Peaceful Heart FarmCast

Nose to tail beef is an important topic for those supporting local, sustainable, regenerative agriculture. I get lots of questions on it. Buying a large quantity of beef can be a daunting prospect. Sure, you know it's going to help your local farmer. And you know your local farmer is working hard for you, the animals and the environment. But what do you do with all that meat? What are the different cuts and what makes them different? How does a side of beef get broken down? What should you expect? Nose to tail beef is what this episode is all about.

Let me take a minute and say welcome to new listeners and welcome back to the veteran homestead-loving regulars who stop by the FarmCast for every episode. I appreciate you all so much. I'm so excited to share with you what's going on at the farm this week.

• Homestead Life Updates
• Nose to Tail Beef
• Moroccan Seasoned Meatballs

You will not believe how quickly that roof is going up. After months and months and months of concrete blocks, in just a few weeks, Scott has those blocks nearly covered with a roof. He tells me once the decking is complete—within the week, he will be starting on the other roof over the barn and milking parlor. That needs to be completed to the same point before putting on the metal roofing. I love going out there and strolling around in the rooms, imagining when it will be complete.

Winter is coming upon us and it is cold today and will be even colder in the coming days. The animals are all healthy and ready for it. Thick winter coats cover all of them. Thunder had a cut on his cheek that he got from who knows where. It is healing nicely, though it looked quite scary when I first saw it. Blood was running down the side of his head and there was this huge puckered gash in his jaw. But again, he is healing just fine. The girls are grazing calmly each day and growing their calves. The first expected birthing of a calf will be Claire on the 31st of March and Buttercup right behind her about three days later.

The donkeys, sheep and goats are also grazing along. I was outside yesterday taking a tour of the creamery and saw that one of the goat does was in the pasture adjacent to everyone else. She will find her way back to the rest of the herd whenever she feels the urge. Goats are just gonna be goats.

Still no quail eggs. They don't eat much so I guess it's okay. I can't wait until spring and I start hatching out eggs again. The quail are just fun.

The boys are all still peacefully grazing out front. There are five of them that will eventually make their way to freezer camp. And that brings me to today's topic.

Nose to tail beef is an important topic to understand when purchasing from your local farmer. Often beef is offered to you in quantities such as quarters and halves. Perhaps you will even purchase a whole beef and share the costs with family and friends. I'll get to the various cuts often offered in one of these large purchases, including the organ and variety meats.

I want to start with a brief history of beef in North America, some basic terminology, muscle composition, the structure of meat, aging, and inspection and grading. I'll end with the various cuts available in beef and which part of the animal from which it is cut.

This may be a long podcast. And I think the information will be invaluable to you as you develop a relationship with your local farmer.

People have been raising domesticated cattle for some 3,000 years. Christopher Columbus introduced domesticated cattle to the Americas in 1493, and soon after, cattle arrived in present-day Florida and Texas with the Spanish. Cattle have always had many uses: they carry heavy loads and pull carts and plows; supply milk, cheese, and butter; and provide a source for clothing, shelter, and food. Today, Americans prefer beef to all other meats.

As I noted, domesticated cattle first arrived in the Americas in 1493. By 1500 European cookbooks began to specify cuts of beef and other meats. During the period of the mid-1800s through 1900 cattle ranching in the United States reached its peak. In 1906 the meat inspection act was passed by Congress. Finally, beef surpassed pork as the most popular meat in 1950.

Cattle is a general term for domesticated bovine animals raised on a farm or ranch for their meat, milk, or hides or for use as draft animals. Further delineation of cattle is characterized by sex and age.

Calves are young cattle of either sex. A male calf is known as a bull calf, and a female Is called a heifer calf.

Bulls are mature, un-castrated male cattle used for breeding.

Steers are male cattle that have been castrated before reaching sexual maturity, making them more docile and easier to maintain on a ranch or in a feedlot. Most beef that Americans eat comes from steers.

Staggs are male cattle that have undergone castration after they have matured.

Heifer calves grow into heifers and eventually become cows.

Cows are mature female cattle, and are usually used as a source of milk. They have to have given birth at least once to earn the title of cow.

Beef, like other meats, is animal muscle containing various nutrients that form part of a healthful diet.

The three main components of muscle are water, protein, and fat. These nutrients appear in the following proportions in most meats:

• 75% water
• 20% protein
• 5% fat

Muscle also contains vitamins, minerals, and very small, trace amounts of carbohydrates.

Although most meats are about three-quarters water, the actual amount of water in meats varies depending on shrinkage. Shrinkage, or moisture loss, is the result of oxidation, which occurs during storage or aging or as a result of high temperatures and long cooking times. Oxidation causes meat to lose both water and weight.

Protein is an essential nutrient that promotes growth, builds tissue, regulates body functions, and serves as an alternative to fats and carbohydrates as a source of energy. Most solid matter in meat is protein. When heat is applied to meat, the protein coagulates, or becomes firm. The degree of coagulation is one gauge for doneness. High heat can cause protein to lose moisture and become too firm, making the meat tough.

Fat surrounds the muscle tissue as a fat and lies within it (marbling). The fat may be left on a piece of meat during cooking to keep the meat moist, but barding or larding are acceptable alternative methods for retaining juice if there is no fat. Marbling also contributes to the juiciness of meat and makes it more tender and flavorful.

Regarding vitamins and minerals, meat is an important source of vitamins A and K as well as several B vitamins, including thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), B6, and B12. Meat also adds minerals such as iron and phosphorus to the diet.

Although carbohydrates are present only in very small amounts, they contribute to the appearance and flavor of meat that is prepared with a dry technique such as roasting, sautéing, or broiling.

Meat products consist of bones, muscle fibers, and connective tissue.

Bones: bone color is an indication of an animals age. The redder the bone, the younger the animal. Older animals have white bones. Becoming familiar with the bone structure of an animal helps when learning the different cuts of meat and how to debone them.

Muscle fibers: muscle fibers, or cells bundled together, make up the meat. The thickness of the fibers determines the texture or grain of the meat. Thick, tough fibers bound in large bundles make up coarsely textured meats, such as bottom round or brisket. Thinner, tender fibers in small bundles form finely grained meat, such as tenderloin.

Connective tissue: connective tissue is a web of proteins that perform several functions. It covers individual muscle fibers, bundles them together, and attaches them to bones. Connective tissue helps determine the texture of meat and is tough in general. Some meats are higher in connective tissue than others.

Frequently used muscles such as those in the leg or shoulder have more connective tissue and thus are tougher than those in the back (or loin). Meat from older animals is also tougher because as an animal ages, the connective tissue becomes more resistant to breaking down.

Elastin and collagen—the two kinds of connective tissue—differ in their ability to break down during the cooking process. Elastin is a hard, yellow connective tissue prevalent in older animals because it will not break down during cooking, elastin must be cut away from the meat or physically tenderized to reduce its effects.

By contrast, collagen, the soft, white connective tissue, really breaks down into water and gelatin with slow, moist cooking. Collagen also responds well to tenderizing.

Aging is the process by which naturally occurring enzymes (lactic acid) tenderize meat. After slaughter, chemical changes in the flesh of an animal cause rigor mortis, or a stiffening of the muscles. As rigor mortis disappears, the meat softens, or ripens, as a result of enzymatic action. This process takes up to several days for beef and must occur in a controlled, refrigerated environment so that the meat does not spoil. The result is flavorful, tender meat.

There are three methods of aging meat under refrigeration. Today I will discuss dry aging as this is the method used by small, independent meatpackers.

Dry aging involves hanging large, unpackaged cuts of meat in a controlled environment for two to six weeks. Temperature, humidity, and air flow must be carefully monitored to prevent spoilage. Two weeks is most common. Small, local meat processing facilities are limited by space and energy cost controls.

Although costly, dry aging produces extremely flavorful meat with a highly desirable texture. However, shrinkage is a major drawback of this method, with some cuts of meat losing as much as 20% of their weight through loss of moisture. Meat aged by this method also can develop mold, which requires trimming—a further reduction in weight.

Inspection and grading systems help producers, distributors, and consumers like you evaluate meat.

Inspection—The Meat Inspection Act, passed in 1906, mandates the examination of all meat transported across state lines. This federal law guarantees that meat is wholesome and fit for consumption and that the animal for which it originated was not diseased; however, inspection is not a mark of quality.

USDA/FSIS—The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), a public health agency within the United States department of agriculture (USDA), is responsible for conducting inspections. The FSIS checks meat to make sure that it is clean, safe, and properly packaged and labeled. Meat that satisfies inspection standards carries a USDA inspection stamp.

Grading—unlike inspection, grading is completely voluntary. Grading measures meat quality, allowing a comparison of meat quality grading indicates tenderness, juiciness, and flavor of the meat.

The USDA has eight quality grades that apply to beef.

• Prime is the highest quality, most expensive, with abundant marbling because of the young age of animals and feed practices. It is extremely juicy and flavorful.
• Choice is high-quality, very juicy and tender, in abundant supply, widely available to the public.
• The select grade is acceptable quality. It is a good buy, generally lean with little marbling, and less juicy and tender.
• Standard grade is lower quality. It is economical and lacking in marbling.
• Commercial grade is low quality. It is produced from older animals is economical and lacking tenderness.
• Utility, cutter, and canner are the lowest quality. This grade of meat is used primarily by canners and processors.

Up to now I have been speaking only of US beef grades. Now I will touch upon one other. Kobe Beef.

Cattle raised in Kobe, Japan, are the source of a special grade of beef that is rich in flavor, has abundant marbling, and is extraordinarily tender. Kobe beef comes from the Wagyu breed of cattle and meets rigorous production standards. Wagyu cattle are famous for the extensive marbling of their meat, but this quality characteristic is not entirely the result of genetics.

The daily routine and special diet of cattle raised for Kobe beef are quite unusual. The Wagyu cattle receive energizing massages with sake, the Japanese alcoholic rice beverage, and indulge in huge quantities of beer, making Kobe beef legendary and expensive.

By USDA standards Kobe beef would receive the highest yield and quality grades. It's marbling and rareness in the marketplace actually put it well above the prime grade.

Once raised only in Kobe, Wagyu cattle now roam ranches in the United States and Australia, where land and feed are cheaper. Fabrication of the prized beef, however, takes place in Kobe, which earns it the name Kobe beef.

Beef and other meats are available for purchase in various forms: carcasses; partial carcasses; and primal, subprimal, and fabricated cuts.

The carcass is the whole animal after slaughter, without head, feet, hide, and entrails. It is typical to split a beef carcass into halves and then to cut each half into a front portion or forequarter and a rear portion or hind quarter. A side or a quarter of beef represents a partial carcass. There are two front quarters, right and left. The front quarter starts at the neck and ends where the ribs end, about halfway down the back of the carcass. The rear quarters pick up from there. Again, there are two, right side of spine and left side of spine.

A primal cut is a large, primary piece of meat, sometimes called a wholesale cut. A subprimal cut is a basic cut made from a primal cut. A fabricated cut is the smaller portion taken from a subprimal cut, such as a roast, steak, and ground meat.

Now think of the front quarter divided into four smaller pieces. From shoulder to mid back, there are four primal cuts that make up a forequarter of beef: Chuck (shoulder of the animal), primal rib (main rib section), brisket (breast and foreleg or shank), and short plate (directly below the ribs).

Those four primal cuts are broken down into subprimals and finally a fabricated cut.

The chuck comes from the animal's shoulder. It includes part of the backbone and the first five rib bones as well as portions of arm bones and blade bones. The chuck makes up nearly 30% of the weight of the beef carcass. A fairly large portion of the chuck is connective tissue, which accounts for the toughness of this meat. However, chuck has a great deal of flavor when properly prepared. A moist technique or combination method such as stewing or braising is appropriate for this cut. The primal chuck yields various fabricated cuts: shoulder roast, chuck roast, chuck short ribs, cubed or tenderized steaks, stew meat, and ground chuck.

This primal cut comprises about 10% of the carcass weight. It includes ribs six through 12 and some of the backbone. As it is not well exercised muscle, it is tender, owing its rich flavor to extensive marbling. Primal rib cuts benefit from dry cooking methods such as roasting, broiling, and grilling. Moist heat is the preferred method for short ribs. Fabricated cuts taken from the primal rib include rib roast, boneless ribeye, short ribs, and ribeye steaks. Rib roast, better known as prime rib, is an extremely popular meat dish. The word "prime," however, does not represent a USDA grade; rather, it indicates that the rib roast makes up most of the primal cut.

Located below the chuck, the brisket constitutes a single primal cut. This cut consists of the breast (brisket) of the animal, including the rib bones and Cartledge, and the breastbone. A combination technique such as braising is an excellent choice for beef brisket, which is very tough. Curing, another method of preparation for brisket, is the method used to produce corned beef. Fabricated cuts from this primal cut include boneless brisket and ground meat.

Short plate is the cut below the primal rib on a side of beef. It contains rib bones and Cartledge and the tip of the breastbone. Fabricated cuts from the short plate include ground beef, skirt steak, and short ribs. Moist cooking is appropriate for short ribs, which are quite meaty but also contain a large amount of connective tissue. Marination and grilling are excellent methods for skirt steak, which is sliced for fajitas.

The foreshank is considered a byproduct of the beef forequarter and may be attached to the chuck when purchased. The rich flavor of the four shank and its abundant collagen, which turns to gelatin with moist heat, make it a choice ingredient in stocks and soups. Fabricated cuts include stew meat and ground beef.

A beef hindquarter also yields four primal cuts: short loin, sirloin, round, and flank. The short loin, sirloin, and round are the rest of the spine divided roughly into thirds. The fourth portion, the flank is directly below the short loin and sirloin. The round primal cut is very large as it is essentially the hind leg.

The short loin is the first primal cut of the hindquarter, forming the front portion of the beef loin. It includes one rib and part of the backbone the yield of this primal cut is substantial and represents the most palatable and popular, as well as the most expensive, cuts of beef. Among these is the tenderloin, the most tender piece of beef. Fabricated cuts from the short loin include T-bone steaks, NY strip steaks, and tenderloin. These cuts are best cooked using dried methods. Broiling, roasting, and grilling.

Located next to the short loin, the sirloin contains a portion of both the backbone and the hip bone. The subprimal and fabricated cuts taken from the sirloin have good flavor and are quite tender, though not as tender as the short loin cuts. Fabricated cuts from the sirloin include top sirloin roasts and steaks and top and bottom sirloin butt roasts and steaks. The dry techniques of broiling, roasting, and grilling are best for these cuts.

The round is the hind leg of the animal, including the round, shank, and tail bones. It is an extremely large cut, constituting approximately 24% of the carcass weight. Very flavorful and fairly tender, the round yields various subprimal and fabricated cuts, including top round, bottom round (eye of round and heel of round), knuckle, and shank. Dry cooking such as roasting is appropriate for top round, which is relatively tender. The top or bottom round benefits from combination cooking such as stewing or braising. Lots of ground beef from this area as well.

Beneath the loin and behind the short plate (forequarter) is the flank. The flank contains a good amount of fat and connective tissue, which makes it tough. Flank yields flank steak. Moist cooking techniques are best for flank cuts.

One final note. When choosing to purchase a quarter, half, or whole beef, in addition to these cuts somewhere between 35% and 50% of the packaged fabricated cuts will be ground beef.

Variety meats include internal organs, glands, and other meats that are removed during the processing of the carcass. Traditionally viewed as ethnic food items, variety meats have found their way onto American menus in limited quantities. High in protein, vitamins, and iron, variety meats are features of soups, stews, and other dishes.

All the beef variety meats except kidney are muscle tissue. These meats are tough in general and require long, moist cooking to become tender. Kidneys are the only glance from beef served with much frequency.

Tough but lean, the heart lends itself to braising or stewing. Ground heart can be added to meatloaves or to casseroles calling for chopped meat. Be sure to remove veins and fibers before cooking.

Beef liver is dark in color and has a strong flavor. It should be broiled, braised, or panfried. It is often served with onions and is added to pies and puddings.

The customary method for cooking tongue is simmering. After cooking, remove the skin and gristle. Cooked and chilled beef tongue is a favorite sliced meat for sandwiches. Smoking and curing are other methods of preparation before cooking.

Before cooking, oxtails need to be cut into sections at the joints. Oxtails are rich in gelatin and also contain tasty meat, both of which augment the texture and flavor of soups and stews.

Beef kidney is somewhat tough and has a relatively strong flavor. Braising helps tenderize this variety meat, which is a key ingredient in steak and kidney pie.

I'm currently working on a cookbook that will have at least one recipe for every cut of meat I've described in this podcast. One of the challenges when purchasing a quarter, half, or whole beef is what to do with all of those cuts of meat and variety meats. I hope to fill in that gap for you with my whole beef cookbook. You can be confident in being able to use all of the great grass-fed meat in which you invested.

At the last farmers market, I brought Moroccan seasoned meatballs to give customers an opportunity to taste the quality of our lamb. Today's recipe is in response to a direct request from several of my customers who read my newsletter and love the recipes.

Seasoned with a Moroccan-style blend of fresh mint, cinnamon, coriander and cumin and simmered in tomato sauce, these tender lamb meatballs make a flavorful change from their Italian-style cousins.

Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes Total time: 45 minutes

• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 clove garlic, very finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 1 ½ tablespoons fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil

• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• ½ cup onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
• 2 cups diced tomatoes, undrained
• ½ to 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ to 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine the lamb, egg, garlic, bread crumbs, mint, parsley, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Form the mixture into 16 to 18 meatballs about 1 ¼ inch in diameter.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook until lightly browned on all sides, about three minutes total. Transfer the meatballs to a plate, drain the excess fat from the pan and return it to the stove.
3. To make the sauce, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking until fragrant, one minute longer.
4. Stir in the tomatoes. Add ½ teaspoon each of cinnamon and coriander and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for two minutes, then taste again and adjusted the spices as desired.
5. Return the meatballs to the pan and turn several times to coat them with the sauce cover and simmer slowly until the meatballs are cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.
6. Transfer the meatballs and sauce to a serving dish, garnish with parsley and serve with steamed white rice.

Enjoy!!!

That's it for this podcast. The farmstead keeps on keeping on. The creamery gets closer and closer to completion with every passing day. The animals continue to thrive and enjoy their pasture-based existence.

I hope you enjoyed the ins and outs of beef and you better understand the nose to tail beef option. It is the lifeblood of many local farmers. They invest a great deal of time and energy into a beef product you can trust.

Look for my new Whole Beef Cookbook in the coming weeks. And do give the meatballs a try. I know, I know it's lamb, not beef. But they are excellent just the same.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please hop over to Apple Podcasts, SUBSCRIBE and give me a 5-star rating and review. Also, please share it with any friends or family who might be interested in this type of content.

As always, I'm here to help you "taste the traditional touch."

Thank you so much for stopping by the homestead and until next time, may God fill your life with grace and peace.

Moroccan Seasoned Meatballs

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Using a traditional slow-cooker has taken a back seat to Instapot-type pressure cookers and air fryers. But I still use mine and today's podcast is all about "why", "when," and "how." In fact, I have 7 tips on using a traditional slow-cooker.

I want to take a minute and say welcome to all the new listeners and welcome back to the veteran homestead-loving regulars who stop by the FarmCast every episode. I appreciate you all so much. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are set up for a fabulous New Year celebration.

We are old fogies and likely won't even stay awake until the ball drops in Time Square. Well, we might be watching Game of Thrones past midnight. I know it's so over, but we listened to the audiobooks ages ago and I wasn't really impressed with the book nor the first adapted to TV season. Anyway, we watched the videos of the first season again after years of it sitting on the shelf. Following that, I decided to finish the series. You know, end of year, cleaning up loose ends and such, so we're now watching, and are currently in season 3, after staying away for all those years. Still not that impressed, but it is okay.

Truly I'm a Wheel of Time fangirl and am anxiously awaiting Amazon's original production beginning in the fall next year. I'm counting on it putting Game of Thrones to shame. Anyway, I'm so excited to share with you what's going on at the farm this week so let's get to it.

• Homestead Life Updates
• 7 Tips for Using a Traditional Slow-Cooker
• Easy Barbecued Beef

Life has slowed down some here as we get into the winter season. Milking is done. Canning is done – for the most part. I will be making bone broth throughout the winter and building up my stores of that tasty burst of nutrition. But as with any homestead situation, stuff is going on year-round.

The biggest challenge seems to be keeping the goats inside the fence. One in particular, Star, just seems to go wherever she wants. They all got out a week or so ago and there happened to be an open gate to paddock #7 so they are in there while the rest of the girls, the cows and sheep, are rotating through the back pastures 10 through 14. Star is with the cows and sheep – at least the last time we looked she was there. It's a different day so who knows.

The sheep are doing well. Again, we expect our first lambs around the 6th of May. What do you think about a farm tour in June? The lambs will be really cute at that age.

The cows are plugging along. Luna is growing like a weed. She is such a beautiful calf. We have received the canister that will house the semen for artificial insemination next season. The boys are slowly getting thinned out. Eventually, we will have only female bovine. I'm looking forward to that day when we have a single herd of cows. Today we have five cows and Luna the heifer in one herd and two steers and three bulls in another herd. The boys are okay, but it's the girls, Claire, Cloud, Buttercup, Violet, Butter and now Luna that are my treasures.

Nothing much going on with the Quail. They aren't laying any eggs. I'm not looking for any new eggs until spring. March, or maybe even April.

It's so exciting to see the roof going on. At the moment, it is actually the decking for the attic floor. Once Scott completes this part, he will have a platform on which to build the rafters. He is building them, more or less, in place. Once they are complete, our friend Charles will come over and help him literally raise the roof. The carpentry goes much faster than the masonry.

I'm mentally planning the garden at this point. Sometime in January or February I'll order the seeds. I had such a good time growing seedlings last spring that I'm thinking about growing quite a few more and selling them at the farmers market. I already know I'm going to be growing a lot of peas, beans, and tomatoes because I use a lot of them making meals for the women's homeless shelter. I'll probably grow squash again. I didn't grow any last year. And peppers. I think I'll grow a variety of peppers again.

That's about it for Homestead updates. Let's get on with today's topic.

The slow-cooker offers the home cook a way of making "fast food." While it may cook slowly, it has a fix-it-and-forget-it feature that other cooking techniques can't match. Once your ingredients are in the cooker, there is no stirring, no fussing, no additional attention necessary until your dish is ready for the table. My Cosori pressure cooker comes close but there are reasons that I still use my traditional slow-cooker. Feel free to use either.

First of all, "slow-cooker" is the generic term used for this appliance, but the company who first designed the slow-cooker (Rival) named their product crockpot. The slow-cooker and crockpot are one and the same. Features that make a slow-cooker or crockpot a slow-cooker are:

• Countertop appliance with low and high settings without a gauge to set a specific temperature
• The inner container is made from stoneware, ceramic or heat resistant glass
• It has wrap around heating elements within a metal casing. This provides indirect heat to the container for even heating and avoids hotspots and stirring is usully not required for most dishes.
• A tightfitting lid to contain the heat and steam.

The combination of low temperature, lengthy cooking times and locked-in moisture work together to cook food thoroughly, while inhibiting the growth of bacteria and eliminating the need for your personal attention during the lengthy cooking process.

Slow-cookers are typically round or oval in shape and range in size from 1 to 7 quarts. Depending on your needs, it may be useful to have a couple of different sizes—a smaller one for side dishes and dips, (try my cheese fondue recipe in a quart sized unit) and another larger size for bigger main meals and to allow room to double or triple a dish for larger gatherings or so you can freeze a portion for later. Current models have digital features, such as an automatic "off" or "keep warm" option. These options allow you to better control how long your dish cooks when you are away from home.

Although slow-cooking was introduced in the early 1970s, it can be considered a modern version of the time-honored tradition of braising, stewing, pot-roasting and Dutch oven cooking methods. All of these use long cooking times, low temperatures with liquid and a tightfitting lid or cover to keep all of the ingredients in a moist environment. All of these slow-cooking methods typically use indirect heat, such as with an oven, compared to the direct heat applied from fire or a stovetop.

As described in Slow-Cookers for Dummies, "for generations, women in small towns throughout Europe. . . Have been using the town bread baker's cooling ovens to slow-cook their family meals. . . For a small price, the Baker rented oven space to anyone who wanted to slow-cook a joint of meat or fish. The food was left in the oven unattended and picked up in the early afternoon for dinner. Although the practice of slow-cooking in a wood-burning oven was also common practice in the United States during the 1800s, it died out with the introduction of cast-iron stoves. . ."

Just as with any other food preparation technique, flops can happen in a slow-cooker. While it is an easy-to-use appliance, it does take a little more thought to use than just dumping in the ingredients and flipping the on switch. Just as with any cooking method, it is important to know how the appliance functions at its best. With a little knowledge, you will experience many more successes than mishaps. Also, the more you learn about how to operate the slow-cooker, the easier it will be for you to create new or adapt old family recipes to this nourishing, time-saving method of preparing nutritious food.

Let's get to the heart of today's topic, 7 tips for using a traditional slow-cooker.

Here is a short list of why it is practical:

• You save time in the kitchen
• The meal is portable and perfect for buffets and potlucks
• You save money on electricity
• In the summer, lower heat production is a great boon
• It is safe to leave it unattended at home while you work, shop or chauffeur the family here and there
• You can use up tougher cuts of meat you got with that great ¼ cow, ½ pig or whole lamb package deal
• Your oven is free for other tasks
• You save yourself from cleaning an additional serving dish
• Nutritious broth from meat and bones produces collagens and gelatins and enhances the flavor of the dish

The settings on most slow-cookers include off, low and high. Most slow-cooker recipes are geared to the low setting, which reaches 180 to 200°, that is, a gentle simmer. The high setting hovers between 280 to 300° and will cook food about 2 to 2 ½ times faster than when on low.

Another option is to start a dish out on high for about an hour to get a jump start on heating the container, and then turn it back down to low for the remainder of the time. This method is especially useful when cooking large cuts of meat or whole chickens.

The keep-warm setting is a great way to maximize the usefulness of this appliance. Once the food has been thoroughly cooked, this setting will prevent further cooking or drying out, and will keep food ready-to-eat for at least two hours.

Besides the chosen setting (high or low), other factors that influence the speed your dish will cook are the liquid and fat content of the dish, temperature of the food, temperature of the container (such as whether it was left in the fridge with pre-prepared ingredients the night before), altitude, size of the pieces of food and of course your specific slow-cooker.

For the best outcome, the container of your slow-cooker should be half to three-quarters full. Filling the container less than half full is more likely to result in overcooked or burned food. Food in a overfilled container may not cooked thoroughly in the allotted time or get hot enough to inhibit bacteria growth, which is to reach 140° in under four hours. Spillage outside the container is also more likely with expansion of the food.

Some slow-cooker recipes require nothing more than chopping up the ingredients, while others may taste better with a touch more prep. Since slow-cookers don't reach browning temperatures, browning large cuts of meat or sautéing or softening vegetables (especially onions and garlic) outside the slow-cooker in a separate skillet is an option to impart more depth of flavor to a dish.

Browning ground meat usually results in improved color and texture, but this step is not absolutely necessary, and browning is not recommended for meatloaf and similar dishes.

The downside to browning is that it takes away from the slow-and-low concept I spoke about earlier; however, there may be occasions when Browning is the best way to go for sheer taste and tenderness. Bottom line: Browning meats and sautéing or softening vegetables are unnecessary, but experiment and see what you and your family's taste buds prefer.

With a few exceptions, most of the ingredients for your slow-cooker dish can be put in all at the same time and still end up evenly cooked. Here are a few brief guidelines.

Vegetables: although it seems counterintuitive, most vegetables (especially roots such as potatoes, carrots and turnips) cook more slowly than meat and poultry do in the slow-cooker. These do best when layered along the bottom under the meat or other ingredients or along the sides of the container. Faster cooking veggies (peas and greens) can be added 20 to 30 minutes before the dish is finished cooking.

Poultry: poultry is easy to overcook and dry out. Leave the skin on a whole chicken to lock in moisture and add flavor.

Beans and legumes: these dried foods are perfectly suited for the slow-cooker, just be sure to properly prepare them beforehand and don't add salt until after they are cooked, as salt will keep the skins tough.

Dairy: milk, cream, sour cream and yogurt tend to curdle with long simmering and cheese can break down and separate. It is best to leave these foods on the table to get the most from their enzymes and live cultures.

Seafood: foods from the sea also tend to cook fast, thus tend to not fare well with the long cooking times of the slow-cooker. Add them during the last 30 to 60 minutes of cooking.

Herbs and spices: whole herbs and spices release their flavors slowly, while ground versions tend to lose their flavor or even become bitter tasting in the slow-cooker. Chopped fresh herbs should be added during the last hour of cooking.

The easiest way to adapt a traditional recipe for the slow-cooker is to find a similar slow-cooker recipe and use it as a guide. Recipes that include some moisture and require longer cooking times, 45 minutes to an hour, in the oven or on the stovetop are good candidates for converting to the slow-cooker since they will most likely finish cooking within eight hours on low in the slow-cooker. In fact, most uncooked meat and veggie combos will take approximately eight hours. Because the enclosed environment of the slow-cooker discourages evaporation and generates liquid, about half the liquid is needed for the same recipe cooked on the stove top or in the oven. However, this does not apply to soups, sauces, chilies or chowders.

Make every effort to obtain the highest quality meats and poultry—it's safer, it's much more nutritious, it's tastier, and the slow-cooker brings out the best in these foods. Worry and anxiety about reaching certain in internal temperatures is less of a concern with these truly healthy foods.

Start taking advantage of this fast food technique today! All you need is a high-quality slow-cooker—and yes that includes your multifunction pressure cooker. While I have one, I still use my traditional slow-cooker. That frees me up to use my Cosori multifunction gadget separately. I might need some boiled eggs that come out of the shell effortlessly or I might make some lovely yogurt at the same time my slow-cooker is making some fantastic barbecued beef.

And that brings us to today's recipe.

This easy barbecued beef recipe takes advantage of your traditional slow-cooker. It's great for any cookout or potluck dinner. Chuck roast makes delicious shredded beef sandwiches. The recipe calls for ketchup however, you may substitute tomato paste for a slightly less sweet dish. In any case, this barbecued beef is sure to please your family.

• 3-pound boneless grass-fed Chuck roast
• 1 ½ cups ketchup or tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons Dijon style mustard
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 clove garlic, diced

1. Place chuck roast in your slow-cooker.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in mixing bowl to make sauce. Pour mixture over Chuck roast.
3. Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours or 4 to 5 hours on high.
4. Remove roast from slow-cooker and shred meat with a fork. Place shredded meat back into the slow-cooker and stir to evenly coat with sauce.
5. Serve alone or atop whole-grain sandwich buns and top with additional barbecue sauce if desired.

If you like your meat a touch sweeter, add a tablespoon or two of date sugar while it is still hot to allow it to dissolve.

That's it for today's podcast. I hope you enjoyed our homestead updates. We love sharing our life with you.

Traditional cooking from scratch doesn't have to be hard or time-consuming. So, fire up that Instapot or dig out your old, faithful slow-cooker and give that barbecued beef recipe a try.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please hop over to Apple Podcasts, SUBSCRIBE and give me a 5-star rating and review. And the absolute best thing you can do to help out the show is to share it with any friends or family who might be interested in our content.

As always, I'm here to help you "taste the traditional touch."

Thank you so much for stopping by the homestead and until next time, may God fill your life with grace and peace.

Easy Barbecued Beef

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For a little change of pace, Popular Cheeses is today's topic as I'm sure I've worn you all out with all of those raw milk podcasts. The recipe today is a fun, quick and easy method of making your own fresh cheese, or as the Mexican cheese lovers call it, queso fresco.

I want to take a minute and say welcome to all the new listeners and welcome back to the veteran homestead-loving regulars who stop by the FarmCast for every episode. I appreciate you all so much. I'm so excited to share with you what's going on at the farm this week.

• Homestead Life Updates
• Popular Cheeses
• Queso Fresco

Just a few quick notes here. The most important news first.

We have a new calf. Cloud gave birth to Luna on the 23rd of November. She was a healthy and vigorous 70-pound heifer. Mom and calf are doing really well. The other cows are drying up for their winter respite from producing milk.

Scott finished all of the blocks of the interior walls in the creamery. He is off to other tasks for the past few days. Fixing fences and preparing the pastures for winter grazing and hay-feeding as we move into the winter season on the homestead.

The sheep and goats are doing well, though we are missing two goat girls. All of the goats were escaping, as goats do on a regular basis. Scott fixed the place in the fence where they were escaping but we are still missing two. Scott also moved the goats from one pasture to another so perhaps the stragglers simply haven't figured out where everyone is at the moment. There are gates open at various places so they can get inside a pasture and closer to the main group. No sign of them for a couple of days. We will keep our eyes open and do some serious searching if needed.

I had the pleasure of making a meal for the women staying at the homeless shelter sponsored by our church. We always have an abundance of food and this is a great way to help those who are less fortunate. Homelessness is running rampant in the US. I could just complain about how bad it is and look for the government to step in and do something. However, I wanted to make a real difference. Most of these ladies are either mentally ill and incapable of caring for themselves or have issues with drugs and/or alcohol. It's a difficult situation and one without an easy solution. I do what I can to ease their troubles with a good hot meal on a cold night. I'll be providing these meals 2 to 4 times per month throughout this winter. Cooking for 30 is a challenge but I'm up to it.

Last night, along with the meat loaf, green beans and chocolate cake, they got to try my very excellent mac and cheese. It was as big hit. The popular cheeses in that recipe are gruyere and cheddar which I will be touching on in today's podcast.

Let's talk about some of the popular cheeses; how to recognize them and what to do with them. As I have talked about previously, cheese results from an interaction between milk and bacteria or an enzyme called rennet. For more information on basic cheesemaking please see my previous podcast, "The Basics of Cheesemaking."

In a nutshell, the milk proteins (casein) coagulate, forming the solid curds, which then are separated and drained from the liquid whey. Additional processing, both before and after coagulation and whey separation, include: adding special cultures and bacteria, yeast or mold; salting; pressing; aging; and curing. Various combination of these processes create the variety of cheeses available today.

There are several subgroups that I will talk about today. Based on processing techniques, cheeses fall into a few select areas. There are hard cheeses, semi-hard cheeses, semi-soft cheeses, and soft cheeses which come in both fresh and ripened varieties.

I'm going to give a very brief overview and description of a few popular cheeses and how each might be used in your home. Brief overviews and a select few is all I will have time for today. If you'd like more information, please comment below the podcast and I will answer your questions to the best of my ability.

Hard cheeses have been aged to reduce moisture content to about 30%. Hard cheeses often are used for grating. Maximum flavor comes from freshly grated cheese. Some of the most popular cheese in the category of "hard" follow.

Asiago: asiago is an Italian cow's milk cheese with a tangy, nutty flavor and a texture that varies depending on the age of the cheese. Asiago is white to pale yellow and melts easily. Wendy's fast food restaurant makes an asiago chicken sandwich. This asiago is sliced, not grated but certainly melts well. Yum, yum.

Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan): True Parmigiano-Reggiano is a cow's milk cheese from an area in Italy near Parma. The name is protected and can only be used when strict production guidelines are followed. The least of which is it must be produced in a specific area near Parma, Italy. It has a sharp, spicy taste and a very hard, dry texture. Parmigiano-Reggiano is always used grated or shaved. The knock-off produced in the United States and elsewhere is called Parmesan and does not match the flavor of the original. Parmigiano-Reggiano is used in gratins and pastas and as a topping for salads and other dishes.

Pecorino-Romano: Made in central and southern Italy from sheep's milk, Pecorino-Romano has a robust and piquant flavor and is noticeably salty. It can be served as a table cheese or grated for cooking. Again, the name is protected. In the US we know this popular cheese as Romano.

Semi-hard cheeses have a little more moisture content than hard cheese. They range from 30% to 40% moisture, giving them a firm, solid texture. Their flavors can range from mild to quite sharp, depending on age.

Cheddar: With origins in Great Britain, cheddar is now the most popular cheese in the world. This cow's milk cheese ranges from mild to sharp in flavor and has a dense texture. Orange cheddars owe their color to a vegetable die made from annatto seeds. Uncolored cheddars are pale yellow. Colby is a popular mild American cheddar cheese. Use cheddar in grilling and cooking, as well as on sandwiches and snack trays.

Emmental: Emmental is the original cow's milk Swiss cheese with very large holes caused by gases that form during ripening. It has a mild, nutty taste and comes in 200-pound wheels. Emmental is the classic choice for fondue, but it also is used in sandwiches and snacks and dessert trays. Swiss cheese is the Americanized Emmental cheese.

Jarlsburg: Although jarlsburg is a cow's milk cheese from Norway, it's taste, fat content, and appearance are similar to the Swiss Emmental. Jarlsburg is used on cheese boards, in sandwiches and cooking.

Gruyere: Another Swiss cow's milk cheese, Gruyere, has a mild, nutty taste, moist texture, and small holes. Because Gruyere melts easily, it is suitable for cooking. It also can be served as an appetizer and as a desert cheese. I use it in fondue.

Monterey Jack: Monterey Jack is a rich cow's milk cheese from California. It ranges from mild and pale to a sharp and pungent yellow cheese. Monterey Jack sometimes contains peppers or herbs for flavor. It melts well, making it an appropriate choice for cooking.

Provolone: Provolone is a cow's milk cheese from southern Italy. It has pale yellow color and flavor that ranges from mild to sharp, depending on age. Provolone also comes smoked and in a variety of shapes, including cones, rounds, and cylinders. Use provolone in cooking, as well is in sandwiches or as an appetizer.

Semi-soft cheeses have a moisture content of 40% to 50%. Their texture is smooth and sliceable but not spreadable. Semi-soft cheeses can be classified into two groups: the smooth, buttery cheeses and the veined cheeses which owe their distinctive appearance and taste to the veins of blue or blue-green mold running through them.

Fontina: Fontina is a nutty, rich cow's milk cheese from Italy. It has a slightly elastic touch and a few small holes. Use fontina on dessert trays and in cooking.

Gouda: Gouda is a Dutch cow's milk cheese with a pale-yellow color and a mellow, buttery flavor. Mature Gouda has a firmer texture and a more pronounced flavor. Gouda often is packaged in red or yellow wax-covered wheels. Use gouda in cooking and serve it as an appetizer, with fruit, and on dessert trays.

Havarti: Havarti is a cow's milk cheese from Denmark. This pale creamy cheese is filled with many small irregular holes. These are mechanical holes related to light pressing as opposed to the Swiss cheese holes resulting from ripening cultures that produce gasses that form the holes. It has a mild, buttery taste and sometimes is flavored with caraway seeds. Havarti makes a fine addition to a snack tray or sandwich.

Gorgonzola: Gorgonzola is a blue veined cow's milk cheese from Italy. It has a distinct aroma and a tangy, pungent flavor that is sharper in mature cheeses. Its texture is smoother than that of other blue-veined cheeses, such as Roquefort or Stilton. Gorgonzola is used in sauces, on cheese trays, with fruit, and in mixed salads.

Roquefort: Though similar cheeses are produced elsewhere, EU law dictates that only those cheeses aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon may bear the name Roquefort, as it is a recognized geographical indication. As with Emmental, Camembert de Normandie and many others, it has a protected designation of origin. Made from sheep's milk, Roquefort is a crumbly blue-veined cheese with a pungent taste and strong aroma. Use Roquefort in mixed salads, Roquefort dressing, cooking, and as an appetizer or dessert cheese.

Stilton: Stilton is an English cow's milk blue-veined cheese. It has a crumbly texture, edible rind, and pungent tang. Traditional compliments to Stilton are fruit, walnuts, and port.

Fresh soft cheeses are unripened cheeses with mild flavors and a moisture content of 40% to 80%. The high moisture content gives these cheeses a soft texture and short shelf life.

Cottage Cheese: Cottage cheese gets its name from the fact that it was originally a home or cottage-made cheese. Commercial cottage cheese is made from skim, low fat, reduced fat, or whole cow's milk and has a bland taste. It comes packed in tubs in small, medium, and large curd forms swimming in cream. Cottage cheese can be used in cooking and as an accompaniment to fruit or raw vegetables and salad.

Queso Fresco: queso fresco is literally Spanish for fresh cheese. It is a Mexican cheese, traditionally made from raw cow milk or combination of cow and goat milk. Queso fresco is a soft, moist, curd style fresh cheese that's bright, creamy, and pleasantly milky. In traditional Mexican cuisine, queso fresco is used as a crumbled or cubed topping to balance out the flavors in rich and spicy dishes. It's a perfect stuffing cheese because of its soft yet compact consistency. Today's recipe is how to make this treat quickly and easily.

Feta: Feta is a great cheese traditionally made from sheep's milk or a combination of sheep and goats' milk. After the curd forms, it is salted, sliced, and packed in salt brine. Feta is a crumbly, white cheese with a salty tang that grows stronger with age. It is used in cooked dishes and salads and as an accompaniment to olives and bread.

Chevre: Chevre frais, French version of fresh cheese. It is fresh goat cheese. Chevre is soft and spreadable with a mild but characteristic goat cheese tang. Many times, you will find herb and spice flavored versions. Use chevre in cooking, as a spread with crackers and raw vegetables, or on sandwiches.

Marscapone: Marscapone is an Italian cow's milk cream cheese with a rich, creamy taste and the silky, smooth texture. Use marscapone in desserts such as tiramisu, in sauces, and as a spread. Marscapone can also be served plain, with a sprinkle of cocoa or liqueur.

Neufchatel: Neufchatel is a cow's milk cheese, similar to cream cheese, from the Neufchatel region of Normandy. Neufchatel has a soft, creamy texture, and slightly tart flavor that builds as the cheese ripens. Use it the same way as cream cheese. My recipe, Skillet Chicken with Neufchatel Spinach Artichoke Sauce, can be found here.

Mozzarella: Mozzarella is the firmest of the fresh soft cheeses. Traditionally mozzarella is a small oval cheese made with water-buffalo's milk, although cow's milk is now a common substitute. Fresh mozzarella is white and quite mild. It melts well in cooked dishes and often is served in salads with fresh tomatoes and olive oil and as a cold appetizer. Commercial mozzarella has a much firmer texture and a blander flavor. That version is often used shredded in cooked dishes and on pizza.

Ricotta: All of the other cheeses before this one have been made from the curd part of the "curds and whey". Ricotta is an Italian cheese made from the whey part of the "curds and whey" left after making use of the curds for other cheeses, such as mozzarella and provolone. Its uses are similar to those of cottage cheese, but its flavor is slightly sweeter. Ricotta has a smooth, slightly grainy texture. Use ricotta in baked goods and in pasta dishes such as lasagna. Italians also serve ricotta as a dessert cheese, sprinkled with sugar or salt, and as a filling for pastry.

Ripened soft cheeses have rich flavors and a buttery smoothness. They are characterized by thin rinds and soft, creamy centers.

Brie: brie is a French cow's milk cheese with a white crusty rind and a buttery texture that oozes at room temperature when the cheese is fully ripe. Brie has little flavor before it is ripe and will stop ripening once cut. Overripe brie develops a strong ammonia odor. Serve brie when its center begins to bulge slightly. Include brie on appetizer and dessert trays, in sauces, and in pastry. Brie should be served at room temperature.

Camembert: Similar to brie, Camembert is a cow's milk cheese that originated in the French village of Camembert. It has a slight tang and the pasteurized version is generally milder than brie. Its shape is round as is brie, but with a smaller diameter. Its uses mirror those of brie.

St. Andre: St. Andre is a French triple-cream cheese with a white downy rind and a slightly sweet, buttery taste. It is most often served as a dessert cheese.

Want to make queso fresco at home? Here is an easy recipe to make this homemade cheese that is a popular topping for tacos, nachos, enchiladas and tostadas. Many Latin foods use this ingredient and it is so easy.

• ½-gallon fresh whole, low-fat or skim milk
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 3 Tbsp white vinegar

1. Assemble a cheese cloth lined colander.
2. Heat the milk and salt stirring constantly to prevent sticking.
3. Bring it to a boil, turn the heat to low, and add 3 tablespoons of distilled white vinegar.
4. Watch and stir. Almost immediately, the milk will separate into curds and whey. If not, add one more tablespoon of vinegar. Continue to stir gently to encourage whey extraction and curd formation.
5. Drain into the cheesecloth-lined colander in the sink. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is cool enough to handle. Form the curds into a ball or disc while squeezing excess whey through the cheesecloth. At this point the cheese is ready to eat, but if you prefer a drier, firmer cheese, you can set it on a plate or a sheet pan with a plate on top of it. Use some kind of weight — cans, pots and pans, or books — to press it down for 15 more minutes or up to a couple of hours.
6. Crumble over tacos or enchiladas, or sprinkle into a salad. Slice as a side with your morning sausage and eggs.

This cheese is not a melting cheese. It is best enjoyed as is, fried or baked — just as long as you don't need it to become gooey.

That's a wrap for today's podcast. I hope your holiday season is going well and you find it in your heart to help those less fortunate than you in whatever way you can. We are blessed with food that others need and, though time is often short, I'm making it happen and getting it to them.

There is a lot more information on types of cheeses available for download in pdf form on our website. Link in the show notes. And give that queso fresco recipe a try. Less that a half hour and you can have your very own homemade cheese.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please hop over to Apple Podcasts, SUBSCRIBE and give me a 5-star rating and review. Also, please share it with any friends or family who might be interested in this type of content.

As always, I'm here to help you "taste the traditional touch."

Thank you so much for stopping by the homestead and until next time, may God fill your life with grace and peace.

• The Basics of Cheesemaking
• Taste of Cheese Free Downloads
• Skillet Chicken with Neufchatel Spinach Artichoke Sauce

Queso Fresco

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Raw Milk to Ultra-Pasteurized Milk and everything in between is the topic of today's podcast. I'm going to talk all about all sorts of milk and milk products. I'll give a brief definition of each one along with various commentary about development and uses of these nutrient-dense sources of food.

But first, I want to welcome each and every new listener. I hope you enjoy this content and share it with your friends and family. And as always, a heart-felt welcome back to the veteran homestead-loving regulars who stop by the FarmCast every week. I appreciate you all so much. There is no show without you and your input.

Exciting news is happening at the homestead. Are you ready? Let's get to it.

• Homestead Life Updates
• From Raw Milk to Ultra-Pasteurized Milk, and everything in between
• Recipe – Crème Fraîche

It seems as though we skipped from summer to winter with only a few days of fall in between. Oh well, perhaps it will be warmer in December. Sometimes it is. When I first moved to Virginia, we experienced winters that had about 5 days of weather that would get down into the 20's at night. Occasionally, we would have a night where it slipped into the teens. The past couple of years we have had some really cold winters with many days in the low-teens and even single digits at night with highs in the 20's. This year, this fall, we have already had nights in the 20's if you can believe it. Who knows what the winter will hold? Perhaps it will actually be warmer.

Any day now we will have a new calf. Cloud is showing signs of the last stages. She moves very slowly and with difficulty as the calf has dropped down quite a bit. She waddles. Her udder is larger than Violet's at this late point in her lactation cycle. Violet's udder was larger at the onset of her lactation. She is at the end of her lactation cycle and producing much less milk at this point.

The quail are doing well with the cold. Unfortunately, we lost 4 of the 6 to a predator. It happens. There were signs of an animal laying underneath the top cage. There are two sets of cages one on top of the other. Under the top cage is a slanted board with plastic so we can scrape off the manure. It looks like that plan will have to be modified in some way if predators are going to reach up from underneath and snag the birds. Anyway, the remaining two were put in with the main flocks on the lower level and all are doing well. Their waste goes straight through the bottom of the cage to the ground. There is extra board below them so no way to get up underneath that bottom set of cages. They are well off of the ground.

All are doing well. I don't remember if I mentioned that we lost a couple of lambs to predators. The rest are doing fine. The donkeys have been really good at keeping the predators away from the sheep and lambs. I'm not sure what happened there.

The inner walls are complete. Scott is going to take a break from all that block work and start back on fencing. The work is never done. While fixing fence he will also be creating firewood. We have been using standard heating during the unseasonably cold fall weather. But soon we will have wood to use in the wood stove for heating. It will be so warm and toasty in here. For the past week or so I've been closing myself into the office and running the small heater that we have in there to keep warm while the rest of the house is about 68 degrees. That's really cold for me. It probably wouldn't be so bad if I just surrendered and put some socks on to keep my feet warm. I don't know about you, but when my feet and hands get cold the rest of me feels like it is freezing and will never be warm again.

Enough about that. Let's get on to today's topic.

And everything in between

Dairy products have long been favored for their contributions to the human diet. Cave paintings made in the Libyan Sahara in 5000 BC show people milking animals and making cheese. Some research indicates that goats and sheep provided the first dairy products for humans. Later, cows supplied dairy products for much of the world.

Before refrigeration was invented milk spoiled rapidly. However, we humans quickly learned to preserve milk by making butter, ghee, cheese and other fermented products. By the first century A.D., the Romans were master cheesemakers, even using cheese presses to aid in separating the whey from the curd. Over the years, people have experimented with many variations in milk—and cheesemaking processes. (See my podcast on The History of Cheese. Link in the show notes.) As a result, a great diversity of fermented milk and cheese products are available today. I gave the basics of cheese styles in a previous podcast. In a future podcast, I'll go over more details of some common cheeses you might find in your local supermarket and what distinguishes them one from another. I'll include information on our lovely cheeses as well.

Milk is a dairy product that is valued as a nutritious beverage, and ingredient in cooking, and the foundation of other dairy products, including butter, cheese, and yogurt.

The composition of milk varies, depending on the type of animal, the breed, the animal's diet, the season, and even the time of day the animal is milked. Unless I mention it as otherwise, milk in this podcast is about cow's milk. Cow's milk from a grocery in the US is composed primarily of water (88%). It contains about 3.5% milk fat and about 8.5% milk solids in the form of proteins (primarily casein), lactose (milk sugar), minerals, and vitamins. Milk provides a rich source of calcium, as well as vitamins A, D, E, K, C, and B. Commercial milk is fortified with additional vitamin D. To replace the vitamin A drawn off with the removal of milk fat, low fat and skim milk products are fortified with vitamin A.

Casein is the primary protein in milk. It causes milk to clump and curdle in the presence of acid, too much salt, or too-high heat. When milk is heated, a skin can form on top. The skin is actually coagulated protein and fat. Milk also can coagulate and then burn on the bottom of a pan if you are not careful when heating it. Continuous stirring, heavy cookware, moderate heat, and minimal cook times help limit coagulation.

Milk, like all food products, provides a favorable host for the growth of bacteria, some of which can cause serious illness. Because of this, almost all milk is treated with some kind of pasteurization to kill bacteria and increase its shelf life.

In the 1860s, French chemist Louis Pasteur discovered a way to use heat to prevent spoilage of beer and wine without destroying their flavor. Pasteurization applies the same theory to the treatment of milk. Personally, I think pasteurization does destroy the flavor of milk. See my previous podcast, Benefits of Raw Milk, for more on that. The law requires all Grade A milk to be pasteurized. In fact, nearly all milk sold commercially in Western countries is pasteurized. The most common pasteurization technique heats milk to 161°F for 15 seconds and then rapidly cools the milk to 45°F. Pasteurization is used to kill bacteria and extends the keeping qualities of milk by killing naturally occurring enzymes that cause milk to sour and ferment. Unlike raw milk, pasteurized milk does not become sour and naturally ferment into other products. Pasteurized milk, properly refrigerated, keeps for about a week before it rots and becomes completely unusable even for cooking.

Ultra-pasteurization is often used to extend the shelf life of cream. Ultra-pasteurization subjects dairy products to much higher temperatures for shorter periods, destroying nearly all bacteria. Unopened, refrigerated ultra-pasteurized milk and cream stays fresh for 2 to 3 months. Once opened, the product will stay fresh about as long as conventionally pasteurized milk products.

Ultra high temperature (UHT) processing combines the process of ultra-pasteurization with specialized packaging. Holding the milk for 2 to 6 seconds at 280°F to 300°F sterilizes it. Hermetically sealed sterile containers block out bacteria, gases, and light. Unopened UHT milk can safely be stored without refrigeration for up to three months. After it is opened, you handle UHT milk in the same way as conventionally pasteurized milk products. If you are making your own cheese at home, never use UHT milk. It has been damaged too badly to be useful in making cheese, yogurt and so on.

In raw milk, the milk fat particles float to the top, creating a layer of cream sometimes called the "cream line." This happens because the fat globules, which are lighter than the surrounding water, are too large to stay suspended in the emulsion. To prevent the separation of milk fat, most commercially sold milk is homogenized. Homogenization breaks down fat globules by forcing the warm milk through a very fine nozzle. This process reduces the fat particles to 1/10 their original size, thus allowing the milk fat to stay suspended in liquid.

Removing milk fat fills the demand for additional variety in milk and cream products. To remove milk fat, milk is processed in a separator, a type of centrifuge. The milk spins at high speeds, causing the lighter milk to collect at the outer wall of the separator, while the denser cream collects in the center, where it is piped off. Modern separators can produce a range of milk products from whole milk to low-fat or reduced fat to skim.

Whole milk contains not less than 3.25% milk fat and 8.25% milk solids. Vitamins A and D are optional additions, as our flavoring ingredients, such as chocolate.

Milk with some fat removed will contain between 0.5% and 2% milk fat and not less than 8.25% milk solids. Common low-fat milk includes 1% milk; reduced fat milk includes 2% milk. Low-fat and reduced-fat milks must contain added vitamin A and vitamin D is optional.

Skim milk is also called fat-free or nonfat milk. All or most of the fat has been removed. Skim milk is less than 0.5% milk fat and not less than 8.25% milk solids. Vitamin A must be added. Vitamin D is optional.

Canned concentrated milk, called evaporated milk, is formed by evaporating about 60% of the water from whole or skim milk. It has a cooked flavor and darker color than regular milk. Evaporated or condensed whole milk contains at least twice the milk fat and solids of whole milk – 6.5% milk fat and 16.5% milk solids.

Sweetened condensed milk is whole milk with 60% of its water removed and a large quantity of sugar added. It's pasteurized and usually sold in cans. Sweetened condensed milk is not an acceptable substitute for whole or evaporated milk because of the added sugar.

Milk with nearly all moisture removed is called powered milk or dry milk. It is usually made from skim milk, although whole milk powder is also available. Dry milk can be used to enrich baked goods or it can be reconstituted in water.

A mixture of milk and cream is labeled half-and-half. It contains at least 10.5% but no more than 18% milk fat. We use it in coffee. Some use it in cereal. It is often used in baking and as an enrichment to other foods.

The next step up in thickness of cream is light cream. Also called coffee cream or table cream. It contains between 18% and 30% milk fat. It is also used in baking and as an enrichment for other foods. The higher you go in cream content the higher you go in calories. So, keep that in mind when deciding whether to use it in coffee or cereal.

Light whipping cream, also just called whipping cream, contains between 30% and 36% milk fat. It can be whipped or used to make sauces, ice cream, and other desserts.

Heavy whipping cream (HWC for the keto/carnivore crowds) is also called heavy cream. It contains at least 36% milk fat. As you would expect, it whips well and is used as a topping for desserts. It is also used for thickening, and as enrichment for sauces and various desserts.

All female mammals produce milk to feed their young, so it is not surprising that humans over the years have taken and continue to take milk from a variety of species. People in parts of Africa and the Middle East prize camel milk. Some groups in northern Scandinavia and Russia milk reindeer. It is said that Genghis Khan and the Mongolians conquered vast lands living on meat, blood and mare's milk. Although cow's milk is the most common today, people in many parts of the world use milk from sheep, water buffalo, and goats.

Sheep's milk is higher in fat (6.5%) and protein (5.8%) content than cow's milk. People drink sheep's milk and make yogurt and cheese from it. True Roquefort cheese is made from sheep's milk. Feta is traditionally made with sheep's milk or a mixture of sheep's and goat's milk.

Water buffalo's milk has a high percentage of fat (7.2%) and a protein count comparable to that of cow's milk (3.8%). Provolone cheese was first made with water buffalo's milk. Today Italy prides itself on making the highest quality mozzarella cheese from water buffalo milk.

Goat's milk contains a similar amount of fat and protein as cow's milk, but the smaller fat globules in goat's milk stay suspended, making homogenization unnecessary. Cheese made from goat's milk is referred to as chèvre (the French word for "goat") and is noted for its sharp, tangy flavor.

Fermented dairy products, also called cultured dairy products, are the result of adding a starter bacterial culture to fluid dairy products. Under the right temperature conditions, these lactic acid producing bacteria reproduce rapidly, causing milk or cream to ferment. The fermentation process gives dairy products a tangy flavor and thicker consistency.

Buttermilk, yogurt, sour cream, and crème fraîche are the most common cultured dairy products.

Traditionally, buttermilk was a byproduct of the butter-making process. Today people make buttermilk by introducing starter cultures from bacterial strains into skim or low-fat milk and then holding the milk at a controlled temperature for 12 to 14 hours. Buttermilk adds a distinctive, tart taste to baked goods and other dishes. Some people enjoy buttermilk as a beverage.

Yogurt adds a tangy flavor to sauces and other dishes and provides a low-fat substitute for sour cream. Yogurt is made by the same process as that for buttermilk but with different bacterial strains. This causes the milk to ferment and coagulate into a custard like consistency. Some yogurt contains live active bacteria. Medical research shows that yogurt with live active cultures helps the body produce lactase, an enzyme that breaks down lactose. This aids digestion, especially in those who have difficulty digesting milk products because of lactose intolerance. Research also suggests that eating yogurt with live active culture speeds recovery from some forms of intestinal illness.

Sour cream is made using the same process and bacteria as those for buttermilk, but it typically uses cream with 18% milk fat as its base. Sour cream is smooth, thick, and tangy.

Commercial crème fraîche is cultured, heavy cream that resembles a thinner, richer version of sour cream. Widely available in Europe, crème fraîche is expensive in the United States. Better to make it yourself with this easy recipe.

Use it anywhere you would use sour cream. Because sour cream has less fat but more protein, simmering or boiling it will result in curdling. Crème fraîche is a better choice for sauces or soups.

In France, crème fraîche was traditionally made from unpasteurized cream that naturally contained the right bacteria to thicken it. Since our cream is pasteurized here in the US, this crème fraîche is made by adding a fermenting agent with bacteria to heavy cream.

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons cultured buttermilk

1. In a glass jar, combine the buttermilk with the heavy cream.
2. Cover the jar tightly with cheesecloth or other breathable material. Let sit at room temperature (70 to 75 degrees) for 24 hours.
3. Remove cloth, stir. It will be thick but will get thicker. Screw on a lid, and refrigerate for another 24 hours before using.

Whew that was a lot of information about milk and milk products packed into one podcast. You might want to listen to that again and take notes. Or hop over to peacefulheartfarm.com and click or tap "Podcast" on the menu to read and bookmark the show notes.

The homestead is perking along well. I'm so excited about the impending arrival of a newborn calf. Even though she wasn't planned, life is precious to us and we will welcome this calf with open arms. We will figure out what to do with her. I'm sure it's going to be a heifer. Ok, I'm not really sure. We don't do ultrasounds to determine the sex of our calves, but it's great to say out loud what I want.

I hope you'll experiment with brewing up some homemade crème fraîche. Remember, don't use ultra-high temperature pasteurized cream. It simply will not produce the product you are looking to create.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please go to Apple Podcasts, SUBSCRIBE and give me a 5-star rating and review. And the best way to help out this show is to share it with any friends or family who might be interested in this type of content.

As always, I'm here to help you "taste the traditional touch."

Thank you so much for stopping by the homestead and until next time, may God fill your life with grace and peace.

• The History of Cheese
• Benefits of Raw Milk Podcast

Crème Fraîche

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Is raw milk dangerous is a question that many are asking. There is a surge in desire for this luscious and nutritious food – but what about all of the horrible stories of tragedies and loss connected with consuming raw milk? That's our topic of the day.

But first, I want to welcome everyone who is a new listener. I hope you enjoy this content. And as always, a heart-felt welcome back to the veteran homestead-loving regulars who stop by the FarmCast every week. I appreciate you all so much. There is no show without you and your input. There is a lot of exciting news to share with you about what is going on at the farm this week. So, let's get to it.

• Homestead Life Updates
• Is Raw Milk Dangerous?
• Lamb Chops with Balsamic Reduction

We had quite the scare last night. All of a sudden, we had no water. Scott went to the tap, turned it on, and only a dribble came out. Less than two hours earlier I remembered filling my water glass with no issues. He immediately went out to check on the water hoses. We have quite of few of them attached at the pump that bring water to various areas of the homestead. Some go to the animals and one goes to the garden. I think there may be one in the orchard. At least one other is attached to the house. These are the usual culprits. One of them will burst or a coupling disintegrates and falls apart spewing gallons and gallons of water everywhere. If we don't notice right away, the well can temporarily go dry.

In this case, Scott checked all of the hoses and didn't find any issues. He turned them off anyway. The next plan was to replace the breaker for the well pump. It is on its own 220 circuit. However, some time during the night the water returned. We are grateful. It was an interesting experience.

Usually when we don't have water it is because the power if off. Habitually I would want to turn on the water and had to remind myself that we had none. When we have no power, it's easy to remember we also have no water. It was a really strange brain thing.

Let me give you an update on the animals.

We have 6 baby quail in the brooder at the moment. There were originally 8 but we lost two. This particular batch of eggs was not very fertile. As the amount of light diminishes each day due to the changing of the seasons, the number of eggs laid and their fertility drops dramatically. I knew it would drop. However, the amount that it dropped was astounding to me. I expected the loss of egg production, not so much the lack of fertility. So often, even though we've read up on a topic and have the proper information, it is not until we go outside those boundaries ourselves do we realize the truth of the information.

Back in the summer, we had 8 or 9 laying hens that were producing about 7 eggs per day. Not bad. That's nearly one per day for each hen. That's typical. A little over a month ago we added a new batch of young hens to the mix. They were about 8 weeks old and at the age to start laying eggs. Our daily haul should have increased. Unfortunately, this was also about the time that the light started really diminishing. At the present time having increased the laying hens to 15 laying hens, we are getting 1 egg every day or so. That's what I call a dramatic drop in egg production. It will continue all winter unless we add some light for them. We have a plan there. I'll let you know how it goes.

Cloud is still pregnant. Her belly is very big in circumference, but there is no way of knowing how far along she is unless we get a vet out here. A woman can start to "show" in the 4th or 5th month, it begins to be impossible to miss that she is pregnant at 6 months and the 7th through 9th month is where stretch marks are developed because of the rapid growth in the size of your baby. With cows, the late development of size and weight of the fetus is even more prominent. While a calf fetus is continually growing in size throughout the pregnancy, it is slow in the beginning. Over 75% of the calf's total weight gain and growth takes place in the last trimester. And like human women, that is in month 7 through 9. A cow's gestation cycle averages 283 days. I'm guessing that Cloud is in her last month at this point. I could be wrong but that is my best guess.

In any case, we are ready in the milking parlor. She is now trained to come in and stand quietly while we wash and clean her udder like we would any other cow. The only thing she is not experiencing at the point is the actual inflations on her teats. She has heard the sound of the machine over and over many times. We do not anticipate big problems when the event does eventually take place.

The sheep, goats and donkeys are doing well. The goats go into any grazing paddock that they choose – no matter the fencing structure. They are goats. Respecting fences is not part of their nature. Thank goodness at this point, while they move between divided paddocks, they at least stay within the perimeter fencing. I should probably knock on wood with that statement.

The sheep are plugging along. Let us know if you are interested in grass-fed and finished lamb. We are just about ready to take a few for processing. Holiday season is upon us and lamb is a religious tradition for lots of folks. Again, let us know. You can visit the website at peacefulheartfarm.com/store or send us an email ([email protected]).

The donkeys are growing their winter coat and putting on some winter fat. They are the friendliest animals on the farm. I hope you get to come out and see them some time.

The inner walls are rising out of the dust. It won't be long now. Scott has laid the bottom row of the remaining walls. Two or three more weeks and they will be complete. It will be a building with walls and no roof. Is winter the best time to build a roof? I don't know I'll have to ask Scott. I'm just so excited to see these walls. The rooms are now defined.

In the spring perhaps we will be able to milk the cows in the new barn and milking parlor. That will be a treat. Milking is such a peaceful time and the milk produced is so nutritious and delicious. And the cheese… yum, yum.

This is a question I think everyone who consumes raw milk has asked themselves or others. We know the reality is that we have been drinking milk straight from the cow for thousands of years. But in September 1987 it became federal law that any milk transported across state lines must be pasteurized. Intrastate sales then and now are still regulated by the individual states. I've talked a bit about this in a couple of previous podcasts. Depending on the particular State, there are various legal ways to obtain raw for your family.

There has been – and indeed continues to be – quite the scare campaign surrounding the consumption of milk straight from the cow. Each person will have to decide for themselves what is best for them. I make no judgements and everyone knows I love it. In fact, I love it so much that it can become a problem for my waistline. But let's get to the studies and the data and see what we can see.

In February 2012, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) published a study targeting raw milk as dangerous and unsafe for human consumption. The media hype surrounding it was typical. Fearful headlines that get clicks and sell papers were seen. Here are some examples:

"Raw Milk Causes Most Illnesses from Dairy, Study Finds." – USA Today

"CDC: Raw Milk Much More Likely to Cause Illness." – Food Safety News

"Raw Milk is a Raw Deal, CDC Says." – LiveScience

Two of these headlines are technically accurate – raw milk is responsible for more illnesses than pasteurized milk when the number of people who consume each is taken into account. The problem begins with the dramatic overstatements and sensationalism of the findings. Every food we consume comes with risks. But for most, we never even think about it until we see the news article about the recall of spinach, beef or some other product we have in our refrigerator.

If you only saw the headlines from the CDC and FDA reports, you'd be left with the impression that raw milk is a dangerous food and anyone that consumes it or gives it to their children is reckless and irresponsible. In this podcast, I'll present the other side of the argument, and give you the bare facts as I see them. I can't say I am without bias but I will endeavor to convey the information without dramatic hyperbole so you can make an informed decision about whether unpasteurized milk is a good choice for you and your family.

I'm not here to convince you to drink raw milk. Again, that's a decision each individual has to make on their own by weighing the potential risks against the potential benefits. This podcast will cover the risks and another will focus on the benefits.

Let's start with putting the current discussion of unpasteurized milk safety into a wider context. Foodborne illness is a concern for many types of food. In 2008 the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) performed a review of foodborne disease outbreaks in the U.S. Seafood, produce and poultry were associated with the most outbreaks. Produce is responsible for the greatest number of illnesses each year (2,062), with nearly twice as many illnesses as poultry (1,112). Dairy products are at the bottom of the list. They cause the fewest outbreaks and illnesses of all the major food categories – beef, eggs, poultry, produce and seafood.

According to the CDC, during the period from 1990 − 2006, there were 24,000 foodborne illnesses reported each year on average. Of those, 315 per year are from dairy products. This means dairy products account for about 1.3% of foodborne illnesses each year. That's not exactly an alarming number, considering that more than 75% of the population consumes dairy products regularly.

It's also important to note that the outbreaks and illnesses associated with dairy products are generally mild compared to other foods.

According to the CSPI report above, approximately 5,000 people are killed every year by foodborne illness. From 2009 − 2011, three high profile outbreaks involving peanuts, eggs and cantaloupe alone accounted for 2,729 illnesses and 39 deaths. (1) Yet there have only been a handful of deaths from pasteurized dairy products in the last decade, and there hasn't been a single death attributed to raw fluid milk since the mid-1980s, in spite of the fact that almost 10 million people are now consuming it regularly.

The takeaway is that thousands of people are killed each year by foodborne illness, but they're dying from eating fruits, nuts, eggs, meat, poultry, fish and shellfish – not from drinking unpasteurized milk.

The data in these studies will always be suspect in my mind. An "illness" in these data can mean everything from an upset stomach to mild diarrhea to hospitalization for serious disease. Most food borne illnesses go unreported and one of the reasons is that they are only a passing nuisance.

Have you ever had a bout of diarrhea that you suspect was caused by something you ate? I have. Did you report it to your doctor or the county public health department? Probably not. I didn't. It was over in less than 24 hours and I simply vowed not to purchase spinach from Walmart ever again.

The statistic I am most concerned with is hospitalizations for serious illnesses. Kidney failure and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) caused by unpasteurized milk does happen, and children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable and more likely to suffer. That said, hospitalizations from raw milk are extremely rare. During the 2000 − 2007 period of the referenced study, there were 12 hospitalizations for illnesses associated with raw fluid milk. That's an average of 1.5 per year. If approximately 9.4 million people are drinking raw milk, that would mean you have about a 1 in 6 million chance of being hospitalized from drinking raw milk.

To add to the perspective, your chances of dying in a motor vehicle accident are 750 times higher than your chances of becoming hospitalized from drinking raw milk.

According to the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly (MMWR), from 2006 − 2008 there were an average of 13 outbreaks and 291 illnesses per year associated with shellfish and mollusks. According to the CDC FoodNet Survey, about 5.7% of the population (17,869,500) consumes shellfish. This means you had a roughly 1 in 61,000 chance of becoming ill from eating shellfish

What about other more commonly eaten foods? I'll use a chart from the CSPI report I referenced earlier. The chart will be in the show notes. This document charts the relative incidence of various foodborne illnesses from 1999 – 2006, adjusted for consumption.

Results:

• Seafood caused 29 times more illnesses than dairy
• Poultry caused 15 times more illnesses than dairy
• Eggs caused 13 times more illnesses than dairy
• Beef caused 11 times more illnesses than dairy
• Pork caused 8 times more illnesses than dairy
• Produce caused 4 times more illnesses than dairy

What this chart clearly shows is that dairy just might be at the bottom of your list of your concerns regarding foodborne illness.

I hope this helps you better understand the risk of drinking unpasteurized milk within the context of other risks that most of us take on a daily basis without a second thought.

This recipe for lamb chops is a favorite on our homestead. The title sound fancy but it is an easy and quick recipe for two people (we eat two chops each). Rosemary, basil and thyme give it great flavor.

• 4 lamb chops (3/4" thick)
• 3/4 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil

• 1/4 cup minced shallots (or onions)
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup lamb (or chicken) broth
• 1 tablespoon butter

1. In a small bowl or cup mix the rosemary, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Rub onto both sides of the chops. Cover on a plate for 15 minutes.
2. Heat cooking oil on medium high. Place chops in skillet, and cook for about 3 ½ minutes per side for medium rare. Remove from skillet and keep warm.
3. Add shallot (or onions) to skillet and cook until browned. Stir in balsamic vinegar, scraping pan drippings from the bottom of skillet.
4. Stir in broth. Continue to cook and stir over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until sauce has reduced by half.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the butter.
6. Pour sauce over chops and serve.

• Try substituting red wine or red wine vinegar for the balsamic vinegar.
• Doubling the recipe more than doubles the amount of time to reduce the sauce.

Again, we have lambs coming available soon. Get on the waiting list now. Shameless plug there. We love our animals and they receive the best life possible. Stay tuned for updates on Cloud and her impending delivery and the progress of the creamery.

Is raw milk dangerous? Remember, it's your choice whether you consume raw milk and/or raw milk products. It's hard with all of the negative press out there on just about every food available and raw milk more so than others. I hope I've provided a balance to some of the sensationalized information regularly regurgitated. Consuming any food is a risk. But how much? How much risk do we already tolerate on a daily basis that is not related to raw milk dairy?

If you enjoyed this podcast, please go to Apple Podcasts, SUBSCRIBE and give me a 5-star rating and review. And the best way to help out this show is to share it with any friends or family who might be interested in this type of content.

As always, I'm here to help you "taste the traditional touch."

Thank you so much for stopping by the homestead and until next time, may God fill your life with grace and peace.

• 2012 CDC Raw Milk Study
• Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) review of foodborne disease

Lambs Chops with Balsamic Reduction

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People are looking for raw milk but why is raw milk so hard to find? That's the topic of today's podcast. It's a complicated topic and I'll break it down into three categories as well as make suggestions regarding what you can do about it.

I'm very excited about today's topic. Raw milk is a passion of mine. I hope all of you who are new listeners will enjoy this podcast. I appreciate your stopping by and welcome your feedback. And a warm welcome back to the veteran homestead-loving regulars who stop by the FarmCast every week. I appreciate you all so much. This podcast is for you. Let me know what you'd like to hear and I will make it happen.

• Homestead Life Updates
• Why is Raw Milk so Hard to Find?
• Hot Buttered Rum Mix

Will the heat never end? I think I've said this before, but I really don't like the extremes of summer and winter. The cold seems to hang on forever in winter and the heat seems to hang on forever in summer. I'm so ready for fall. I'm ready for the leaves to turn.

Fall in the Blue Ridge Mountains is glorious. The Weather Channel usually has a map that shows the progress of the leaves starting in upstate New Hampshire and Vermont and progressing all the way down the Appalachian Mountain chain to Alabama. It's a big tourist time for us. Lots of fall festivals and activities are planned. We were able to attend a dairy livestock show in Stuart, Virginia (our county seat) that is heralded as one of the best in the state.

I have only a couple of updates on the Homestead. Today, Egwene, our 4 ½ month old Jersey heifer calf left our farm bound for a new home. I'm on pins and needles waiting to hear that she arrived safely. She is traveling all the way to New York. Her new owner seems very conscientious and I believe she will be in good hands.

All four outside concrete block walls of the creamery are now complete. Next the inside concrete block walls, then the roof, plumbing, electrical, and gas. There will be inside walls and tile flooring. The windows and doors. So much to do. We take one step at a time and gradually the destination comes closer.

On to today's topic.

The reasons are varied but seem to revolve around three things.

1. It's illegal in many places
2. The risk of being on the radar of the USDA and/or FDA
3. Legal ramifications if you are targeted

I'll also go over what you can do to help. But first, the reasons.

I've spoken of this before. I'll do a recap of that information. Why it is illegal is another great question and a subject for another podcast.

Today I want to talk about what's legal and what's not. And I also want to discuss how that affects your access, the consumer. The laws affect your ability to make your own informed choices about what you will feed your family.

My grand nephew has problems with psoriasis that is relieved by drinking raw milk. I've had people tell me their body aches were lessened by drinking raw milk. Some children unable to drink pasteurized milk are perfectly fine with raw milk.

I was contacted recently by someone interested in our herd share program. I was shocked to hear her say that her doctor told her that her daughter could drink raw milk. Most doctors tow the establishment line and don't make any waves. Most often they tell you that your child will die from drinking raw milk. And sure, that's great that the doctor said it's okay, but where is she supposed to get that milk? Is everyone reduced to buying their own cow? That's simply not practical.

In only 12 out of 51 states and Washington DC can she just walk into the grocery store and buy raw milk for her child.

If you don't live in one of those 12 states, your options are already limited. The next easiest option is buying it directly from the farm. That is legal in 15 states. Can't sell it in the grocery store but it can be purchased from your local farmer – if you can find one. They don't do a lot of advertising. More on that later. The next level of navigating this intrusion into your right to choose the food you want for your family is the herd share agreement. That's what we have here in Virginia and also in 10 other states. In four states, if the milk is labeled as "pet milk", you might be able to get your hands on it. And the final blow to those who live in the last 9 states is they are barred from purchasing any raw milk. No pet exemption. No herd shares. Those folks have to travel to another state.

Those are the last numbers I have. It may or may not be completely accurate. Political activity to change the laws is always going on – both for and against your right to choose the food for your family. And it goes beyond milk. So many of you also want yogurt, butter, cream, cream cheese and so on.

The bottom line is that many of us want to make lifestyle choices that include traditional ways of eating. Unfortunately, when it comes to getting your milk straight from the cow the way Mother Nature made it, the government gets between you and your right to choose.

For small farms like ours, it's best to remain low key. Aggressive advertising campaigns can bring unwanted attention from government officials as well as the original intent to serve more customers. Instead, we rely on small, personal interactions and word-of-mouth.

Many times, people get into positions of power over others and, for whatever reason, they abuse it. Not all, of course. And not even a majority. But our contacts with other small farmers and farm organizations have kept us informed of the atmosphere that sometimes surrounds official inspection personnel. Even if you are following every regulation to the letter, they can find ways to make your life unbearable.

For small farmers like us, the risk of showing up negatively on the radar of USDA officials or the FDA can be catastrophic. We are blessed to have a great relationship with our local VDACS/USDA dairy inspector. At least as far as I know we do. From the beginning we have done everything he has asked without complaint. We have shown him respect and he seems to have the same respect for us and what we are about in building this creamery. There is no need for additional interactions with USDA and/or FDA officials. Those tend to be the worst when it comes to wielding power over others. At least from what I've read that is the case. Relationships with more local people are always preferable.

And if you happen to get on their radar for a legitimate problem (quickly corrected), you are forever in their sites. It is statistically plausible that during the life of every business mistakes that require quick action and procedural correction are going to occur. To illustrate I'll tell a short story without names.

A small dairy, operating for 15 or 20 years, had a problem with one of their cheeses. The problem was that one of their cheeses tested high for a particular bacterium. Being conscientious business owners, they had all of the procedures in place to track down where their cheese went and got it all recalled. They do a lot of wholesale, so there was a lot of it out there. Even small batch cheese can end up being hundreds of pounds of cheese distributed all over the country.

In the end, no one was made ill. The recall was not initiated because of illness. Again, it was a cheese that failed a test conducted at regular intervals to ensure the safety of the cheese. The recall was a preventative measure. I can't stress this enough. Even if a cheese fails a test, that does not mean that anyone will ever get sick from consuming it. This number or that number was high – the statistical possibility that the "bad" bacteria would grow was higher. Contrast that with all of the folks who are made ill – or worse die – from consuming contaminated spinach, lettuce, cantaloupe and factory farmed beef. Those recalls generally happen after many have become ill and/or someone has died. That is not the case with cheese. We catch it long before it becomes a problem. Regulations for testing are strict. Perhaps that's why dairy products, raw and pasteurized, only make up 4% of reported food borne illnesses.

Anyway, the FDA got involved because of the recall. Now that this small dairy is on the FDA radar, regularly scheduled visits are common. Worse are the surprise visits. The agents hover with their virtual clipboards in hand, watching every move. Their eyes are begging you to make a mistake. As you can imagine, many times there are no moves until they leave. When someone is examining your every action with a fine-toothed comb, sure that you are violating some statute, it is best to give them as little ammo as possible.

And once you are on the radar, it continues. Where once you never saw anyone from the FDA, now it is a continuing possibility that will appear and make demands. Excessive amounts of cheese are tested. The agents truly spend an inordinate amount of time trying to find another problem. And perhaps this all sounds okay to you. Perhaps it sounds necessary. But for us, it is life or death for our business. We don't want to take chances on someone with power having a bad day and looking to us as an outlet for their frustration or anger. Our number one goal is to make sure our cheese and other raw milk products are perfect in every way and to never wind up in the sites of a federal agency.

As a small farmer I can tell you, our operation may not have survived this kind of intrusion and scrutiny. Testing every single batch of cheese made and multiple wheels from that batch? That would be disaster for us. Some of our batches are single wheels. Usually no batch produces more than 3 wheels. If we had to send in one from every batch – well you begin to see the problem.

The cost would be prohibitive. Testing that many cheeses would cost us 1/3 or more of our product intended for revenue. Due to information we have received from other farmers, we send our required to tests to VDACS and another to a third party. There are stories of small farmers having one bad test after another from their official USDA testing while the same milk tests fine via third party. Another result of getting on their radar. Additional tests cost money, but that is the cost of doing business in the dairy industry.

I don't want to sound all negative about this. Yes, today it is hard to find raw milk and raw milk products. There are reasons that these laws were put in place. Some are legitimate, though the knee-jerk response was harsh, and some are not legitimate. Some of the reasons are political and driven by the dairy lobby. As I said, I will cover that in another podcast.

For now, this is what we have to work with and we are happy with our current situation. The laws in the state of Virginia allow us to help you by offering part of our herd to consumers. Access to raw milk and raw milk products is there for you. It is a bit inconvenient, but the health benefits of raw milk products are worth it. The demand for raw milk and raw milk products is growing by leaps and bounds. We are working to expand the availability of raw milk products and you can help too. But the laws are always under attack and pressure to be made stricter. While North Carolina just expanded their availability by allowing herd shares, other states and moving to restrict access and outlaw herd shares.

One organization that helps farmers and consumers with many problems – access to raw milk being only one of them, though a large part of their focus, is the Farm to Consumer Organization. You can support them financially by becoming a member. Additionally, you can be on their mailing list and be informed about legislation that affects raw milk as well as other legal challenges that small farmers face.

There is one raw milk product that is available in the state of Virginia. No Yogurt, butter, or fresh cheese such as cream cheese. No not those. Only raw milk cheese can be legally sold to the public. The cheese must be aged greater than 60 days. For us, and most others, this is not a problem. None of our cheeses are worth a darn before 90 days, well beyond their 60-day minimum. Most of our cheeses are aged at least 6 months before they reach maturity. And they just get better from there. There are no other raw milk products that can be sold in the state of Virginia. Again, it's the herd share program that gives you access to products such as yogurt, butter, cream and fresh cheeses like mozzarella or cream cheese.

Last year there was a bill on the floor in Virginia that would have allowed an exemption for private homes to make yogurt to sell at farmer's markets. This would have been similar to the current law that exempts baked goods that don't require time or temperature control after preparation. There are a lot of do's and don'ts and a limit to the dollar amount of gross sales. There were similar provisions in the bill to open the market to yogurt. Anyway, not enough people showed up in support of the bill and it failed to pass.

Another organization in Virginia is VICFA – that is Virginia Independent Consumer and Farmers Association. They have an "action alert" registration form on their website. I'll put links to both of these organizations in the show notes. Or you can look them up online. That's Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Organization and VICFA, Virginia Independent Consumer and Farmer's Association. Both are fighting for your right to choose raw milk products for your family.

This is a rich and delicious beverage. It can be made with or without alcohol so everyone can enjoy it! This is as large recipe that makes 52 servings. No problem though. It is a mix that stores well in the freezer.

• 2 cups butter, softened
• 3 ¾ cups 10x powdered sugar
• 2 ¼ cups dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 quarts vanilla ice cream, softened

• ¾ cup boiling water
• 1 to 2 tablespoons rum or brandy (optional)
• Ground cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
• ¼ cup butter mixture

1. Cream butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in vanilla and ice cream.
2. Fill freezer containers. Store in freezer until needed.

1. Place ¼ cup butter mixture in a 10 or 12-ounce mug.
2. Stir in boiling water and rum.
3. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg to taste.

That's it for today's FarmCast. I hope your plans for the fall season are coming to fruition. It's a lovely time of year to enjoy life.

I know that for most people it's hard to find raw milk today. But remember, that you can help by becoming informed, involved and invested in the laws in your state. You can make a difference. We have a right to choose the food and nutritional program we think best for ourselves and our families. Stand up and let your voice be heard. And let others know about our herd share program. Also, we'd love to hear from you. What raw milk product piques your interest? Maybe if there is a demand, we can add it to our list of services provided for our herd share owners.

Let me know how you and your family like that Buttered Rum drink. Try it with our raw milk butter. You'll be glad you did.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please hop over to Apple Podcasts, SUBSCRIBE and give me a 5-star rating and review. Also, please share it with any friends or family who might be interested in this type of content.

As always, I'm here to help you "taste the traditional touch."

Thank you so much for stopping by the homestead and until next time, may God fill your life with grace and peace.

• Farm to Consumer Org
• VICFA – Virginia Independent Consumer and Farmers Association

Hot Buttered Rum

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Have you asked yourself the question, "How long should raw milk last?" It's a good question and I'll address it today, and provide a great ice cream base recipe. You won't have to worry about the cream lasting a long time. Your cream won't last long because the ice cream recipe uses it up. Homemade ice cream is the perfect complement to an early autumn day that feels like summer is still hanging on.

Welcome new listeners and welcome back veteran homestead-loving regulars. I appreciate you stopping by the FarmCast every week. There wouldn't be a show without you. Are you ready to get to it? Let's go.

• Homestead Life Updates
• How Long Should Raw Milk Last?
• Ice Cream Base Recipe

The garden is done. Well, there are a few sweet potatoes to be dug up, but other than that, it's all gone. Whew. Now we can rest until the spring. Well, not quite. There are clean up tasks and winter preparation of the beds, adding compost to improve the soil over the winter and covering the beds to keep the moisture in and the weeds out.

We are ready for another batch of quail eggs in the incubator. Not so many as last time. Due to the reduction of daylight, they are laying much fewer eggs. Last time it was 47. This time less than 30. Whatever comes in today will be the last of this period of collection. Eggs can be collected for 7 to 10 days and kept in a cool environment but not in the refrigerator.

Most of our quail are brown coturnix. They are tan and brown with spotted plumage. We have one white one from the original batch of eggs that we purchased and one white one from that first batch that we hatched out about 2 months ago. They are already mature. The males are fertile and the females are old enough to begin laying eggs. We will take out enough females to fill out our breeding stock and the rest will go to freezer camp.

We are down to one bull from this year's calves and we have just offered up Egwene for sale as well. She is our purebred Jersey heifer calf. Her mom is certified A2A2 and her sire is also certified A2A2. If you are interested please let us know. She is a lovely calf and quite affectionate if she thinks you have a bottle. We are weaning her and she has only a day or so left where she will get milk. At 5 ½ months old, she is developed enough to live on grass. Homesteading requires tough choices and letting go of favored animals is one of them. I will miss her but we have to be true to our plan.

The cooler weather we have had recently has been such a blessing. I hope it has been for you as well. I'm not a fan of summer. I like it okay in the beginning but it just seems to drag on and on. I'm the same way about winter. My favorite season is a toss up between spring and fall. Right now, fall is my favorite season, but I can guarantee you that in March my favorite season will be spring.

I tend to get seasonal affective disorder. Anyone familiar with that? As the winter drags on and there is less sun, vitamin D can be in short supply and depression may not be far behind. Usually by the end of January I'm feeling it and by the end of February I can be almost immobile. My level of motivation has fallen through the floor. These days I just accept what is and don't try to fight it. I revel in my – shall I say – laziness and enjoy it while it lasts. Come spring the world will spin out of control with so much to do and no time to do it all. It's a familiar cycle for me. I've learned to ride it like a roller coaster.

Let's get to today's topic.

The short answer is nearly forever. The only thing that will stop you from consuming it is an aversion to the taste. First it becomes sour. Next it will thicken into yogurt. However, it will be a very strong yogurt. That yogurt will last a month or more. Along that time line you can drink the milk, use it in cooking, make cultured butter and buttermilk, and so on.

Contrast that with pasteurized milk. Pasteurized milk does not sour, it rots. It truly goes bad and is not safe for consumption. You do not want to put it in your mouth under any circumstances. On the other hand, when raw milk ages and starts to sour, this is good! Great, in fact.

The reason raw milk starts to sour is because beneficial, probiotic bacteria amounts are increasing and using up the lactose sugar, making it taste sour, again, like a nice unsweetened yogurt. So, how long should your raw milk last when you get it home? Sandra Clark whose website is www.healthfoodnaturally.com, has this to say:

"If you get the milk the day it is milked, it will stay fresh up to 2 weeks. If it sours, no worries, it will become yogurt with no help at all (with a little sour cream on top)."

Without a starter, the sour cream on top usually bitters, so you can just scrape it off and compost it if you don't like the taste."

As for the yogurt, when we have left over milk at the end of the week, we just throw it in a ball jar and leave it in the fridge for if we get low on milk (because it has an amazingly long shelf life after turning into yogurt.)"

When we do run out of milk, we just throw some honey and fruit (usually berries) in and blend the yogurt into a tasty yogurt drink."

I have some jars in there as old as two months and the yogurt tastes fine (well not like store-bought yogurt – to get that particular flavor you need to manipulate it with a bacteria starter like for cheese making – but with honey and fruit added it tastes wonderful!)."

So according to Sandra it should last up to 2 weeks in your fridge. In my experience, I have kept milk for nearly a month before it soured. Because in the spring we have tons of milk, this happens often. We just keep drinking it until the flavor goes off, then use it for other purposes.

What is our secret to milk lasting so long? It's two-fold. First, cooling it quickly. The faster it gets below 40 degrees, the longer it is going to last. The second key is keeping it very cold. The colder you keep the milk, the longer it will last. Our milk refrigerator is set to 34 degrees.

The problem that people have these days is having access to this great raw milk. I will do another podcast on how we got to this point. Today, I'll just talk about where we are. There are lots of scary stories out there about how dangerous it is to drink raw milk. I say it's hogwash and propaganda put out by some people in power with lobbyists to placate. The human species would have died out long before the pasteurization process was invented in the previous century if it was so dangerous. There are dangers in every food we consume. There are risks in every aspect of life. Assess your comfort level with the risk and make your choice.

The problem today is that in many states, there is no available choice for raw milk products unless you own your own cow. That's why we started our herd share program. You can own part of a cow herd and receive the benefits of what your cows produce. More on that later. It's so amazing to me that you can buy unpasteurized milk in the grocery store in 12 states, but the rest restrict it in various ways. It has to be labeled as pet milk in 4 states. 15 states allow it to be sold directly from the farm but not in the store. And of course, the herd share program is available in Virginia and 10 other states. In 9 states all sales are illegal and so are herd shares. So, 12 states think it is okay to for us buy raw milk and to consume it freely and the others are so certain we are all going to die of horrible illnesses that it has to be restricted or illegal altogether. I just cannot fathom the logic in this. If people were dying right and left, it would have been outlawed in all of those states wouldn't it? Who is telling the truth?

You have to make up your own mind of course. And I will say again, there is risk in consuming any food. To help you with that decision as it pertains to raw milk, here is an article from the US National Library of Medicine Department of the National Institutes of Health (link in the show notes). It is titled Recent Trends in Unpasteurized Fluid Milk Outbreaks, Legalization, and Consumption in the United States.

There is a ton of really great information in this study. Lots of data, as you might expect, and lots of charts and graphs. It's really good stuff. I'll quote from the Abstract.

"Introduction: Determining the potential risk of foodborne illness has become critical for informing policy decisions, due to the increasing availability and popularity of unpasteurized (raw) milk.

Methods: Trends in foodborne illnesses reported to the Centers for Disease Control in the United States from 2005 to 2016 were analyzed, with comparison to state legal status and to consumption, as estimated by licensing records.

Results: The rate of unpasteurized milk-associated outbreaks has been declining since 2010, despite increasing legal distribution. Controlling for growth in population and consumption, the outbreak rate has effectively decreased by 74% since 2005.

Discussion: Studies of the role of on-farm food safety programs to promote the further reduction of unpasteurized milk outbreaks should be initiated, to investigate the efficacy of such risk management tools."

So, there you have it. This study was initiated because they were pretty sure that the incidence of raw milk illnesses would increase as access was increased. They were wrong. There is now a push toward finding out if on-farm food safety programs are helping. I don't need a study to tell me that they most certainly are. I've learned a lot of what I know because we have been studying cheesemaking for years. Others are just starting out and need to know about how to keep the environment sanitary and the milk clean. They need to know that it is really important to cool the milk quickly. Many still don't use bulk milk tanks and have other ingenious methods of cooling the milk. A favored method is putting it in a freezer for 2 hours and then transferring to the refrigerator. I'm glad we have a bulk tank else frozen milk in broken jars would be a regular disaster. I get busy and forget stuff. Heck, I can walk into another room and forget why I went in there. Ever done that?

In Virginia, the way to have access to raw milk is via the herd share. You support the business by buying a share of the herd and get a designated rate of return on your investment. It is a commitment to be sure. It's kind of like that wine buying club. You are committing to a certain amount of product per month for as long as you are a member.

If you're looking for an affordable cow herd share program in southern Virginia or the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina that has quality, healthy, and long-lasting raw milk, cheese, butter and yogurt, this is it. We are situated in Patrick County, Virginia just northeast of Mount Airy, NC.

Here are four reasons our cow herd share program is so good.

1. We offer 100% heritage breed Normande and Jersey milk, cheese, yogurt, cream and butter from cows with certified A2A2 genetics. I have a podcast on what A2A2 genetics means and I'll include the link in the show notes. Briefly, there was as genetic mutation that happened a while back that changed the structure of the milk. Most milk today is NOT A2A2 in nature. One of the reasons we chose our heritage breed Normande cows was the purity of the ancient genetics.
2. We use antibiotics only at great need and absolutely NO growth hormones. Because we care for our pastures, our cows get only the best nutrition. Occasionally, there is a need for antibiotics. It's no different than a human woman getting mastitis while breast feeding. Sometimes it happens and you take care of it. If it is necessary, that cow's milk is harvested separately until the treatment and subsequent waiting period is long past. And the idea of forcing our cows to produce more milk with hormones is abhorrent to me. There is no regard for the health of the animal at all with hormones. There is only the focus on production. I don't think those that use these artificial means of increasing milk even see that the cows are living beings. They treat them like machines. When they inevitably burn out due to over-taxing their bodies, they are shunted off to the sale barn and replaced with a younger model. It's disgusting.
3. Our cows are out on grass all the time, and only come in for milking. They receive a small amount of non-soy, non-GMO grain supplement. This has two purposes. First, to entice the cow into the milking parlor and second to make sure she maintains her body condition. Our Normande cows can get by with absolutely no supplemental feed and maintain their body condition until late in the season. We choose to make sure they maintain body condition from beginning to end. The Jersey cow requires a great deal more supplemental nutrition. It is very easy for her to lose condition. I recently did a podcast on this as well (Normande vs Jersey – the Cost). The Jersey cow breed is a wonderful choice for many. But they do come with problems that we have not experienced with our Normandes. I won't go into other details but, the days of Jersey cows on our homestead are numbered.
4. To join their herd share program, it only costs $60 AND one share is only $44 monthly! You can also purchase a half share for $30 and $22 per month or multiple shares if you have a larger family. The herd produces milk from the first week of May through the last week of October. Yogurt and sometimes cream is also available in that time frame. In the spring, there is always a glut of milk and we makes lots and lots of cheese with that. Our cheese are all raw milk cheeses. The legal requirement is that they be aged at least 60 days. However, none of our cheeses would be worth a darn at that young age. We age all of our cheeses well past that minimum. Some only come into their flavor after many, many months. And they get better and better with age.

Check out the Herd Share page on our website – www.peacefulheartfarm.com. Click or tap "herd share" on the menu to get more information. Or drop us a line via email or give us a call. We'd love to have a conversation with you.

Fun fact about raw milk. Remember the old wives' tale about drinking warm milk to get to sleep? That is likely due to the tryptophan in the milk. However, it doesn't really work anymore unless you have a raw milk resource. Pasteurization destroys the tryptophan. And that's it for today's topic. Let's finish up with a late summer recipe for home made ice cream.

When it's warm outside, a cold refreshing dish of ice cream can really hit the spot. This is a basic ice cream recipe that can be used as a base for many different flavors. I've included a download link to the flavorings. This silky, luscious and very classic custard can be used as the base for any ice cream flavor you can dream up. These particular proportions of milk and cream to egg yolk will give you a thick but not sticky ice cream that feels decadent but not heavy. For something a little lighter, use more milk and less cream, as long as the dairy adds up to 3 cups. You can also cut down on egg yolks for a thinner base, but don't go below three.

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• ⅔cup sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 6 large egg yolks
• Your choice of flavoring

1. In a small pot, simmer cream, milk, sugar and salt until sugar completely dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat. In a separate bowl, whisk yolks. Whisking constantly, slowly whisk about a third of the hot cream into the yolks, then whisk the yolk mixture back into the pot with the cream. Return pot to medium-low heat and gently cook until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer).
2. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Cool mixture to room temperature. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight.
3. Churn in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions. Serve directly from the machine for soft serve, or store in freezer until needed.

Download the recipes for flavorings

I'm so glad that summer is winding down. It was a long, rough summer. And I missed about half of it because of the appendicitis. Again, not a huge fan of heat of summer. Remember to contact us if you are interested in a Normande bull to strengthen your herd genetics or if you are looking for that A2A2 Jersey heifer for yourself or to add to your herd.

If you're not into raising your own cow but still want the benefits of raw milk products, we are here to help you out with that. For us the benefits of raw milk and raw milk products far outweigh the small risk factor. I'll do another podcast on the statistics for the number and percentage of illnesses attributed to raw milk consumption shown in the larger scope of food in general. Where does raw milk fall in the list of food born illnesses from food in general?

I hope you try out some really great ice cream recipes in these last days of summer and the early autumn. Share your experiences in the comments on the recipe page. Link in the Show Notes.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please hop over to Apple Podcasts, SUBSCRIBE and give me a 5-star rating and review. Also, please share it with any friends or family who might be interested in this type of content.

As always, I'm here to help you "taste the traditional touch."

Thank you so much for stopping by the homestead and until next time, may God fill your life with grace and peace.

• US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health: Recent Trends in Unpasteurized Fluid Milk Outbreak, Legalization, and Consumption in the United States
• Peaceful Heart FarmCast: What is A2A2 Milk?
• Normande vs Jersey – the Cost

Ice Cream Base with bonus flavoring recipes download

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Today I'm going over the Weston A Price Diet Basics. They champion raw milk and have a lot of great information on their website. I'll put a link in the show notes to their website.

Before I launch in to today's info, I want to take a minute to say welcome to all the new listeners and welcome back to you veteran homestead-loving regulars who stop by the FarmCast every week. I appreciate you all so much. I'm so excited to share with you what's going on at the farm this week.

• Homestead Life Updates
• Weston A Price Diet Basics
• Bone Broth Recipe

I feel almost normal again. There was one small incident earlier this week. We are missing one small buck and I thought he might be in with the girls so I walked much farther out into the pasture than normal to round up the goats. It's pretty easy to do but required a bit more energy that I anticipated. I walked slowly and carefully. Keeping good balance is still an issue. I'm very careful when walking around out there. So many things can trip you up if you are not paying close attention. Then, oops, trip and down you go. Fortunately, I did not have that experience. No, I just walked slowly and carefully. Unfortunately, I walked a lot farther than I had in quite a while. It seemed like it would be easy. After all, I often easily walked two or three times as far as I did on this morning prior to my bout of appendicitis. Well, turns out it wasn't that easy. I continue to be surprised by how weak my body became with this illness. Oh well, I just went inside, cooled off, rested . . . and then made some cheese.

Both are showing the effects of a lack of rain this summer. Oh, and the steers ate the tops of my celery, sweet potatoes and the Swiss chard. Bummer, I was going to take the celery to the farmer's market per the request of my customers. The sweet potatoes will likely be fine. In fact, the tubers may grow even larger as they are the propagation mechanism for the plant. Whenever a plant's life is threatened, it begins to put a lot of energy into reproduction. For instance, when it gets to hot for lettuce and spinach in late spring, the plants will send up stalks of seeds. This is referred to as "bolting". We say the lettuce or spinach "bolted". Sometimes even the smallest amount of stress can cause lettuce and spinach to bolt. It starts putting out as many seeds as possible to preserve itself.

Scott did take a day out of this creamery-building schedule to water the few remaining veggies in the garden and the entire orchard. He also did a bit of summer pruning of the trees. And then it was back to laying blocks in the creamery.

It is so exciting to see those walls growing out of the ground. The building is really taking shape. Scott is so dedicated to using every possible minute to get the project completed. His attention to detail is also inspiring. The seams between the blocks are perfectly aligned. Visit our Facebook page to see images of all his hard work.

We started the culling process with the goats. I talked about our plan in the podcast just prior to this one. In the end, we will have no sheep and the cashmere goats will be replaced with Kiko goats. We took the three breeding bucks to the meat processor. They will make lots of ground chev. Look for a good deal on soup bones. We will have lots of them.

All three of them had impressive racks of horns. Roanoke's were more than 4' feet from tip to tip. We asked and were granted permission to keep the heads with the horns attached. They are currently curing and will eventually decorate our walls – probably in the small store area of the creamery.

We have begun collecting eggs for the next batch of quail. It started slow. Only two so far.

The quail cages got moved. Their manure smell is quite pungent and their cages were far too close to the carport and back door. The odor seemed to accumulate under the carport and came wafting to the back door.

Each time the quail are disturbed, they stop laying eggs for a few days. When Scott was building the cages, he had to remove the layers from their cages while he assembled the additional cage above their space. They stopped for a day or so and then slowly returned to their original laying pattern. So when Scott moved their cage to a new and quite lovely shady spot, their laying dropped to almost nothing. He brought in two eggs this morning. Normally, we get six to eight. Also, the days are getting shorter and the birds will naturally lay fewer eggs. They need light to lay every day. We can supply artificial light and we may do that. Who knows? That's another project though. Best keep on with the creamery.

Today I want to talk about a traditional diet as presented by the Weston A Price Foundation. (WAPF). There are lots and lots of ideas and opinions about nutrition out there. The science cannot seem to agree. And it makes sense. No two people are alike. Some people live on the equator with ancestral and genetic ties to an abundance of fruits. Some people live in areas where meat and fat are their only choices. I recommend doing your own research and making your choices based on the needs belonging uniquely to you and your family.

Today, specifically, I'll be outlining the recommendations detailed by the Weston A Price Foundation. First, some basics on the man and the organization.

Weston Andrew Valleau Price (September 6, 1870 – January 23, 1948) was a Canadian dentist known primarily for his theories on the relationship between nutrition, dental health, and physical health. He founded the research institute National Dental Association, which became the research section of the American Dental Association, and was the NDA's chairman from 1914 to 1928.

Price initially did dental research on the relationship between endodontic therapy and pulpless teeth and broader systemic disease, known as focal infection theory, a theory which resulted in many extractions of tonsils and teeth. Focal infection theory fell out of favor in the 1930s and was pushed to the margins of dentistry by the 1950s.

By 1930, Price had shifted his interest to nutrition. In 1939, he published Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, detailing his global travels studying the diets and nutrition of various cultures. The book concludes that aspects of a modern Western diet (particularly flour, sugar, and modern processed vegetable fats) cause nutritional deficiencies that are a cause of many dental issues and health problems. The dental issues he observed include the proper development of the facial structure (to avoid overcrowding of the teeth) in addition to dental caries. This work received mixed reviews, and continues to be cited today by proponents of many different theories, including controversial dental and nutritional theories.

The Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) was co-founded in 1999 by Sally Fallon Morell and nutritionist Mary G. Enig. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to "restoring nutrient-dense foods to the American diet through education, research and activism."

The foundation has been criticized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its advocacy of drinking raw milk and by various nutritionists for its advocacy of the health benefits of animal-based fats.

The President of the foundation is Sally Fallon Morell. The foundation has seven board members and numerous honorary board members, most of whom have medical or nutritional qualifications.

Its main sources of support are the dues and contributions of its members. It does not receive funding from the government or the food processing and agribusiness industries. It does accept sponsorships, exhibitors and advertising from small companies by invitation, whose products are in line with its principles. The sponsors include grass-fed meat and wild fish producers, as well as health product companies.

A 2004 report published by the foundation stated that it is dedicated to "restoring nutrient-dense foods to the American diet through education, research and activism", and "supports a number of movements that contribute to this objective including accurate nutrition instruction, organic and biodynamic farming, pasture feeding of livestock, community-supported farms, honest and informative labeling, prepared parenting and nurturing therapies."

Specific goals include establishment of universal access to certified raw milk and a ban on the use of soy in infant formulas. The organization actively lobbies in Washington DC on issues such as government dietary guidelines definition and composition of school lunch programs.

The WAPF publishes a quarterly journal called Wise Traditions in Food, Farming, and the Healing Arts, and an annual shopping guide which lists products made from organic, non-GMO ingredients and prepared using traditional and artisan methods.

The diets of healthy primitive and non-industrialized peoples contain no refined or denatured foods such as refined sugar or corn syrup; white flour; canned foods; pasteurized, homogenized, skim or low-fat milk; refined or hydrogenated vegetable oils; protein powders; artificial vitamins or toxic additives and colorings.

I do want to point out that primitive cultures have health difficulties that our modern systems have overcome. Access to food and health care in the first world is amazing. Death in childbirth and early childhood death from things like pneumonia are still issues for the primitive tribes. Diet won't fix that. Appendicitis like I had would have been a death sentence for these people without modern medicine. We truck food from one side of the country to the other. Importing and exporting food from and to all parts of the world is now commonplace. We do not have problems with access to food. Our problems might be characterized more as excess of food.

All traditional cultures consume some sort of animal protein and fat from fish and other seafood; water and land fowl; land animals; eggs; milk and milk products; reptiles; and insects.

In every traditional culture, some of the animal products are eaten raw.

Their location on the planet determines their diet. And as I mentioned earlier, some have access to an abundance of fresh fruit. For some fruit would be a year-round staple and for other it would be seasonal.

Because of the focus on the foods I just mentioned, primitive diets contain at least four times the calcium and other minerals and TEN times the fat soluble vitamins from animal fats (vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin K2) as the average American diet.

There is an interesting connection between raw foods and the enzymes needed to digest them. Primitive and traditional diets have a high food-enzyme content from raw dairy products, raw meat and fish; raw honey; tropical fruits; cold-pressed oils; wine and unpasteurized beer; and naturally preserved, lacto-fermented vegetables, fruits, beverages, meats and condiments. Lacto-fermenting is an art form I'll address for you in a later podcast.

Seeds, grains and nuts are soaked, sprouted, fermented or naturally leavened in order to neutralize their naturally occurring antinutrients. Phytic acid, enzyme inhibitors, tannins and complex carbohydrates are examples of antinutrients.

Most of today's nutritionists insist that low fat is the way to go. But that's not how we were able to survive to experience this modern era. The total fat content of traditional diets varies from 30% to 80%. Of total calories consumed, only about 4% come from polyunsaturated oils. That 4% comes from the naturally occurring oils in grains, pulses, nuts, fish, animal fats and vegetables. The balance of fat calories is in the form of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids.

Traditional diets contain nearly equal amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids. There is a lot of heady information out there about what food has what fat and in what ratio? Is there a balance of equal parts omega-6 and omega-3? Again, in traditional diets where animals are raised in harmony with nature and gardens are made fertile with naturally occurring compost, the balance of this fat and that fat is irrelevant. When using traditional methods of farming, the animals are healthy and the nutrition in food is naturally in balance. If it is not, something needs to change in the farming method. This is the essence of being sustainable.

All primitive diets contain some salt. Another vilified nutrient by today's standards.

Traditional cultures consume animal bones, usually in the form of gelatin-rich bone broths. Bone broth is quite popular today in the keto and carnivore diet worlds.

That sums up the basics of the WAPF diet basics. Go to their website and signup for their 7-part Wise Traditions Diet to get all the information on eating a traditional diet. What to eat as well as proper preparation passed down through centuries of experience.

Bone broth is made with bones that have bits of meat still clinging unlike "stock". It is also generally thinner than "stock". Most people use the terms interchangeably. It has been made for centuries. Roasted bones will add flavor to the broth and will darken the color.

This recipe that fresh herbs for an added bit of flavor.

• 1 pound lamb bones or other bone of our choice
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 medium carrots, chunked
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 gallons water, more as needed
• Salt, optional

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Place bones in roasting pan. Cook for 30-40 minutes or until browned.
3. In a large stock pot placed over medium heat, add cooking oil.
4. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and herbs. Saute for 5 minutes.
5. Add bones including fat and juices from the roasting pan.
6. Add enough water to cover the bones and bring it to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low.
7. Simmer for 8 hours (or up to 24 hours) uncovered. Add more water as needed to keep the bones covered.
8. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer lined with a tea towel.
9. Enjoy hot or store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

If you made a larger amount, freeze the remaining broth in container sizes that fit your everyday needs or pressure can for longer term storage.

Hop over to the website to find and print this recipe. There is a link in the show notes. Go to the home page, click or tap podcasts, click or tap this episode titled "Weston A Price Diet Basics," scroll to the bottom of the post and you will find the link to the bone broth recipe.

That's it for this episode of the Peaceful Heart FarmCast. We are winding down toward fall, the harvests are coming in and preserving food for the winter is in full swing here on the homestead. The work on the creamery continues. And as the days get cooler, that bone broth is the perfect food for bringing you warmth and peace at the end of the day.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please hop over to Apple Podcasts, SUBSCRIBE and give it a 5-star rating and review. And the best way to help out the show is to share it with any friends or family who might be interested in this type of content.

As always, I'm here to help you "taste the traditional touch."

Thank you so much for stopping by the homestead and until next time, may God fill your life with grace and peace.

Weston A Price Foundation

Bone Broth

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