Back to Butter: A Traditional Foods Cookbook - Nourishing Recipes Inspired by Our Ancestors (6 page)
Authors: Molly Chester,Sally Schrecengost
“I find myself fundamentally allied with a vegetarian position in every way except one: however selectively, I eat meat.”
—Barbara Kingsolver, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
But what about a vegan diet, where no animal fats or proteins whatsoever are consumed? Although I realize my position is controversial, I do not believe it is possible to be vegan and build the health of future generations. Short-term cleansing? Yes. Can a strong body be sustained for a lifetime? Possibly, but not several generations of health. I also challenge the wisdom behind requiring a growing fetus or child to be vegan. Over time, the body suffers when vegetable proteins and fats are considered an equal substitute for animal proteins and fats. It is not uncommon for children raised under these paradigms to suffer from early and rampant dental cavities, a symptom of internal weakness.
However, I also support the individual’s right to arrive at his or her own conclusions. Although I now eat animal fats and proteins, I look back on my time as a vegetarian with respect because it ultimately led me to understanding more about the quality farming and animal husbandry I practice today.
Regardless of whether or not we choose to eat animals, we should know the quality of the soil in which our vegetables, grains, and legumes were grown. And folks, it will take the assistance of animals and their manure to maintain it. If we eat animals, we need to understand how that animal was raised and with what diet. We must be careful not to force our personal choices on Mother Nature and her plants and animals.
Animals are naturally carnivores, omnivores, or herbivores, and to change their diet based on personal human beliefs is cruel. Which brings us to dairy cows. My friends—cows are vegans. They can’t subsist on sugar (grain)—they need greens (grass). Let’s take a minute to understand what grass-fed means, along with a few other important farming and milk-processing buzzwords.
GRASS-FED
As mentioned, cows are naturally grass-eating herbivores, and we must allow our animals the space to roam and forage. Honoring these natural instincts results in nutrient-dense milk products, such as the ones described by Dr. Weston A. Price (
page 11
–12). This same rule applies to all milked animals, including sheep and goats, who also prefer a side of weeds and brush with their grass. To sustain the energy that cows need to consistently produce milk, however, all dairy cows receive supplemental grain—the key word being
supplemental
.
There are reputable organizations regulating the certification of grass-based farming, including the American Grassfed Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). However, at this point, these regulations are still relatively new and evolving. Therefore, it is our opinion that the best grass-fed “certification” is getting to know your farmers and their practices.
“The fat within dairy aids digestion of the vitamins and minerals in the milk, which is why it’s important to choose whole milk over its lower-fat counterparts.”
ORGANIC
Under the USDA definition of organic agriculture, farmers with this certification do not use preventive hormones or antibiotics to maintain herd health. Many quality grass-based farmers, however, do not take on the added expense and paperwork to achieve organic certification. In this understandable circumstance, it is simply important to ask your farmers about their perspective on chemical use, in order to ensure their philosophy mirrors your own.
WHOLE FAT
I can remember back when my mom began buying skim milk. My brother and I hated it, and honestly, I think we were on to something. The low-fat and nonfat trend has pervaded every inch of our culture, and it is thankfully
beginning
to retreat. The fat within dairy aids digestion of the vitamins and minerals in the milk, which is why it’s important to choose whole milk over its lower-fat counterparts. Plus, fat fills us up, rendering between-meal snacking virtually unnecessary. Case in point: In 2005, the Harvard School of Public Health published a study examining weight and milk consumption of more than 12,000 U.S. children aged nine to fourteen years old. Researchers found that “contrary to our hypotheses, dietary calcium and skim and 1 percent milk were associated with weight gain, but dairy fat was not.”
PASTEURIZATION
Pasteurization is the controversial method of heating milk to a minimum of 162°F (72°C) for 15 seconds in the attempt to kill pathogens. Ultra-pasteurization goes even further, and is a process that heats milk almost instantaneously to 280°F (138°C), which seems extreme. In the process of heating milk, many of the milk enzymes (lactase) that actually help the body digest milk sugar (lactose) are destroyed. As a result, it is fairly common for a lactose-intolerant person to be able to digest grass-fed, untreated milk. Regardless of your family’s decision on this matter, pasteurization should not be used as a substitute for poor farming practices. Please read the sidebar “What Happened to My Milk?” (
page 38
) for further discussion.
HOMOGENIZATION
Milk straight from the cow, when left undisturbed, naturally separates into milky water topped by fatty cream. Homogenization is a mechanical process of spinning the milk at such a high velocity that it breaks down the fat molecules into smaller particles so that the milk no longer separates. The purpose is largely for aesthetics and functionality, and there is controversy over the impact of the smaller protein molecules on our digestive system. Given that Mom and I don’t mind giving a bottle of milk a shake before pouring a glass, and consider it a safer option, we always choose nonhomogenized.
RAW
Raw milk is any milk that has not been treated by pasteurization or homogenization. It comes straight from the cow and is loaded with natural digestive enzymes. When choosing raw, the health of the animal and the careful practices of the farmer are critical. Get to know your farmer! All milk was sold raw in the United States before routine pasteurization began in the 1920s. To utilize the beneficial enzymes, you’ll see that we use quality raw milk products for all dairy recipes that are unheated, such as our Homemade Milk Kefir, Homemade Whole Milk Buttermilk, and Homemade Crème Fraîche (pages 42–45).
IN SUMMARY
Sometimes in the grocery store aisles, navigating milk products feels difficult and complicated. Therefore, to simplify this process, we suggest you locate and purchase milk products from a responsible, grass-based farmer. More often than not, the milk they sell is grass-fed, organic, whole-fat, unpasteurized, nonhomogenized, old-fashioned … raw milk.
“WHAT HAPPENED TO MY MILK?”
by Sandy Schrecengost
As a kid, I never analyzed milk. I just drank it. Big words like
pasteurized
and
homogenized
meant nothing to me. I loved milk, fired straight from the cow by my grandpa, or scooped from the milk house cooler in the heat of summer.
How times have changed. It’s no longer easy—and in some states even illegal—to buy raw milk. Even the term
raw
is new. Milk just used to be milk; now it’s heated and treated and stuffed with additives and antibiotics. Make no mistake, Molly and I support safe, healthy farming practices. Animals carry pathogens. We get that. Consequently, cows need to get to pasture and their spaces must be clean. Farm sanitation isn’t something to be taken lightly. Yet it turns out some of these genuine attempts to ensure safe milk are complicating that effort and diminishing nutrition in the process.
The downside of such a broad stroke like pasteurization is that while it can be helpful, it can also be harmful. The high-heat processing destroys the healthy enzymes and beneficial bacteria which are present in raw milk and critical for digestion and assimilation of dairy. Pasteurization also significantly alters the very make-up of milk by altering the milk protein, and even diminishing milk’s inherit vitamin content (see
www.westonaprice.org
). This kind of processing ultimately puts Nature’s wisdom up against man’s ever-changing knowledge.
When farm practices are healthy and the inherent needs of the animal are respected, consuming raw milk holds great advantage over processed milk. A study published in the highly respected journal
Lancet
showed raw milk reduces tooth decay—even in kids who eat sugar. A study published by Ohio State University showed that raw milk also promotes calcium absorption, which is so important amid the challenges of osteoporosis, and also results in far less allergic skin issues. But a staggering reason to consider raw over pasteurized is asthma. This unfortunate condition is reaching frightening proportions in our own nation’s children. Yet another
Lancet
study showed that raw milk consumption greatly reduces a child’s chances for developing asthma. Clearly, a seemingly simple question—“What kind of milk to buy?”—is no longer simple. It’s critical.
The process of pasteurization was put in place to provide safe milk. Yet, consider this: If an animal is raised honoring its innate needs and treated with ancient wisdom and respect, the milk produced by that animal is already safe. It has been for centuries. So why mess with the milk? Shouldn’t our focus go back to safe farming instead of indiscriminately overcompensating for unhealthy farm practices?
It seems evident to us that the benefits of raw milk outweigh the risk. The United States is among a small list of countries in the world that aggressively regulate milk. Canada joins us. Yet the majority of the countries in Europe and Asia sell raw milk without governmental regulation. New Zealand, in our humble opinion, seems to handle this issue most logically. This country highly regulates raw milk production to offset pathogen risk, permitting raw milk to be sold directly from the producer/farm only. Rather than throw the amazing health benefits out with the broad stroke of government regulation, New Zealand has found a way to allow its citizens to assume responsibility of choice while maintaining product quality and nutrition—by knowing their farmers!
This book isn’t a poster child for raw milk. We recognize such a choice holds a risk only you can decide to embrace or decline. We sincerely respect that. All food carries risk. Wisdom should be the first tool in your consumer pocket, and we should all have the right to choose either product.
Legally
. It’s not our intent to dictate what you eat, how you source food, or even how you prepare it. We simply believe raw or pasteurized should be a choice.
To you, safe milk with maximum nutrition might mean pasteurized. To us, it means raw. Yet, in order to reduce the risk of raw milk, we want to know our farmer and his livestock practices firsthand. Because no matter what choice we make, all milk should come from a healthy animal that’s been treated humanely.
This recipe begins with yogurt, which we strain and separate into a tangy, versatile cream cheese, used for delights like Cultured Cream Cheese Olive Dip (
page 73
), and whey, a liquid by-product that holds its own uses and benefits.
Real whey, obtained from yogurt or milk, contains an abundance of naturally occurring probiotics, which are the healthy bacteria that live in our gut and keep unhealthy bacteria in check. It’s funny that some people pay hard-earned money for vitamins filled with freeze-dried probiotics, when eating fermented foods produces the same effect (if not greater), for a fraction of the price! The “live” nature of whey also means that it can be used to activate fermentation in cultured foods, so be sure to keep a jar stored in your refrigerator for that purpose alone. It’s also great for soaking beans and grains (see next chapter).
1 quart (1 L) whole milk yogurt
Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large-size (2-quart [1.8 L] or larger) nonmetal bowl and line the strainer with a thin tea towel. Using a thin cloth is important to allow the liquid to seep through.
Pour the yogurt into the lined strainer. Cover the strainer with a lid or plate and set aside at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours. If your house is exceptionally warm (above 80°F [27°C]), place this whole setup in the fridge. Check occasionally to see if the whey has stopped dripping into the bowl; once it has, or the 4 to 6 hours is up, move on to the next step. The yogurt at this point will resemble Greek yogurt (which it is!).
When the drips subside, remove the cover, place a wooden spoon across the mesh strainer, and double-knot the diagonal corners of the tea towel over the top of the spoon handle. Set a tall container, such as a wide-mouth vase or pitcher, next to the strainer. Carefully lift the knotted tea towel and lower it into the tall vessel, allowing the spoon handle to rest on the rim of the vessel. The tea towel should be a few inches (cm)
from the bottom of the container, so it doesn’t mingle with any resulting whey. Be careful not to squeeze the towel. It should drip slowly on its own.
YIELD: 2 CUPS (470 ML) WHEY AND 1
1
/
2
CUPS (345 G) CREAM CHEESE