More Good Eats

Having recently heard a lot of good about raw dairy products (e.g., raw cow's milk reduces allergic tendencies later in life when consumed in one's youth, and homogenized dairy is a cardiotoxin), I recently decided to introduce it to the fambly. I remembered getting raw milk during my summer stays in Switzerland in the 1970s, but had forgotten how good it was.

So I've started picking up four gallons of the stuff every other week from the fine folks at Windsong Farm near Southwest Houston. I then separate the cream, freeze one or two gallons of milk for later use, and we've been making ice cream and butter with the cream. (I also bought an ice cream maker and butter churn [photo at right], too.)

It's no surprise that the kids like it (especially the ice cream!), so it's been worth the extra expense (so far). And the wife and I are enjoying real milk in our coffee. I can't find a reliable source on the "dangers" of raw dairy products (the bias of the mass-market dairy industry and their government bureaucracy bedfellows don't count), but there's plenty of info on the health benefits of raw milk vs. pasteurized milk.

Another cool kitchen item we've found in connection with this change was the butter bell. It's a ceramic crock that keeps your butter soft and fresh by immersing it upside down in water when it's not in use. Nifty (says I)!

We've also been enjoying the occasional beef brisket and pork shoulder pairs, smoked in our little backyard smoker. Any smaller and it couldn't handle the job. But for less than $90 it's turned out some pretty consistently fine meat. My inattention to the wind direction has yielded several days of a smoke-scented household once or twice, but otherwise it's been worth it. Making the stuff last isn't all that easy with two teenage boys around.

Still, I'm glad we're all able to enjoy some of these finer things on our table, even if it's only for a season.