jennylyn:

Falconinburgundy:

buy local and visit the farm(s) where your products are produced.

Any suggestions for finding a local milk supplier?  I do this with eggs, my CSA has an egg option with eggs that come from a small family farm and pastured chickens.  I have so far not found a milk supplier but I know they MUST exist as this is dairy country!  Unless they are all large scale . . .

Do you know if you can pasturize milk at home yourself?  There is a well knows organic raw milk farm here with completely humane practices but I'm not wild about the flavor of the raw milk and worry about giving it to the kids.  If they would start pasteurizing, I would buy their milk in a heartbeat!

Thanks for the tips!

 I would start asking around to find a milk supplier... in a small town, you might find a person, who knows a person.... 

As far as pasturizing, that's actually not necessary if you get your milk from a clean farm.  Pasturizing kills harmful bacteria, but also kills good bacteria.   My parents had a small dairy goat farm and they were very careful with their milk.  I don't remember all the details, but for some people, she would freeze the milk just to the point of having ice crystals and then would place it in the refrigerator.  But to answer your question, yes, you can pasturize at home like another person said.  (BTW, I love skim milk and could not get used to drinking plain whole milk, though my whole-milk family loved it)

BTW, this is a great thread!  I'm not a vegetarian because I enjoy meat occasionally, but I do try to make healthier decisions regarding my food.  I'm also a little discouraged by some of the other threads that talk about purchasing highly processed foods and making foods loaded with flour/sugar.  Yes, these kinds of foods are inexpensive and they're easy to prepare (at least for those of us who grew up on these foods and have a sweet tooth).  I'm always looking for ways to go organic. 

flutist4christ:

BTW, this is a great thread! 

I think so too, because even though I'm not a vegetarian, I'm really interested in vegetarian options and I try to get my family to accept more vegetable-based meals. Do you think this thread really belongs in the cooking forum? I think it would get a lot more attention there, and also categorically that would fit better than under "singles."

Thanks flutist . . . interesting about the freezing method.  I have not heard about doing that before.  Is that to kill harmful bacteria?

Before we had kids, I tried purchasing raw milk from a local dairy that I have a lot of respect for.  They are a pretty well know raw milk producer and have great animal care systems in place, in fact the man that owns the dairy has named every cow as if they are pets.  They are never butchered once they stop producing either.  I am really drawn to this dairy except for two things:

1) I have had trouble adjusting to the flavor of raw milk.  It doesn't taste good to me . . . a by-product, I know, from drinking pasteurized milk my whole life.  DH says it tastes like sweaty feet smell!  (I tend to agree much as I try to make myself like it . . . )

2)  This dairy has had a couple of suspected e.coli problems though there has never been any e.coli bacteria found in the dairy.  There were a few children that contracted e.coli and one died, all were drinking raw milk from this dairy.  They sell in several states and have been a bit controversial in the whole raw milk debate.  Especially because there has been no proof that the children got sick from the milk but there was a link in that all were drinking it.

I believe there are many wonderful health benefits to raw milk, especially the colostrum which they do sell as well.  I have never given it to my children.  I believe that raw milk can be very good for children but I'm not sure I would take the risk.  But if I could be sure that I could pasteurize it myself correctly, I might consider it!

I just want to rewind to the post about the cost of organic produce.  At Whole Foods, produce is labeled if it is locally-grown & organic.  (Or labeled if it is locally & CONVENTIONALLY or TRANSITIONALLY grown)  Because of the locally-grown stricture, these are always the kinds of produce that are in seson AND they are thereby cheaper than alternative produce sold at the same Whole Foods. 

Also, many cookbooks -- & websites -- list what kinds of produce are in season when in your area.

Yours in Him, Deb

 Listeria is another bacteria that can be a problem in raw milk. There was a problem in Mass, last year , with illness from it. That bacteria can cause miscarriages and some other issues. Babs

Deborahmichelle:

I just want to rewind to the post about the cost of organic produce.  At Whole Foods, produce is labeled if it is locally-grown & organic.  (Or labeled if it is locally & CONVENTIONALLY or TRANSITIONALLY grown)  Because of the locally-grown stricture, these are always the kinds of produce that are in seson AND they are thereby cheaper than alternative produce sold at the same Whole Foods. 

Also, many cookbooks -- & websites -- list what kinds of produce are in season when in your area.

To augment Deb's post, this is where I go for a quick reference of what is in season in my area. It's not 100% comprehensive, but it's a pretty good overview.

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/seasonalcooking/farmtotable/seasonalingredientmap

Dear Falcon, Thanks for the most informative website!

Dear All, I'm posting this in many forums' threads, because I want to start a discussion.  I have committed to cooking East Indian recipes only (with the exception of 100% whole wheat bread & snack cakes -- no frosting, little sugar, mostly whole wheat flour).   THis is due to inflation, so that I can still buy the organic produce that I love.  I have eaten Indian-style before, whenever funds are tight.  It is a most delicious sets of cuisines -- India has many States & each has its own distinctive tastes.  Is there some particular cuisine that you like to use to keep costs down?  Yours in Him, Deb

Unfortunately, this was the only type of food that Mom and I tried that we didn't care for. Send me a PM if you want to discuss Asian cooking, French, German, Italian, Southern, and other types of cuisine and I'll happily join in the discussion.

Deborahmichelle:

Dear Falcon, Thanks for the most informative website!

Dear All, I'm posting this in many forums' threads, because I want to start a discussion.  I have committed to cooking East Indian recipes only (with the exception of 100% whole wheat bread & snack cakes -- no frosting, little sugar, mostly whole wheat flour).   THis is due to inflation, so that I can still buy the organic produce that I love.  I have eaten Indian-style before, whenever funds are tight.  It is a most delicious sets of cuisines -- India has many States & each has its own distinctive tastes.  Is there some particular cuisine that you like to use to keep costs down?  Yours in Him, Deb

We also do East Indian a lot to help with costs (we LOVE saag, masalas, and curries). The other cuisine is Japanese traditional foods, i.e. not fish-based sushi. Lots of udons, sobas, yakisobas, etc. They are often vegetarian, and a healthy and stretchy alternative.