Welcome to my crazy world of real food cooking ...

Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants. -- Michael Pollan

I wish I could take credit for that because I think it sums up how we should eat. Simply -- eat stuff that really is food, instead of stuff that is food like substance. The supermarket is almost entirely food-like-substances, and, my friends, you should probably never ever eat them.

Fortunately, there is a world of deliciousness out there, and it can all be had in a way that not only doesn't harm your health, but in a way that benefits you hugely.

I think it's important to eat stuff that satisfies you, that keeps your blood sugar stable, and that gives you stuff your body really needs to run optimally.

But baby, it's gotta taste good.

I really like getting experimental in the kitchen. I love cooking, I love layering flavours, and I love coming up with really super yummy food. I have very strong opinions about what constitutes food, and there are a lot of things I won't touch in the kitchen. Bottom line? Pretty much everything I make is ridiculously good for you even if it tastes decadent. Although there are occasional big fat cheats ... but even those stick to real food, my friends.

For food that is usual gluten free, usually free of cane sugar, usually super low on the glycemic index, full of protein, fiber, flavour, and excellent energy, join me and Alice down the rabbit hole.

Every recipe on this blog is my own original effort and idea, so please pass 'em on, giving credit where credit is due.

Many thanks, and come back often. I'm really glad you are here!

:)

Thursday 26 May 2011

There's a Man I Call the Milk Man

After exhaustive research, I came to the conclusion that unpasteurized milk is nutritionally superior to pasteurized milk. It has to be from pastured cows, and of course those cows have to be free of antibiotics and growth hormones.

I embarked on a quest to find a source of raw milk here in the T-dot. Now, as you know, it is illegal to sell or buy unpasteurized dairy products here in Ontario. Some people squirm around this legality by selling shares in a cow, as you are allowed to consume raw milk from your own cow if you want to. Some people, however, do sell raw milk outright, carefully vetting their prospective clients, only accepting referrals from clandestine agents, and hiding behind false beards, oversized hats, and Lee Majors' sunglasses.

Through a long and circuitous route I was able to find an agency that was able to hook me up with a purveyor of raw milk. He is the Milk Man.

A cool thing about the Milk Man is he believes that we should be allowed to take responsibility for our own actions and our own choices. He is a crusader for this right, a revolutionary, and an activist. He is also very smart, interesting, and a pleasure to talk with.

Another cool thing about the Milk Man is I get to buy milk directly from the farmer who 'grows' it, and my son gets to talk to him, and thank him for the food he makes us.

Yet another cool thing about the Milk Man is that he uses sterilized glass jars which you return to him, thus eliminating packaging waste.

Finally, one more cool thing about the Milk Man is he makes it possible for people to feed their families with  an amazing, un-denatured, 'living' food. Instead of the processed version we accept almost universally here in North America. He also offers eggs from pastured happy chickens (fed a diet of bugs, worms, and other things chickens like to eat instead of soy), and other great things from neighbouring, like-minded farms.

Before you throw your hands up in horror that I would feed my child milk that has not been sterilized, you must understand that this view is ... based on propaganda.

First of all, any cows who are properly pasture raised are naturally free of disease. You can find out all about this in Michael Pollan's thrilling The Omnivore's Dilemma. If cows require antibiotics, and if their products require irradiation and sterilization, there is something terribly wrong with that farm.

Second of all, anyone who believes as fervently as the Milk Man does in the rightness of raw milk isn't going to mess things up with sloppy house keeping. It's not going to further his cause if he doesn't keep his milk clean and safe.

Finally, raw milk is readily available in Europe. It's not that I think Europe is the end all and be-all (it could be, but never having been there, I really couldn't say), but if people can happily and safely drink raw milk there, we certainly can here, too. And the health benefits are legion. Legion.

The problem with milk in North America in general would be the factory farms, CAFOs, and unnatural lives that we often force upon our animals as we genuflect at the twin altars of mass-production and progress. It doesn't have to be this way.

I am excited that there are people out there who have beliefs as strong as the Milk Man's are. I am excited that in my small way I can stand up for the right to be responsible for our choices. I can stand up for the right to have the freedom to choose. I stand up for the right to have a voice and a vote. For all of us. For our children. There is so damn much at stake here!

So, in my house, we drink lovely, rich, unpasteurized, unhomogenized, fresh RAW milk that comes in glass jugs and has to be shaken before being used. How great is that?


Thank you, Milk Man. We think you rock.

2 comments:

MelissaDaams said...

hi. i read a book recently called At Tiffany's Table - it's mostly a recipe book but anyway, she has Crohns Disease and heals herself with food... mainly raw milk.

i like the recipes and have tried a few but I don't know where to get raw milk either, so i just used ultra pasteurized milk b/c that's what i can afford.

if i lived in the U.S. - and had some land, i'd probably just get myself a cow or a goat and go that route.

stacey said...

I'm glad you mentioning that book. There are people who have had significant health changes -- for the better -- from raw milk.

Thanks for reading!