I heard the most interesting conversation on dairy products the other day on Science Friday on NPR.
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Did you know that 30-50 million Americans are lactose intolerant?
Listen to this interview of the Associate Professor of Anthropology at Harvard, where she talks about how the ability to digest lactose could partially depend on your gut microbiome.
Check it out HERE.
I found this episode particularly relevant because my relationship with dairy has been long and winding...
I found out that I was lactose intolerant when I went to college.
I discovered, a few years later, that I could enjoy goat and sheep milk, as well as A2A2 cow milk sometimes, without the same consequences I experienced when I drank ultra-pasteurized, homogenized cow milk from the grocery store.
Then, when I got pregnant last year, I could suddenly eat any dairy products I wanted with no consequences at all!
I'm not really sure why this happened, but I have been thoroughly enjoying all kinds of products made with local raw milk.
I have always noticed that in the summertime, when I am regularly consuming raw sheep milk, I can eat dairy products to an extent- without any ill consequences. This makes sense after listening to the episode above.
I recently heard that local folks were having some trouble finding sources for raw milk, so I started to put together a directory of producers in the Laramie/Cheyenne area.
It is nowhere near finished, but it should help give you a starting point, if you are trying to locate raw milk.
You can view my directory HERE.
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Sometimes I just can't use milk fast enough, but local raw milk is WAYYYY too good to waste!
Sometimes I give it to our pigs and chickens, (who love every form of milk), but I also enjoy experimenting with the whey and curd of sour milk.
I have made cheeses, fermented whey drinks, and bread.
You may have seen me mention my first attempt at Beet Kvass a couple of weeks ago.
Beet Kvass is beets (I also added a bit of cabbage and onion) fermented in whey for about a week in the fridge.
This mixture creates an earthy soda with a subtle bubbliness that lights up the tastebuds and leaves your guts feeling happy.
Boy is it delicious!
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This weekend, I tried out a new dairy-centered recipe.
Check out my new favorite way to use sour milk!
Sour-Milk Biscuits
This recipe is adapted from a Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe out of the Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook (one of my favorites).
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp double-acting baking powder
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup lard or butter
1 & 1/2 cup sour milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450*F.
Mix dry ingredients well.
With a fork or pastry blender, cut in lard or butter. If using butter, I like to freeze it for 20-30 minutes, then use a cheese grater to incorporate the butter into the flour mixture in small shreds.
Mix gently until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add milk and mix with fork until mixture forms soft dough that doesn't stick to the side of the bowl.
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead 6 to 8 strokes,
Roll out to about 1/2" thickness.
Cut biscuits with a 2" biscuit cutter (I like to use a canning jar lid ring).
Place biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet, 1" apart for crispy ones and barely touching for soft-sided ones.
Place dough trimmings together and roll out again (don't knead them), and cut more biscuits until all your dough is used up.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, until they are golden on top.
If your oven heats from the bottom, bake on top or middle rack to keep the bottoms of the biscuits from burning.
Enjoy with fresh butter, pot pie filling, or white gravy!
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Deposits are closed for our Bulk Meats in 2023.
That means....
It is time to announce the winners of the Meet Your Rancher Giveaway!
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Tour the Balzan Longhorn Cattle Ranch in Wheatland Wyoming- Amanda Bowman
Rardin Family Calf Branding- Vladimir Alvarado
Learn to Process Your Own Meat with BJ at the New Taste of the Wind Farm- Linda Williamson
Please respond to this email so we can coordinate the details.
Thanks to everyone who placed their deposits and reserved their meat for the 2023 season we are looking forward to feeding you and your loved ones this year!
It was Chris's Birthday this past weekend, and I got him a couple of special gifts.
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Some whole-wheat berries from Wyoming Heritage Grains out of Powell, Wyoming.
Chris has always loved making bread, and we have both read about the huge difference that local, freshly-ground flour makes when baking your own loaves.
We were gifted a small flour mill from a friend last year and Chris has been excited to try it out.
So, I got him two varieties of wheat berries.
-White Sonora
-Rouge de Bordeaux
I will have to let you know how they taste!
My CSA folks are getting bags of milled White Sonora flour in their boxes this month too!
I'm excited to share the products of another local Wyoming farmer with folks who appreciate local foods.
What an amazing feeling it is to eat in a way that supports our local community, our local economy, our local ecosystems, and our own health.
There is nothing like real, local, food produced by folks you can trust.
We couldn't produce food like this or even eat food like this if it wasn't for you.
Thanks for caring about local food!
Until next week.
-BJ and the Taste of the Wind Crew
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