White. It is the color of purity and innocence. Most say it isn’t a color, rather it is the combination of all colors. For our purposes, white is a color that compliments and opposes all other colors at the same time. It is clean and bright, and it brings to mind (at least for Farmgirls!) an image of crisp, beautiful linens flapping softly in a summers breeze. However, as the weather reports have shown us over the last few weeks, white takes on a whole new meaning in the winter months.
A farm in Norway, ca. 1910
Sure did enjoy your whole article, The White Stuff! You know, I really never thought too much about the meat/dairy association. As I grew up, I was encouraged to drink almost a quart of (unprocessed)milk a day. As I aged I became so allergic (or food sensitive) to it that now my breathing is impaired if I consume ANY dairy. Sure hope all that early-child milk drinking did the trick. I really don’t believe that calcium supplements do much, do you?
We live in Montana, and while we’re in town and do NOT have a cow, we *love* raw milk when we can get it! But even the far-inferior storebought stuff makes darn good SNOW ICE CREAM! 🙂 My kids adore it – I just made some this morning with a bowl of fresh, fluffy white snow from the back porch. Add vanilla, sugar and milk and stir it up – hard to beat a snowy ice cream treat!
Wow, what a coincidence! I just researched about how to make paneer. As you might know, it is a cheese product made in India. Basically boiled milk and lemon juice and the magic separation creates a lovely soft cheese. And THEN you can use it in many lovely dishes. A recipe for naan led me to the paneer! Must make both…
Thank you for the idea of making your own sweetened condensed milk. It is refreshing to hear you speak of dairy products with such a positive vibe!
Thank you so very much for your wonderful perspective on living close to the land with all its gifts. Even in the "white heart of winter", your words brighten my day and launch me on a journey to try out some new recipes with milk! In our family, my grandmother loved her little jersey brown cow as much as her own children. When you see it in the perspective of what a cow meant to a family during the great depression years, she meant health and food and obviously a lot of comfort to the woman who loved her. In my own journey to return to the land and finding my own center of self, your footsteps are easy for me to follow, especially, in the white snowfall of winter!
till next time, all the best wishes flying up your way like a springtime vee of geese.
B. 🙂
Here in Maine we get a lot of snow, and can appreciate it….until about March, then we are wishing for Spring! However, we do like to take advantage of all of Winter’s offerings, and are always looking for more! Great post…really enjoyed it!
My husband and I both grew up on dairy farms so raw milk was an everyday thing that we didn’t give much thought to. When we got married, moved off our family’s farms and had to buy "store" milk, we realized what we were missing. Now, we’re back on a dairy farm and enjoying REAL milk again! My girls won’t drink anything but raw milk. A few weeks ago it was in the single digits here and when my girls and I went into the heifer barn to feed, we loved the frost on the windows, the soft glow of the barn lights, and just how content the heifers were as they quietly munched their hay. That is a stillness I will never forget. Tonight there is another kind of quiet stillness outside as the noreaster passes just to the east, the worst missing us(I’m in PA Dutch Country). I’ll be up late tonight staring out my window enjoying the beauty of the snow before it gets tracked up by the dog, the kids and the sleds!! Thanks for the idea for sweetened condensed milk, gotta try that!
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