Saturday, September 19, 2009

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Cow




Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food.

Sounds good, doesn't it?
But for a long, long time now, we've become so used to eating what was put in front of us - whether it's on our plates, something we grabbed from a drive-thru, or on the shelves at the grocery store.
If it's set in front of us, or marketed to us in an appealing way, we just go ahead and eat it.


But how many of us really stop to think about where our food actually comes from?
Or if we do think about it, how many of you continue down the same old road and fail to make the change?

I've been trying for quite a while now, and years ago, I started by buying milk straight from the farm where I know the cows personally. ( it's raw, unpasteurized & non-homogenized) I like my cows to have a name, ya know? Not a number.
Flossie, (pictured up above) is simply known as Flossie.
Not VC296178564738
Okay, well I don't actually know that cow, I'm just using literary licence here.
And my cows don't wear lipstick.
As far as I know anyway.

But when actual farm-fresh milk isn't available, I buy Organic milk from the grocery store. (Or rather, my hunky, spunky home-delivery 'Dairyman" Mark)

Did you know that here in Australia, it's a common, accepted, and a fully legal practice to water down the milk? They then use part of it for skim or low fat, and then add additives (called permeates) to thicken and re-whiten the watered down milk, so that it looks like thick creamy regular milk again.

Basically, they take a gallon of whole milk, water it down to make almost 2 gallons of milk - that now looks like skim milk - and then they portion it out as various *types* of milk.

Have you ever poured a glass of skim milk and really looked at it?
It's thin-looking and almost bluish... right?
That's because the butterfat content has been removed.

But now think of the supposedly "whole" milk that you buy. (here in Australia anyway)
In actual fact, it looks almost exactly the same as the skim milk does - or rather it did, before the additives and re-whiteners were added to it.
They dressed it up for ya.
They adulterated it for ya.
They lied to you and they deceived you.
And you bought it didn't you?
You not only bought the milk, but you bought the lie that they sold to you.

Milk prices have gone up, right?
But you probably weren't aware that even though prices have risen, the actual 'milk' content in your carton or bottle, has diminished.

Astoundingly so.

What they're selling to you now, is in fact milk diluted with water.
Plus unknown, not required to be divulged to the public, added crap called permeates.
So prices have gone up, and a big portion of the selling price is what they've charged for milk... but they've actually just sold you probably half water.
And it's legally allowable.

Now butter my butt, and call me a biscuit, but if I wanted water, I would buy it myself and pay water prices.

Or I would turn on the faucet and top my bottle of milk up
I wouldn't buy a carton of milk in the grocery store, and pay their vastly inflated prices for for what is virtually 25-50% water...
I want my milk out of a teat... not out of a tap.

They sell us a water-saturated, water diluted product... and they called it "milk" - and they screw us all in the process.
Or at best... lie to us.


Now... when I started this post, I had every intention of sharing a video from over at Robynn's place... 30 Day Throw Down.



But no matter what I did, what position I held my tongue in, or how many swear words I used, I couldn't get the dad-gummed thing to load ... for life or money.
But it's worth watching.
It's what got me obsessing about the milk stuff above.

So please head on over to 30 Day Throw Down and check out Breaking News From The USDA.
Because I've failed you in the video loading department and I'm ashamed of myself.

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food... (or Your Cow)
I know, I know...
A government that seems to be thinking the right things, thinking in a healthier, more sustainable way and doing what's best for it's citizens... or at least encouraging us to do the right things...

Well, I found it a bit mind boggling too.

But fingers crossed that they're finally beginning to wake up.

8 comments:

Libby's Library said...

I've never had raw milk. Wouldn't know where to get it - here in the Land of Another Planet. Uuumm Tater - please don't tell me anything bad about Crisco...cause right now I'm teetering on the edge, and I just don't think I could take it!

Joolz said...

Hi Tatersmama

Our household is a 100% skim milk household. I nearly puke when I have wholemilk (with or without the water, he he) in my coffee or on cereal. I converted when I did Whale Watchers back in 1998 and now use Pura Tone as it has only .25mg fat per 250ml.

I did try the Pura HeartActive milk and found that to be revolting! I poured it out on the back lawn. It contains plant sterols to lower cholesterol. I just want milk to contain milk!

Full fat or skim, just use what you like, I say.

Cheers - Joolz

Robynn's Ravings said...

OMLORD TATER. You are a truth teller. I'm talkin' about raw milk over there this week. I read the FDA's site and couldn't believe what they said about the organic raw milk we've been drinking for years - to good effect - and yet we can be fed GMO food with no HUGE WARNING LABELS? Thanks for having the guts to tell the truth about what processed milk actually is.

We HAVE to know what we're feeding ourselves and we have to care. It's you and me, Erin Brockovich!

Marjie said...

Last summer, my newspaper ran a small article about a guy 20 miles from here who has his won dairy farm and DELIVERS! Molly, his spokescow, is on his labels. I buy whole milk from him for the kids, and nonfat for me. Not watered down, just butterfat out. You see, I really don't need to add extra fat to my rump. Plus, I only use it in my tea in the morning. Still, I've never bought processed milk, and I was horrified by your whole story. I am certainly glad I found Molly and her human (Paul).

You'll giggle to know that the first time my 9 year old saw Paul, he told me that couldn't possibly be the farmer. Why not, I inquired. Well, because he didn't have a plaid shirt and overalls!

Jan Mader said...

I've been trying to really eat mindfully. This is another reason why I should perservere.

I have a favor to ask of you and all your readers. A friend of mine (and the leader of my writers' group) was in a serious car accident. She is restarting her blog for writers at

http://kathleenejoneswriterswrite.blogspot.com/

Please stop by and visit her. She's an insprational woman and a fabulous writer. In addition, she has overcome more challenges than anyone I can think of...she's only 40 but has been diabetic since she was a kid. She's had open heart surgery, breast cancer, and now this. She could use some support from other writers.

Bloggers are writers! Thanks in advance. If you drop by, please tell Kathy I sent you!

Jan

pam said...

I found this wonderful milk from a local farm. It's not homogenized, so the fat is all on the top, and I have to shake it before each use. I love it.

Becky said...

That is something to think about!

Sherri said...

Pam, when I was a kid my Mom skimmed the fat off the top, put it in a mason jar added a pinch or 2 of salt and passed it to us kids. We would shake the hell out of it and make butter ;)


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