Friday, August 28, 2009

Subversive Goat Milk

I've just completed my subversive activities for the week, I bought a gallon of goat milk from a farmer. I've found a new farmer, who sells me "pet quality" milk to meet the local laws. My cats drink a gallon of it a week and I make cheese--for them--of course. I just happen to have an allergy to cow's milk and can't process the stuff through my body without my immune system torturing me with extreme fatigue, itching and respiratory distress. So, I drink some of the very freshest milk available, no, I mean my cats drink the very freshest milk available. This morning I saw the milk coming directly out of the goat into a very clean stainless steel bucket and then be filtered into the jar that I had provided. It was still warm.

I give my money to farmers and their families, which for milk is often illegal. We all have our faults and little secrets. mine is I buy fresh milk, ummmmmmmmmm, for my cats, of course...pet quality milk....

The nasty liquid that they sell in supermarkets as goat milk seems as if it is designed to convince people that cow milk is vastly superior...but it isn't. The American goat taboo does seem to be weakening somewhat in the last few years, since goat cheese has been a regular supermarket item since the early nineties, but people are still leery about goat milk and meat. I can understand their leeriness if their goat milk is the ultra-pasturized cartons in the market that contain a liquid that smells like a male goat in rut, I cannot call it milk. The creamy, sweet flavored liquid in the glass jar in my fridge is goat milk, from goats with names, personalities, personal relationships, lots of space to roam and someone who really cares about them.

I'm looking forward to next week when I can take my daughter to go buy milk, so she can meet the "girls".

Dinner tonight? Maybe something with panir (paneer)? Greens (collards), onions, hing, and paneer with toasted mustard seed, sesame, cumin, garam masala and after I've separated out some for my kid, chiles. The "cats" will love it.

4 comments:

  1. Welcome to the world of blogging, Jairse! I've been doing it for several months. I'll visit your blog often and maybe I'll learn how to cook.

    I'm not sure whether your husband knows about my blog. The other K (that recently graduated) knew, but I'm not sure whether he told your K. My anonymity is slipping away, so it's okay if you tell him.

    I'm so glad your blogging!

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  2. I haven't bothered with the anonymity thing, I figure if I really need to say something anonymously I'll create a separate blog and name for ranting.

    You two need to come for dinner, pick an ethnicity and we'll see what we can cook up!
    Just please don't pick pork and a Middle Eastern country, beef and India or chicken and Mongolia..they can be done, but it could be a bit challenging.

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  3. Sounds good! I can make the green salad...I'll be in touch.

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  4. Your mention of pork and a Middle Eastern country makes me smile. I made a recipe out of one of my favorite cookbooks called "Moroccan Pork Kebobs". My boyfriend Rob was telling his Moroccan manager, Farid, about this tasty dish. Farid found humor in the name as he reminded Rob that Moroccans don't eat pork. We now call the recipe "Farid's Pork Chops".

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