Bummed by raw milk shortage in Dallas? Check out real milk alternatives.

Real Milk from Texas Daily Harvest, Urban Acres, Dallas

August 2012 Update: Texas Daily Harvest has closed its creamery, much to my dismay. Lavon Farms still runs out of raw milk periodically, so get on their email list if you want availability updates. My current recommendation for low-temp pasturized milk is Mill-King, available at Patina Green and Urban Acres. See comments below the article for details.

 

I am a huge fan of real milk, preferably raw milk from grass-fed cows. The most convenient DFW source of raw milk, the Lucky Layla Farm Store at Lavon Farms in Plano, Texas, has been so popular that demand is sometimes greater than the supply.

If yours is one of the families disappointed when you’re unable to buy raw milk, I have an alternative for you: real milk from East Texas organic dairy, Texas Daily Harvest. It’s available locally at Urban Acres in Oak Cliff, at Whole Foods in Dallas and Plano, and through group and private delivery. They also have some good outlets around Austin, so Austinites check their website for locations. What makes Texas Daily Harvest milk “real milk?” It’s low-heat pasteurized and not homogenized, so it has the cream on top (shake it to mix before you pour).  Low-pasteurized means it’s heated to the minimum temperature required by law, so it still contains some good natural bacteria that you need for a healthy gut, as well as enzymes to help you digest the milk. If you happen to be out near Sulphur Springs, stop by Texas Daily Harvest and buy some raw milk from farmers, Ramy and Kent Jisha. I’ve toured their farm, and I am so impressed by these smart, conscientious farmers. I’m also thankful for them. Their passion and hard work keep good, real food on my table. Whether I buy their milk from Whole Foods or have it delivered (with free-range eggs and meat) to my house, I make sure I am well-stocked with my favorite real food. My husband and I drink a couple of gallons per week. If you can’t buy real milk, don’t bother drinking milk at all. Really. Ultra-Pasteurized milk from cows in confinement dairies, even if it’s organic, is not real food. For more info, check out my first post about real milk, and this one too. Be well! P.S. For my friends who prefer goat milk, or want to locate a raw cow milk dairy close to you, check out the Weston A. Price Foundation’s Real Milk site.

Resolving to Eat Better is Easier With Solid Advice About Real Food

Did you make a New Year’s resolution to eat better? If so, are you trying the same old things you’ve done in the past, or the latest thing, with varying degrees of success? Have you already fallen off the wagon? If so, don’t beat yourself up, and don’t stick your head in the sand … consider eating real food. It will bring you peace. I have so much peace in my life since I discovered real food, in fact the book Real Food by Nina Planck.

I grew up with female role models who made new year’s resolutions to lose weight on restrictive diets, and when that didn’t pan out, there was often the intention to start a diet “on Monday.” I followed suit for years, distrusting food and distrusting myself with food – white knucking it to avoid “bad” foods, and then ending up gorging myself on it (often in secret). Life is too short for that. Food should be enjoyed, and real food is so enjoyable and nourishing.

Take a deep breath, and rejoice in the fact that real food feeds your body, mind and soul. When you eat real food, you have energy, think clearly, breathe more deeply and cope with life better – and you won’t want to swing through the McDonald’s drive-thru. Another wonderful resource for information about traditional, whole food is the Weston A. Price Foundation.

Here’s  the Weston A. Price Foundation’s list of dietary guidelines:

1. Eat whole, natural foods.
2. Eat only foods that will spoil, but eat them before they do.
3. Eat naturally-raised meat including fish, seafood, poultry, beef, lamb, game, organ meats and eggs.
4. Eat whole, naturally-produced milk products from pasture-fed cows, preferably raw and/or fermented, such as whole yogurt, cultured butter, whole cheeses and fresh and sour cream.
5. Use only traditional fats and oils including butter and other animal fats, extra virgin olive oil, expeller expressed sesame and flax oil and the tropical oils—coconut and palm.
6. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, preferably organic, in salads and soups, or lightly steamed.
7. Use whole grains and nuts that have been prepared by soaking, sprouting or sour leavening to neutralize phytic acid and other anti-nutrients.
8. Include enzyme-enhanced lacto-fermented vegetables, fruits, beverages and condiments in your diet on a regular basis.
9. Prepare homemade meat stocks from the bones of chicken, beef, lamb or fish and use liberally in soups and sauces.
10. Use herb teas and coffee substitutes in moderation.
11. Use filtered water for cooking and drinking.
12. Use unrefined Celtic sea salt and a variety of herbs and spices for food interest and appetite stimulation.
13. Make your own salad dressing using raw vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and expeller expressed flax oil.
14. Use natural sweeteners in moderation, such as raw honey, maple syrup, dehydrated cane sugar juice and stevia powder.
15. Use only unpasteurized wine or beer in strict moderation with meals.
16. Cook only in stainless steel, cast iron, glass or good quality enamel.
17. Use only natural supplements.
18. Get plenty of sleep, exercise and natural light.
19. Think positive thoughts and minimize stress.
20. Practice forgiveness.

Just eat real food. And be well.

Breastfeeding Alternative: Homemade Formula

At the Wise Traditions conference last weekend I attended a session led by Sarah Pope, the Healthy Home Economist, about Breastfeeding Myths, Alternatives and Supplementation. This is an area in which I have no experience, not having been a Mom and all … but I have the utmost respect for Sarah and the wisdom shared by the Weston A. Price Foundation, so I happily attended. I hope this info helps you or someone you love.

The main points were:

1. breastfeed if you can
2. NEVER feed a commercial baby formula with soy, even if it’s organic
3. feed your baby one of the two homemade formulas in the video
4. even if you breastfeed well, you and your husband should practice making this in case something happens and you’re unable to breastfeed, or you need to supplement your breastmilk
5. this homemade formula is comparable in nutrition to mother’s milk
6. feed this formula until your baby is one year old, then switch to raw cow’s milk (cow’s milk has more vitamins than goat’s milk)

It was inspiring to see so many young moms at the session, and at the whole conference actually. This video gives step-by-step instruction to teach parents the optimal methods for homemade formula preparation.

Please read here for additional information. Be well.

Dallas Farm-to-Table Dinner: Last Day to Buy Tickets for FTCLDF FundRAISER at Wise Traditions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BUY TICKETS BY PHONE AT 703-208-3278 OR online at

www.farmtoconsumer.org/2011-FundRAISER-Dallas.htm

 

Spend the evening with over 300 friends old and new at the Festive Texas Dinner, Concert and Dance FundRAISER  on the eve of the WAPF Wise Traditions Annual International Conference. All proceeds benefit the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit – –  Defender of good food, farms and folk since 2007.  

 

CELEBRITY JUDGES!
Sally Fallon Morrell, Dr. Joe Mercola and Dr. Will Winter will weigh in on organ meat appetizers and custom scarecrows. But you will be the judge too in this version of American Offal Idol.

 

FIDDLES and DANCIN’!
Entertainment by the Quebe Sisters Band   

 

GLORIOUS FOOD! THREE-COURSE FARM-CHIC DINNER! 

• Grass-fed Organ Meat Appetizers
• Texas Daily Harvest Organic Grass-fed Gouda, Parmesan and Feta Raw Milk Cheese
• Veldhuizen Cheese – Farmstead Artisan Paragon & Texas Star Raw Cheese Wheels
• Miller’s Organic Farm Garlic Dill and Fermented Dill Pickles
• Avocado, Seeded Cucumber Salad with Celery, Tomato and Spring Onion served with Garlic Lemon Celtic Sea Salt Infused Chaffin Family Orchards Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Chargrilled U.S. Wellness Grass-fed Steak, Fresh Herbs, Infused Natural Jus, Roasted Plum Tomato Apple Cider Vinaigrette
• Lima Bean Celery Root Succotash with Butternut Squash
• Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits featuring Pure Indian Foods Organic Grass-fed Ghee
• Texas Cornbread featuring Bob’s Red Mill Organic Cornmeal and Texas Daily Harvest Organic Grass-fed Buttermilk
• Trickling Springs Creamery Organic Grass-fed Sweet Cream Butter and Miller’s Organic Farm Maple Syrup
• Grass-fed Butter, Honey and Miller’s Organic Farm Maple Syrup on the side
• Immunitrition Cultured Vegetables
• Starwest Botanicals Organic Hibiscus Heaven Iced Tea
• Chicory “Coffee” and Texas Daily Harvest Organic Grass-fed Half & Half
• Herbal Hot Teas and Honey
• Warm Apple Pecan Cobbler with Vanilla Ice cream – an authentic Texas tradition. For those on the GAPS diets the entire meal, with the exception of the ice cream topping on the dessert is GAPS approved!

I wouldn’t miss it – these WAFP people put on a delicious, beautiful spread!

 

Joel and Daniel Salatin’s Polyface: The Farm of Many Faces

Last month I had the honor of visiting Polyface Farm, in Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, for the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund benefactor event. Joel Salatin gave the group a three-hour tour, that was fascinating and inspiring; it really touched my heart to be there.

The video below was recorded a couple of years ago by USA Today. It’s a succinct view of the Salatin philosophy of sustainable, symbiotic farming. I hope you enjoy it!

If you want to learn more about Joel’s philosophy and work, and how you can access nutritious, delicious real food, check out Joel Salatin’s book, “Folks This Ain’t Normal: A Farmer’s Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People and a Better World,”  just released this week.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It! “Folks, This Ain’t Normal” by Joel Salatin Hits Bookstores Today

Friends, if you read just one blog post from me – ever – will you please let this be the one?

Today’s the day: genius farmer, Joel Salatin’s book, “Folks, This Ain’t Normal,” hits the bookstores! I pre-ordered mine, and received it last week. Watch this one-minute video with Joel, and then read the message below that includes highlights of Joel’s book from Weston A. Price Foundation leader Sally Fallon Morrell. 

FOLKS THIS AIN”T NORMAL
by Joel Salatin

We live in abnormal times.  Really abnormal times.  Times when most people think Twinkies,  Cocoa-puffs, and Mountain Dew are safe but raw milk, compost grown tomatoes, and Aunt Matilda’s homemade pickles are unsafe.  The average morsel of food travels fifteen hundred miles between point of production and point of consumption.  Indeed, the average T-bone steak sees more of America than the farmer that grew the cow.

Never in the history of civilization has a culture eaten foods it can’t pronounce, foods that can’t be made in a domestic kitchen, or foods that won’t rot.  Living foods mold, rot, and decompose.  How long can an M&M remain on your counter without altering its appearance? 

Until extremely recent days, people had to  think about energy, whether it was providing for draft animals for transportation and power, or accumulating firewood to keep the stove burning in the winter. 

We are the first culture to abdicate domestic culinary arts in favor of microwavable boxes of processed, stabilized, extruded, reconstituted, dye-colored, amalgamated, irradiated, nutrient-compromised, transgenic modified, prostituted pseudo-food.    Modern America now has the highest rate in history of chronic, debilitating diseases, and leads the world in unhealthiness. 

We’re the first culture to invent supermarkets and to universally equate children’s chores with abuse.  We’re the first culture to confine animals in factories, use pharmaceuticals on our food, and break the soil-building carbon cycle on a massive scale. 

These themes, discussed in historical context, conventional modern-day thinking, and future response, position Joel Salatin’s new book FOLKS, THIS AIN’T NORMAL as a must read for Weston A. Price members.  Indeed, he even uses the book to acquaint the world with WAPF as well as the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund.

“When a major publisher (CenterStreet, an imprint of the Hachette Book Group) decided to put their weight behind this project, I decided that part of my objective would be to let the world know about all these wonderful groups and thinkers who really have all the answers to people’s fears.  I get tired of seeing the media wringing their hands as if solutions don’t exist, when in fact, they do.  I hope this book draws thousands and thousands into the WAPF camp–just mentioning the organization should drive people to the website.”

Never one to allow victimhood excuses, Salatin ends each chapter with a bulleted list of “things you can do.”  This broad book addresses issues as varied as food police, soil development, Disneyfication of the culture, and scientific findings proving pasture-based livestock is far more nutrient dense than factory-farmed counterparts.  It will warm your soul.

If you’ve ever wondered how to articulate how ridiculous many modern assumptions are, this book will give some sound bites.  Filled with stories, satire, and humor, FOLKS, THIS AIN’T NORMAL  was released today in hardback, Kindle, and audio-book.

Is Coconut Oil REALLY Healthy? See Dr. Mercola’s Answer

Dr. Joseph Mercola has two kinds of oil in his pantry: olive oil and coconut oil. Watch this video to find out why.

Coconut oil is beneficial for:

1. thyroid health –  due to its metabolic effect, coconut oil increases the activity of the thyroid and help you lose weight
2. heart health – lowers cholesterol
3. and it’s great applied to your skin – as a makeup remover, moisturizer

Of these two oils, Dr. Mercola uses olive oil for salads, and coconut oil for cooking. Why does he use coconut oil for cooking? Because it doesn’t oxidize at high temperatures like live oil can, and industrial oils do. Speaking of industrial oils, avoid these polyunsaturated oils: canola, safflower, soy, sunflower, corn.

What … avoid canola? Yes! Many people think canola oil is good for them, but it’s not. Follow the money, and read this article about the Great Con-ola. If you eat packaged food, read labels carefully; if it says canola on the label, don’t buy it. I recently noticed canola oil on the ingredient list of a popular brand of hummus. Using canola oil in hummus instead of olive oil means the manufacturer’s focus is on cheap, not quality.

Now, back to coconut oil. Look for these qualities in a good coconut oil:

Certified organic by USDA standards No refining No chemicals added (including hexane) No bleaching No deodorization No hydrogenation Made from traditional coconut palms only, no hybrid or genetically modified (GMO) varieties Made from fresh coconuts, not the dried “copra” used in cheap oils Made without heat processing

You can buy good quality coconut oil from Dr. Mercola’s site or Wilderness Family Naturals. I bought mine from Green Pasture, but I don’t see it on their website today.

Dr. Mercola will be the keynote speaker at Wise Traditions, the Weston A. Price Foundation’s International Conference in Dallas, November 11 – 13, 2011. I’ll be there!

If you want to learn more about the health benefits of coconut oil, here’s a good article from real food blogger Cheeseslave, and read Bruce Fife’s well-researched book The Coconut Oil Miracle. Be well!

Randy Travis Drinks Raw Milk

Last Sunday morning, my husband and I spent two happy hours with the Moore family at Lavon Farms in Plano, Texas, home of Lucky Layla drinkable yogurt. This is a picture of one of their beautiful Guernsey cows. We’ve been buying raw milk from the Moores since last summer when I first read Nina Planck‘s book, Real Food: What to Eat and Why?, and learned about the amazing nutrient-dense food that is raw milk.

We were out at the farm taking some pictures for a Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund fundraiser that will take place at Lavon Farms on November 11, during the Weston A. Price Foundation’s Wise Traditions Conference in Dallas. When details for both events become available, I’ll let you know.

Just 20 miles north of downtown Dallas, and a world away, this 200-acre farm is home to champion Guernsey and Jersey cows that live life the way cows were meant to. As we walked the pasture to get a better look a the cows, this Guernsey girl in the photo was so curious she just walked right up to us.

This great life they lead is in sharp contrast to the cows that produce most of the milk consumed in the U.S., even organic milk. Most milk is from confinement dairies where cows stand or lie on concrete, often in their own feces. At Lavon Farms, the average productive lifespan is seven to eight years; contrast that with industrial confinement dairy cows’ lifespan of two to three years.

Are you getting enough good protein in your diet? If you’re counting the protein in industrial pasteurized and homogenized milk, that might not count. Todd Moore reminded me that his milk contains the rare A2 protein that’s particularly beneficial for people with:

• type 1 diabetes
• high risk of heart disease
• autism

Only milk from Jersey and Guernsey cattle have the important A2 protein, and Guernseys are known to produce the highest percentage of A2 of all breeds of dairy cattle. If you or your family members have any of the above conditions, and even if you don’t, you may seriously want to consider drinking A2 raw milk. Find your local source for real milk here.

Ann Marie of Cheeseslave.com, says this about protein in general: “Protein is made up of chains of amino acids, which are the precursors for the neurotransmitters in our brain. The amino acids in protein are the building blocks of endorphins and serotinin. According to Julia Ross, pioneer in the field of nutritional psychology and author of The Mood Cure, lack of protein causes:

• • anxiety
  • depression
  • insomnia
  • ADD
  • alcohol/drug addiction, and a host of other problems

Julia says we need 20-30 grams of protein per meal — three times a day. And that’s just to maintain our current brain chemistry. Animal protein is the most nutrient-dense form of protein — so why not just cut to the chase? Anxious? Depressed? You need more protein! It’s essential to always eat fat with protein.”

I am so passionate about real, raw milk that it inspired me to start this blog. My first blog post was about raw milk, and my masthead features bottles of fresh milk. My husband and I drink about a gallon a week; we’ve been known to drink two … and we find ourselves white-knuckling it toward the end of the week, trying to make it last until our next visit to Lavon Farms. I drink it before and after my Camp Gladiator bootcamp workout. Raw milk is the perfect food: you get protein, carbs and good fat, as well as tons of vitamins for healthy body and amino acids for a healthy gut. When your milk is from healthy, happy cows, milked under sanitary conditions, and it’s not pasteurized or homogenized, you get the full benefits of nature’s perfect food.

So what about Randy Travis? I hear he’s a fan of raw milk from Lavon Farms, too!

Raw milk!

Until five weeks ago raw milk had never passed my lips, nor had it ever crossed my mind. Thanks to Nina Planck’s book Real Food: What to Eat and Why, it’s now a regular part of my daily diet, and I can’t imagine life without it. Raw milk is creamy, sweet, fresh, fat and an honest-to-goodness real whole food.

Besides the great taste, there are many nutritional benefits to drinking raw milk, including vitamins and more available calcium that are damaged if pasteurized. Milk is a whole food, complete with protein, fat and carbohydrates. What about people who say they are lactose intolerant? They can drink raw milk because it contains the lactase enzyme that’s necessary to digest the lactose (lactase is killed when pasteurized). Here’s Real Food author Nina Planck on dairy and eggs. Here’s Sally Fallon on real raw milk.

In some states it’s actually illegal to buy and sell raw milk. Really. You can buy cigarettes and all kinds of toxic substances masquerading as food, but not wholesome raw milk. That’s not the case in Texas; you just have to buy it from the farm. The weekly 40-mile round-trip trek to the Lucky Layla Farm Store at  Lavon Farms in Plano, where they sell milk from pastured champion Guernsey and Jersey cows, is a small price to pay.

Want to learn more about raw milk, including where you can get it? Visit A Campaign for Real Milk, a project of the Weston A. Price Foundation.