used 2 Cups of Coconut Milk and 1 C. of raw cream.

Yet another option for that cup of milk called for in the recipe is yogurt. So far, I have used plain, whole, organic yogurt. I have used my own home-made yogurt as well as Stonyfield's. Both have worked well.  I use 1 C. Yogurt to 2 C. Cream. Expect a bit of a 'twang' in your final product. If you'd like less pucker, but still want the beneficial enzymes of yogurt, use only 1/2 C. yogurt mixed with 1/2 C. Cream, (to take the place of the Cup of milk called for in the recipe.)
Since my daughters are still a little mistrusting of raw milk, I make a special batch of this yogurt ice cream for the grandkids. This makes me feel pretty good...They're not getting some of the worst culprits in milk today, and at the same time, they are getting some gut-healthy bacteria.

Now, for the sugar alternatives. This is a great area for experimentation. I say this because I've been experimenting like crazy and so far, nothing has come up as a loser. I don't yet have the guts to downsize the amount, but you probably could. I generally use the same amount of whatever sweetener I am using as the amount of sugar called for in the recipe. Here is a list of the types of sweeteners I've used thus far:
Raw Sugar (Not the best substitute, but I used in the first batch because it is about a half-step better than refined sugar and I wasn't sure how the recipe would react to changes. The results with this gave me the gumption to be more adventurous.)
Coconut Crystals/Coconut Sugar (Doesn't taste like coconut)
Raw Honey
Maple Syrup (used in Maple-Walnut ice cream that blew us all away!)
Coconut Syrup (Doesn't taste like coconut)
Muscavado
Sorghum Molasses


Chocolate Ice Cream:

You can use either Cocoa Powder or Carob Powder. Carob is caffeine-free and just happened to be all I had in the cupboard when I was ready to make the chocolate ice cream. I had used the end of my cocoa powder to make chocolate bean fudge, (which will need tweaking before I feed to family or share here-good but not good enough). I guess I could have waited to make the chocolate ice cream once I realized I had no more cocoa, but I had promised the grandchildren, so I was committed...as well as too lazy to pack them all up into the car just to go get 1 measly can of cocoa powder. So, I chanced it on the carob, which I have never, personally, liked as well as cocoa.
Boy, am I glad I took the chance. It turned out heavenly. You are the first to know it's not actually cocoa but carob. I didn't omit the information on purpose, it's just that no one asked, and I didn't think about it until I reviewed my re-written recipe.


NON-Raw Chocolate Ice Cream:
1 C. Organic, Whole fat Yogurt 
Fill 1/2 of a 1/3 C. measuring cup w/ Muscavado Sugar
Fill the other half of the 1/3 C. measure w/Sorghum Molasses (OR, instead of using these 2 ingredients, just use 1/3 C. Dark Brown sugar)
1/2 C. Raw Sugar (or other sugar substitute of your choice)

Pinch of Salt (My 'pinch' is 10 twists of the (sea) salt mill.)
Whisk all the above together until sugar and salt are dissolved.
 Add:
3/4 C. Carob or Cocoa, whisk well.
Add:
2 C. Heavy Whipping Cream & 1/2 Tbs. Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Paste (Best!)


Store in refrigerator at least 2 hours or overnight. Follow your ice cream maker instructions for freezing. After it's done, (Cuisinart takes about 20 minutes), put in freezer-proof, covered container and freeze at least 2 hours for firmer consistency.

RAW Chocolate Ice Cream:
The same as above, EXCEPT:
OMIT Yogurt
Use 3 C. Raw CREAM (If you don't have enough cream, can mix w/heavy cream from store.)
 I do recommend that you try the muscavado sugar & molasses rather than the Dark Brown sugar, which is not as unrefined as one may think, although just about anything's better than white refined. But in addition to this, these natural sugars impart a final depth of taste that is truly gourmet and can hardly be described as anything less than heaven-sent.

Raw Coconut Ice Cream:
Use the Vanilla Ice Cream recipe, BUT
Use 2 Cups Coconut Milk - WHOLE FAT!
1 C. Raw Cream

In last 5 minutes of freezing, add:
1/2 C. chopped, fresh, pineapple, drained and patted dry
1/2 C. unsweetened coconut

Freeze according to ice cream maker directions. (Cuisinart takes about 20 min. total.) If desired, 1 oz. rum may be added in last 30 seconds of freezing time.  
This renders this dessert an 'adults only' delicacy since, unlike when cooking with liquors, the alcohol does not evaporate.

Raw Goat Milk, Maple-Walnut Ice Cream:
Use either Vanilla Ice Cream recipe, BUT:
-Use 2 C. Raw Goat Milk & 1 C. Raw or Heavy Cream
-Use Maple Syrup in place of Sugar
-Use Maple Extract instead of Vanilla
-In last 5 min. of freezing, ADD 1/2 C. walnuts.



As I wrote earlier, I use a Cuisinart. I am not familiar with the workings of other ice cream makers, how much their bowls hold, how long it takes to freeze with them, etc. Please pay attention to the directions on your particular maker, and adjust accordingly. The recipes here make about 32 oz. of ice cream. I use saved yogurt containers for storage...I'm sure you can understand why freezer burn is not a problem here. ;~)


P.S. Although the ingredients can make or break these recipes on a good-for-you basis, be well-aware that in regard to calories, these are not weight-loss recipes!

Culturing Your Own Milk Kefir

Ready-made milk kefir is found in many grocers somewhere between the milk and the yogurt. It is fairly expensive and more of a treat than a daily affair, especially for growing families. With it being exponentially greater in probiotic strength than yogurt, it would certainly be a good investment.

But I never, ever buy it because in moments, I can make my own.

In less than 10 minutes, you can start the process of culturing your own, too. If you have the grains now, you can be sitting right where you are tomorrow, sipping a delightful 'probi-smoothie'.. with another batch for the following day culturing on a shelf. Once the grains are purchased or received from a friend, they can live indefinitely, provided they are given proper, and quite simple, care.

The grains will cost under twenty dollars and the honest truth is, you could still be using them...or their offspring, twenty years from now. Cultures for Health is a great resource for the grains, but there are other easily 'Googled' sources as well. So far, I have been blessed not to have to buy any of my culturing products because like-minded friends have always come through with what I've needed.

In THIS post, I provided a 'how-to' dairy kefir video from Cultures for Health, but today, I will share some pictures I took the last time I cultured kefir along with explanations:

These are kefir grains. This is a well-rounded 2 Tbs. It is best not to rinse them between uses.The white you are seeing on them is actually kefir. Without this thin coating, they are a very light beige color. The texture is that of a thick, bumpy, (like cauliflower), gelatin. The grains are kept in a jelly jar, just covered with raw milk. I pour the grains out into a plastic (important) strainer. I throw away the milk in which they were stored.

  Below are the basic supplies needed. I forgot to include the coffee filter, which is not a necessity. However, you will need a cloth or paper product to place over the opening of the jar during the culturing time. This is a precaution to keep out ants or bugs that may be attracted to the kefir. While my favorite covering has come to be upside-down coffee filters adhered with a rubber band, you may choose to use a cloth table napkin, paper towel, hankie, scrap fabric or clean kitchen towel...totally your call.

 I use the plastic fork for gently stirring the grains upon the strainer, getting the majority of the milk to strain off into the cup on the bottom. To the right of the fork is the container where I keep the grains in between culturing. The measuring spoon is a 2 Tbs. measure...I use one of these for every quart of kefir. And of course, sitting behind the straining kefir grains is a quart of (raw) milk.

I am keeping this photo larger because I want you to be able to get a better look a the grains. These are now put directly into the quart of milk. Remember, it's a 2 Tbs. measure.

The grains will eventually float toward the top. When the culturing time is over, you can fish them out with a plastic or wooden spoon, or I have found it easier to just strain the quart over a plastic colander or strainer. My grains have become huge, but they weren't in the beginning.At that time, my colander's holes would have allowed some of the grains to pass through. If this happens, don't despair...It can be re-strained, or if it's swallowed, it is harmless. I happen to have both the lid strainer and the colander, but if I had to go out to buy new, I would opt for the plastic strainer as seen in the Cultures for Health video.

Once the grains are added, gently stir. Remember the gentle part. These are living organisms and you are disrupting their peace, so do it nicely. Secure the covering of your choice over the jar with a rubber band. A convenience of using the coffee filters, (I found an entire sleeve that we won't use because we no longer have that type of coffee pot), or other paper product, is the ability to label the date. But if you are conserving paper, a marker does just as well directly on the jar...or use a calendar. Some of you won't need anything at all, but I have found that the more cultures I have going at once, the easier it is to get confused. So I label.

Now, set it in a warm spot...between 70 and 80 degrees. If the room is a cooler 68 degrees or so, try placing the culture on the top of your refrigerator or a high shelf. The lower the temperature, the longer it takes to culture, but at the same time, we want to culture slowly, so don't try to 'help' your culture by putting it in a warm oven...That's too warm!
Consider this: What results do you want? Normally, the thickness is like a runny yogurt. I like mine a little thicker, so let it go a little over 24 hours. But I have also mistakenly allowed my kefir to over-culture. When this happens, you get Little Miss Muffet's meal of curds and whey. But it's still good, even if it doesn't look so good in the jar.

There are two ways to remedy curds and whey that I have used. (Yes, I've over-cultured more than once.) One way is to use my immersion blender to quickly blend it all back together before I use it. If you're using it for a smoothie, it doesn't really matter because it will all be blended back together anyway. Know that if you use this method, it will separate again when left alone for a period of time. The second way, with more satisfactory results, (to me), is a slower method. With this, strain the kefir as if it's yogurt being made into cheese as I instructed in "Easy Cheesy, Weezy!". It takes longer, (certainly not as long as if making cheese), but it nets a thicker kefir that you may find you like even better.

Assuming there has been no over-culturing, the kefir will thicken to the point of a runny yogurt. The texture will be a little more coarse than yogurt, with small 'bumps' barely seen within it's thickness.

It's ready.

Fish out or strain the grains. Use them immediately to start a fresh quart of kefir or put them back into the (cleaned) jar from which you took them. Cover again with milk and place back into the refrigerator, (greatly slows growth), until the next time. If not using, change out the milk at least once a week. (Some say every day, but I feel this is a waste and  my grains have shown no signs of suffering from a weekly change of milk.)

Also, I just want to share that once I thought the milk kefir was 'too old'. I planned to throw it out and make a new batch, but when I opened it, there was a slight, "pffft" sound and absolutely no sour smell. I took a sip. The kefir had developed a tangier taste with better effervescence and was absolutely marvelous! So, if you find yourself in a similar situation, I'd like to encourage you to smell, and if okay there, taste, before you throw it out!

Just one example of how kefir can be used.

I have used the kefir just like yogurt, with nuts, fruit and muesli in a bowl. More often, I have used it to make banana smoothies. Kefir, kefir and milk or kefir and coconut milk all make wonderful smoothies. Try adding carob powder, maple syrup, coconut sugar, honey, a variety of fruits or juices...even a little homemade fruit jam. The possibilities are as endless as your creativity.

Non-homogenized milk:
Remember that raw whole cow's milk and whole coconut milk, are not homogenized, so the gorgeous cream floats to the top. This works the same with kefir when it's made with these milks. To keep the texture more consistent throughout the finished product, gently stir with a wood spoon every 4-6 hours during the culturing time...If 'stirring time' falls while you're in bed, don't set an alarm, just stir it as soon as you can the next morning. And please do remember, easy-does-it on the wrist motion. If your kefir separates once stored in the fridge, just shake it up before use.

Milk Types:

I do realize that I covered types of milk in yesterday's post, but maybe you weren't here then. If you have some time, I recommend that you read that post, but just in case you don't:

Use any animal milk or coconut milk...and no, it doesn't have to be raw. They are best, however, if whole because the fat creates a creamier texture. The fat and enzymes inherent in each milk type are especially designed to help the body assimilate the nutrients within that milk, a fact that will forever amaze me! Therefore, milk is best consumed along with it's fat and enzymes. However, even though I strongly discourage it, low-fat may be used. Nonfat would not be a good option for either nutrient density or final texture.

Pasteurization kills enzymes. Ultra-pasteurization kills all enzymes. While you can ignore my nudging and make your kefir from lowfat milks, and even pasteurized milks, you will not get satisfactory results using ultra-pasteurized, non-fat milk. The results from whole, raw milk will be the best because none of its fat or enzymes have been destroyed, the natural product has not become denatured, and now you're adding even more great 'gut creatures' via the multiplication power of kefir grains. (Dairy kefir has about nine times the probiotic power of yogurt!) Although I must admit that those miraculous little grains can transform even nearly dead pasteurized milk into something with life, everything I've studied indicates there isn't much hope for resurrecting ultra-pasteurized milk...and I really wouldn't want you to waste your time, health or precious, life-filled kefir grains with trying.

Now as promised, here is the link to the video from Cultures for Health:
http://youtu.be/g8inJzX-6yE

~Happy 'Kefir-ing!'

Next Post: Links to Milk Kefir recipes

Make Your Own! Monday Link-Up

Raw Milk, How do I Love Thee? (Let me count the ways...)

The most healthy milk comes straight from the source!

Yes, I'm back here again. Back on the 'raw milk thing'. But truly, I cannot help myself. I love sharing good news with people. I don't write to create converts, even though to you, it may feel that way. I just love sharing good news. As I discover more about God's real foods and time-proven preparation methods that squeeze the best nourishment out of those foods, I get so excited, I just have to tell somebody.

I just can't keep from spreading the news that this is something that is helping my husband and I feel better. So, I share our good news by talking to those who want to listen in my every day life and by writing here, where I hope eventually, more will come to read.

If you are a processed food eater who has stumbled upon this blog and you end up deciding to modify your eating habits a bit after reading anything I write here, so much the better...for you.

I've been away a little while as my computer was on the blitz, but in that time, I have continued with my classes at GNOWFGLINS. There, I am currently learning more about yogurt, kefir, and cheese making...all from my weekly dividend of raw milk. In the lesson on 'just like the store yogurt', the guest instructor, Katie, stated that she had figured out that by making yogurt, she saves her family about $300.00 a year. After my second try at yogurt making, I was successful, and my mind was free to wander a bit off the focus of just getting it right. That's when I remembered what Katie said about saving money.

I have to admit that I haven't always been victorious over the guilt-bug that tells me I'm over-spending in the dairy department. As I'm sure you know, in the grocery stores, we have the basic hormone- and antibiotic-containing milks that are both pasteurized and homogenized. These are at the lowest end of the cost totem pole, regardless of whether they are non-fat, partially, skimmed, or whole. There is a reason for this low cost. Then, we get the ones that are hormone and antibiotic-free. The non-addition of these two items costs you a couple dollars more. Every now and then, you might get lucky enough to find milk that hasn't been subjected to the final humiliation of homogenization. The lack of that process will cost another dollar or two per gallon, but it's definitely worth it for the cream on top.

And right there, some of you just said, "Whoa!" I'm going to pay extra for fat!? And the Nourishing Traditions answer to that is that this fat is GOOD for you, and when you read the facts on saturated fat there, you will discover that contrary to the bologna we've been fed over the years (pardon the pun) about fats, this is totally true. But I'm not here for debate, I'm here to tell you what I found out about my grocery money.

As we continue to climb the milk scale, we next find 'lightly pasteurized' milk that has been heated to the lowest degree possible to be allowed to pass as pasteurized. This milk hasn't been subjected to 'violent' pasteurization, and because of this, some of the beneficial enzymes have survived. This is often non-homogenized as well. This is the best, next to raw milk and you will, of course pay for that quality.

So, we eventually get to the cream of the crop, (there is a reason 'cream of the crop' means the best, you know), and that is unadulterated but clean, raw milk. The enzymes and beneficial bacteria thrive within, as well as perhaps as much as 3 inches of cream.

This is what I use, from my cow that a local farmer keeps, tends and milks for me. I am paying for my part of this cow, (I share in it's cost with others), and the cost of her shelter and superb farmer and vet care. (It's how we roll with our cowshares here in Virginia.) My husband and I absolutely love the taste and the benefits drinking our cow's milk brings us.

But still, the cost of food and board is quite a bit above the cost of just going to the store to pick up a gallon of milk, so I have sometimes had to re-talk myself into the benefits.

This is true no more, thank you, Katie.

As I said, Katie inspired me. I sat down and put a few numbers together. When I figured out how much I am saving by making my own yogurt and butter, (still leaving plenty of cream to help with the absorption of the milk's nutrients), I immediately saw that I was only paying a little over $2.00 more per week than I used to when I purchased store milk...and that was the cheap kind. That was enough, but then I remembered that I also make cream cheese about every other week from yogurt. Not only do I get the cheese from the procedure, but whey as well. Whey is long-lasting in the fridge and I use it in many of my soaked grain recipes-several times a week.  There's also the occasional batch of creme fraiche, a type of sour cream that's more cultured and not as thick as the kind bought in the stores. And let's not forget that wonderful-for-biscuits, buttermilk!  Also, I probably make whipped cream as much as once each month, too. Then, there's the greatest probiotic offering of all, (about 9x more than yogurt)...kefir. I just learned how to make that at GNOWFGLINS, and am sure I'll be adding it to our weekly foods.

So now, we come out, not barely behind, not just neck-and-neck, but ahead of the game both financially and gut-wise. It really is enough just knowing we are building immunity as we build the flora of our intestines. It is enough knowing we are not consuming what has been proven to be toxic synthetic vitamins A & D when consumed in their non-natural states. It is enough knowing we are absorbing all the nutrients milk affords. Really, it is enough.

But still...as it turns out, we're saving bucks while saving our guts...How great is that?

It's so good to know that on the money end of things, raw milk is literally worth every penny. And 'old Nana' that I am, I guess I might be a little on the naive side because I still believe if this kind of news makes me happy, it's going to make you happy, too.
Just for fun, I'm adding a few pictures to today's post of some of the ways I use our raw milk:

 

Buttermilk is the 'whey' product from butter making. Some love to drink it just as is, but most of us Southerners know it's a great ingredient to add to biscuits. In fact, it just might not be 'real' Southern without it. And if you happen to have some tough meat, try soaking it in this...You'll  chew the difference!





Herbed Cream Cheese is simple to make just by adding your choice of herbs to the cheese made by 'hanging', (a type of slow strain), yogurt. Other ways to enjoy it are as-is, mixed w/honey or homemade jams, spices such as cinnamon, or even small bits of fruit such as pineapple. I have discovered that leaving it alone in the fridge for about a week after making causes it to taste milder with less 'twang'.

   

Cream for Coffee...I learned via GNOWFGLINS that the topmost cream is the thickest and best for butters & whipped cream, while the bottom 'layer'...the part closest the milk line...is best for mixing into warm beverages.



 

 



Heavy Cream for Butter making or even Whipped Cream!
I never use all the cream from a jar, because the fat is so important
to the assimilation of milk's nutrients. Instead, I ladle a little off the
top of several jars, sometimes over a couple of week's time.
Remember, raw milk does not spoil, but instead, cultures...And culturing
actually increases it's nutritional benefits!



Butter Spread from raw butter & coconut, flax, sesame & EVO oils.







Whey is the by-product of strained yogurt (see the cheese above.) It is useful in soaking grains & beans to neutralize phytic acid by releasing enzymes. It is also full of protein and therefore a great addition to soups and other recipes. It has preserving powers so it adds shelf-life when added to such things as bread recipes and mayonnaise. Don't confuse it with powdered whey. It's value and purity far exceeds that!




Creme Fraiche adds richness to all sorts of dishes, just as our typical sour cream does. It is a creamy, smooth and delicious cultured cream.