Re: Eggnog christmas / in-laws / update

[Guest guest]

Hi,

Have come to the end of our first large batch of raw goats milk which we've

enjoyed and also introduced four or five of our friends to. All were

willing to try it and have been impressed with its good taste (and no side

effects) but probably less impressed with my evangelicism. Still finding

that frozen milk is not as pleasant - ie more slimy - and more of a tendency

to make me feel sick, but I now have some Kefir grains which I hope will

enable us to keep the raw milk unfrozen for longer. (Have not found a local

raw milk source.)

I tried making yoghurt without heating the milk, but it was pretty bad, so

am hoping the Kefir will work without having to heat anything. (At the

moment the kefir is very yeasty - my understanding is that by keeping

straining and changing the milk it will re-balance - any advice welcome.)

My in-law family are very traditional when it comes to food - good imho in

many ways - but are also NHS doctors and nurses. Basically they think I am

nuts when it comes to raw milk, especially when my partner and I took our

raw milk with us last time we visited. (So far I've given out 9 copies of

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, including to my mother-in-law . )

But I'm inspired by the eggnog idea, and it's also a traditional christmassy

thing to do here (apparently it originates from " posset " ), so it might be a

good way to introduce raw things in general! I am looking forward to the

brandy especially.

Here are two recipes from the net, the first for one, and the second for a

christmas batch.

Helen

1. *Ingredients:*

1 egg

1 tbsp. brandy

8 fl. oz. (225ml) milk

quarter teaspoon vanilla

1.5 tbsp. castor sugar

pinch salt

nutmeg

Cooking Instructions:

Beat the egg until stiff then slowly add the sugar

Add the milk and brandy and mix again

Pour into a tall glass and stir in the vanilla

Dust the top with grated nutmeg and serve

2. *INGREDIENTS*

12 medium or large eggs

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 quart milk or half-and-half

1 quart liquor (see notes below)

1 quart whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (more or less to taste)

Separate egg yolks from whites. In large bowl, mix yolks with sugar until

pale and thick ribbons form when dropped from beaters. Add milk, liquor and

nutmeg and combine well. Chill overnight.

Place beaters and large mixing bowl in refrigerator or freezer. When

chilled, add whipping cream and whip until soft peaks form. Set aside. Using

a clean bowl and beater, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add

whipped cream and egg whites to egg mixture and fold until well

incorporated. Sprinkle individual servings with additional nutmeg.

Notes: Egg nog can be stored in pitchers or bowl and refrigerated until use.

Since the cream will rise to the top, be sure to stir gently but thoroughly

to recombine before serving. The amount of liquor used can be adjusted to

taste. Rum, cognac, brandy or bourbon can be used. I use a combination of

about 2-1/2 cups dark rum, 1 cup brandy and 1/2 cup bourbon.

-----------

[Guest guest]

Hey Helen,

Yes, you should be able to observe the kefir becoming less yeasty. I

rehydrated mine and used cheap pasteurized milk from the store to throw

away for a week. Wasn't about to use my good raw milk for that. It

shouldn't take more than a week for your kefir grains to acclimate

themselves to being alive again. We LOVE kefir and it keeps us healthy.

Helen East wrote:

>

> I tried making yoghurt without heating the milk, but it was pretty bad, so

> am hoping the Kefir will work without having to heat anything. (At the

> moment the kefir is very yeasty - my understanding is that by keeping

> straining and changing the milk it will re-balance - any advice welcome.)

>

>

[Guest guest]

The best way to have them NOT think you are nuts is to show the due diligence you go through in acquiring raw milk. For example, we would NEVER encourage people to drink raw milk from a commercial, confined feedlot dairy.

Instead, I suggest acquiring your milk using the following criteria;

1). A farmer you know, whose farm is open for inspection.

2). The milk comes from grass-fed, cows, goats, etc. with a defined method of collection that recognizes the risks in ANY milk product.

3). The farmer can provide proof that his cows have tested negative for e's disease, TB, BLV and other Bovine diseases you may be concerned about.

4). The farmer's family consumes the raw milk product.

Part of our responsibility in being evangelists for raw milk is to educate the public on the safe way to consume the product. Otherwise, we are setting them up for problems and making our own acquisitions more difficult.

I think Dr. Ron's book "The Untold Story of Milk" does an excellent job of defining the real and imagined issues surrounding raw milk and would encourage you to give it as a Christmas gift.

Langlois

-- Re: Eggnog christmas / in-laws / update

Hi,Have come to the end of our first large batch of raw goats milk which we'veenjoyed and also introduced four or five of our friends to. All werewilling to try it and have been impressed with its good taste (and no sideeffects) but probably less impressed with my evangelicism. Still findingthat frozen milk is not as pleasant - ie more slimy - and more of a tendencyto make me feel sick, but I now have some Kefir grains which I hope willenable us to keep the raw milk unfrozen for longer. (Have not found a localraw milk source.)I tried making yoghurt without heating the milk, but it was pretty bad, soam hoping the Kefir will work without having to heat anything. (At themoment the kefir is very yeasty - my understanding is that by keepingstraining and changing the milk it will re-balance - any advice welcome.)My in-law family are very traditional when it comes to food - good imho inmany ways - but are also NHS doctors and nurses. Basically they think I amnuts when it comes to raw milk, especially when my partner and I took ourraw milk with us last time we visited. (So far I've given out 9 copies ofNourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, including to my mother-in-law . )But I'm inspired by the eggnog idea, and it's also a traditional christmassything to do here (apparently it originates from "posset"), so it might be agood way to introduce raw things in general! I am looking forward to thebrandy especially.Here are two recipes from the net, the first for one, and the second for achristmas batch.Helen1. *Ingredients:*1 egg1 tbsp. brandy8 fl. oz. (225ml) milkquarter teaspoon vanilla1.5 tbsp. castor sugarpinch saltnutmegCooking Instructions:Beat the egg until stiff then slowly add the sugarAdd the milk and brandy and mix againPour into a tall glass and stir in the vanillaDust the top with grated nutmeg and serve2. *INGREDIENTS*12 medium or large eggs1-1/2 cups sugar1 quart milk or half-and-half1 quart liquor (see notes below)1 quart whipping cream1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (more or less to taste)Separate egg yolks from whites. In large bowl, mix yolks with sugar untilpale and thick ribbons form when dropped from beaters. Add milk, liquor andnutmeg and combine well. Chill overnight.Place beaters and large mixing bowl in refrigerator or freezer. Whenchilled, add whipping cream and whip until soft peaks form. Set aside. Usinga clean bowl and beater, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Addwhipped cream and egg whites to egg mixture and fold until wellincorporated. Sprinkle individual servings with additional nutmeg.Notes: Egg nog can be stored in pitchers or bowl and refrigerated until use.Since the cream will rise to the top, be sure to stir gently but thoroughlyto recombine before serving. The amount of liquor used can be adjusted totaste. Rum, cognac, brandy or bourbon can be used. I use a combination ofabout 2-1/2 cups dark rum, 1 cup brandy and 1/2 cup bourbon.-----------To learn more about Raw Dairy, visit our home pages at http://www.midvalleyvu.com

[Guest guest]

, excellent post! And a good idea for replacing that book I

regret buying! Thanks,

Blair

> The best way to have them NOT think you are nuts is to show the due

> diligence you go through in acquiring raw milk. For example, we

would NEVER

> encourage people to drink raw milk from a commercial, confined

feedlot dairy

>

>

> Instead, I suggest acquiring your milk using the following

criteria;

>

> 1). A farmer you know, whose farm is open for inspection.

>

> 2). The milk comes from grass-fed, cows, goats, etc. with a

defined method

> of collection that recognizes the risks in ANY milk product.

>

> 3). The farmer can provide proof that his cows have tested

negative for

> e's disease, TB, BLV and other Bovine diseases you may be

concerned

> about.

>

> 4). The farmer's family consumes the raw milk product.

>

> Part of our responsibility in being evangelists for raw milk is to

educate

> the public on the safe way to consume the product. Otherwise, we

are

> setting them up for problems and making our own acquisitions more

difficult.

>

>

> I think Dr. Ron's book " The Untold Story of Milk " does an

excellent job of

> defining the real and imagined issues surrounding raw milk and

would

> encourage you to give it as a Christmas gift.

>

> Langlois

>

>

> -- Re: Eggnog christmas / in-laws / update

>

> Hi,

>

> Have come to the end of our first large batch of raw goats milk

which we've

> enjoyed and also introduced four or five of our friends to. All

were

> willing to try it and have been impressed with its good taste (and

no side

> effects) but probably less impressed with my evangelicism. Still

finding

[Guest guest]

Hi & Blair,

>The best way to have them NOT think you are nuts is to show the due

diligence you go through in >acquiring raw milk. For example, we would

NEVER encourage people to drink raw milk from a >commercial, confined

feedlot dairy. Instead, I suggest acquiring your milk using the following

criteria:

I don't drink raw milk from a confined feedlot dairy and I wouldn't

encourage people to buy anything - milk, eggs or meat - from this kind of

production. This would be a long way from my current understanding of

welfare issues, of process vs. product issues, as well as of nutrition. I

didn't intend to post anything that was arguing against this.

As far as I currently can I am using your criteria:

>1). A farmer you know, whose farm is open for inspection.

At the moment I'm far from my country roots and don't know a raw dairy

farmer. As I haven't been able to find one locally, I am using the only

other choice I have been able to find, which is a mail-order company.

This was listed on the " seedsofhealth " website which is the only

recommendation I have, as I don't know anyone else who drinks raw milk.

2). The milk comes from grass-fed, cows, goats, etc. with a defined method

of collection that recognizes the risks in ANY milk product.

The goats roam freely on land which is " managed freely without the

application of artificial fertilisers and pesticides " . The goats are fed on

grass, straw and hay and also wheat and barley (which may not be ideal, as

it's not 100% grass-fed but it's a compromise) which are fully traceable.

The method of collection looks well-defined but I have to rely on the farmer

here. Here is the url if anyone is interested:

http://www.cnwc-goats.co.uk/farm/menu.htm

3). The farmer can provide proof that his cows have tested negative for

e's disease, TB, BLV and other Bovine diseases you may be concerned

about.

I don't know what diseases goats need to be tested for.

4). The farmer's family consumes the raw milk product.

Yes, I checked that and they do and do it keenly, from speaking to the

farmer herself. She gave advice for making raw cheese and yoghurt too.

>Part of our responsibility in being evangelists for raw milk is to educate

the public on the safe way to >consume the product. Otherwise, we are

setting them up for problems and making our own >acquisitions more

difficult.

I agree. I hope I haven't implied anything to the contrary. It's very

hard to overcome, in the first place, what one thinks of as people's current

misconceptions, because they are beliefs that they have held onto for many

years, and in the case of my in-laws, have based medical advice on and so

are even more resistant to change. Also to have some young ignoramous like

myself wanting to " inform " them looks a bit preposterous from their point of

view (and even my own at times) and even saying anything sounds really

patronising.

I gave the Nourishing Traditions book to them recently, as I said, as a DIY

information option. I was basically told by my in-laws that my diet was

too restrictive and faddy, which is actually not true as it's now *far* more

inclusive than it ever was before as we've begun eating organ meats and

other things not so easily found nowadays. They are great people and I

really value how they welcomed me into the family and respect them very much

too so I want to stand by my own beliefs/understanding without putting their

noses out of joint in any way. If I can make them interested then that is

good.

>I think Dr. Ron's book " The Untold Story of Milk " does an excellent job of

defining the real and ?>imagined issues surrounding raw milk and would

encourage you to give it as a Christmas gift.

Thank you for the suggestion. As I already gave " nourishing traditions " by

Sally Fallon (plug plug plug - that book was a real revelation) to my

mother-in-law for her birthday in November, I think I'd better save giving

another book one for next year! But I'll get it for myself as I've been

meaning to do since I joined this list.

Helen

> Langlois

[Guest guest]

> Hey Helen,

> Yes, you should be able to observe the kefir becoming less yeasty. I

> rehydrated mine and used cheap pasteurized milk from the store to throw

> away for a week. Wasn't about to use my good raw milk for that. It

> shouldn't take more than a week for your kefir grains to acclimate

> themselves to being alive again. We LOVE kefir and it keeps us healthy.

>

Hi ,

Thanks! That's great! I'll buy some pasteurised milk then as I'm nearly

out of the raw stuff. I couldn't get from the Kefir websites whether you

have to keep changing the milk and straining it everyday, or whether you

should leave it longer than that - eg 2/3 days just standing - to let the

microorganisms re-balance themselves. What do you think?

Helen

[Guest guest]

We practice attachment parenting and what

you mentioned below is very similar to co-sleeping. We sleep with our babies

rather than have them in cribs and yet there are so many warnings about

sleeping with your children. With anything that you do there should be some

cautions. But they use scare tactics that children will be smothered by

parents, siblings and blankets without advice on how to avoid this. Not

to mention some studies are actually done by crib companies. When you buy a

crib you have warnings as well and children do die in them but you don’t

hear about banning cribs. My own little soap box J.

I enjoyed reading the criteria below. I am

going to save this to pass on to people.

warmly,

Selena

www.familiesfornaturalliving.org

The best way to have them NOT

think you are nuts is to show the due diligence you go

through in acquiring raw milk. For example, we would NEVER

encourage people to drink raw milk from a commercial, confined

feedlot dairy.

Instead, I suggest acquiring your

milk using the following criteria;

1). A farmer you know, whose

farm is open for inspection.

2). The milk comes from grass-fed,

cows, goats, etc. with a defined method of collection that recognizes the

risks in ANY milk product.

3). The farmer can provide proof

that his cows have tested negative for e's disease, TB, BLV and other

Bovine diseases you may be concerned about.

4). The farmer's family consumes

the raw milk product.

Part of our responsibility in

being evangelists for raw milk is to educate the public on the safe way to

consume the product. Otherwise, we are setting them up for problems and

making our own acquisitions more difficult.

I think Dr. Ron's book " The

Untold Story of Milk " does an excellent job of defining the real and

imagined issues surrounding raw milk and would encourage you to give it as a

Christmas gift.

Langlois

Yahoo!

Groups Links

·

To visit your group on the

web, go to:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RawDairy/

·

[Guest guest]

Yes, well, it really totally depends on the grain to milk ratio as to

how long you leave it and also depends on how strong you like it. I

leave 3 tbsp. grains in 2 cups of milk for 24 hours. That is usually

plenty long enough to make it blossom well. If it's clear glass, you

should be able to see whey growing and some of the grains at the top. I

know mine's ready when I tip the container sideways while looking in,

and the kefir pulls away from the sides like Jell-O. Pretty easy. And

as far as reactivating them, it should only take a week, no longer.

They should be ready by then.

Helen East wrote:

> > Hey Helen,

> > Yes, you should be able to observe the kefir becoming less yeasty. I

> > rehydrated mine and used cheap pasteurized milk from the store to throw

> > away for a week. Wasn't about to use my good raw milk for that. It

> > shouldn't take more than a week for your kefir grains to acclimate

> > themselves to being alive again. We LOVE kefir and it keeps us healthy.

> >

>

> Hi ,

>

> Thanks! That's great! I'll buy some pasteurised milk then as I'm nearly

> out of the raw stuff. I couldn't get from the Kefir websites whether you

> have to keep changing the milk and straining it everyday, or whether you

> should leave it longer than that - eg 2/3 days just standing - to let the

> microorganisms re-balance themselves. What do you think?

>

> Helen