Featured Farmer: Smith Creamery

A couple of months ago, when we first went as a family to the Red Stick Farmers Market, we were given some samples of milk by one of the owners of Smith Creamery. After tasting their milk, I was never in such a hurry to pay $6.50 for a gallon of milk as I was then. And their chocolate milk....words fail me.

The following is a write-up featured on Go Green Nola.
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Drinking milk from Smith Creamery is more like drinking dessert. And, from the empty shelves that sometimes greet us in the dairy section of our local foods store, the secret is out about the deliciousness of the milk and dairy products from this family-owned-and-operated dairy in Louisiana.

Try this ice cream recipe from Smith Creamery, developed by Washington Parish residents Pauline Morris-Creel and Jo Nell Burch:

Delicious Creamy Chocolate Ice Cream
1 / 2 gallon Smith Creamery Chocolate Milk
16-ounce Cool Whip
1 can Condensed Milk

Mix all ingredients together and freeze in an ice cream freezer, according to manufacturer’s directions. Note: To make vanilla ice cream, substitute Smith Creamery whole milk for chocolate milk.^{times-picayune}

So, why does the milk, especially the chocolate milk, taste so good? For one, it doesn’t travel that far from cow to glass as the creamery is located in Washington Parish between Franklinton and Kentwood. For another, the fresh milk is pasteurized but not homogenized—so the cream still rises to the top (and you have to shake it before drinking it). Nothing is added and nothing is removed. They use a slow pasturization process that doesn't cook the milk, so the taste, quality and

health benefits of their milks and butters are noticeably better, just as nature intended them to be. Also, all the milk comes from their own grass fed cows. What's so great about grass-fed cows? Milk from grass-fed cows has more CLA, Omega-3 fatty acids ("good fat"), beta-carotene, and other antioxidant vitamins. CKA (conjugated linoleic acid) is an anti-carcinogen (cancer fighter) in your body. Grass-fed cows produce milk with a naturally sweet taste. Grass-fed cows are also cleaner, healthier, and happier. Smith creamery makes whole, fat-free, and chocolate milk, heavy cream, half-and-half, butter (salted or unsalted), and Creole cream cheese. To get their products, visit the Crescent City farmers market or one of the local retailers listed on their website. (And, for fun, you can take a tour of the dairy.)

**PLEASE NOTE: Links to Smith Creamery do not work at this time**
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Ok, so now I'm a convert. Their milk is delicious, and much healthier than most of the milk we're used to buying from the grocery store. You can imagine my dismay then, when just a week or so later, an explosion triggered by a propane leak destroyed much of the creamery. Thankfully, there was no loss of life, human or animal, but still....NO MILK!!! Seeing the empty spot where they were supposed to be at the Red Stick Farmer's Market was so disappointing!

So there we were, like addicts forced into rehab. We'd had enough of the milk to become hooked, and then it was cruelly snatched away. And then, we heard some awesome news. Kleinpeter Dairy, another local (but MUCH larger and more commercial) dairy teamed up with the folks from Smith Creamery and agreed to package and distribute their products for them! We still haven't been able to get their milk at the farmer's market, but we are able to get it at some local produce stands. Thanks, Kleinpeter!!


Smith Creamery is located at

29184 Mount Pisgah Road, Mount Hermon, LA 70450 · Get Directions

The Dirty Dozen: 12 foods to buy organic

Going organic is good both for you and for the environment, but is sometimes difficult due to cost or availability. The following is a list of the 12 most important foods to try to buy organic, along with a list of the 12 least important foods to buy organic. List courtesy of www.Organic.org .

Whether you are on a budget and need to prioritize your organic purchases, or you would simply like to know which type of produce has the highest pesticide residues—and which do not—the following guide from the Environmental Working Group will help.

12 Most Contaminated Peaches Apples Sweet Bell Peppers Celery Nectarines Strawberries Cherries Pears Grapes (Imported) Spinach Lettuce Potatoes 12 Least Contaminated Onions Avocado Sweet Corn (Frozen) Pineapples Mango Asparagus Sweet Peas (Frozen) Kiwi Fruit Bananas Cabbage Broccoli Papaya

More Information
For easy reference, download a copy of the wallet guide!

Environmental Working Group
http://www.ewg.org

Becoming a Locavore

I posted this on my Facebook page but it's good straightforward advice so I though I'd post it here, too!

Become a Locavore

Carnivore, herbivore, omnivore-when you are a locavore you can be all three! A locavore is a person who chooses to focus their diet on food that can be obtained within 100 miles of their home. The benefits of becoming a locavore are numerous:
· Food travels less distance thereby reducing the transportation cost of food, environmentally and financially.
· Food is fresher because it comes straight from the farm or producer to you!
· Money spent on local beef, chicken, eggs, fruits, and vegetables support your community. Boost your local economy by spending you hard earned money in your own locale.
· Become a part of a movement that encourages community, ecology, and economy.
· Encourages seasonal eating. Seasonal eating is using the produce that is in season in your region. We are lucky to live in Louisiana with its long growing season and bounty of options.

Besides all of these lofty benefits, it’s so relaxing to browse your local farmer’s market, talk to the farmers, bakers, artists, and neighbors while you peruse all the selections.

Here is how to become a Locavore:

1. Go to the Farmer’s Market. There are two in Baton Rouge, The Red Stick Farmer’s Market on Tuesdays in the Unitarian parking lot and the downtown Farmer’s Market held every Saturday from 8-12. Denham Springs also started its own Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings.
2. Lobby your local supermarket. Some grocery stores will take customer requests. Ask your grocery to carry more local produce and meat and more products from local vendors. Keep asking until you get results.
3. Choose 5 foods you can buy locally. Switch out buying okra, tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, strawberries to Louisiana grown.
4. Consider joining a CSA-Community Supported Agriculture. Here is the brief: CSAs are farms that sell shares to people in the community. In exchange for purchasing your share you get fresh produce and sometimes eggs from the farm, usually around 20 pounds per week during the growing season. You can also volunteer on a CSA in exchange for part of a share. Check out www.localharvest.com for CSAs in our area.
5. Preserve produce for the winter. Can fruits and vegetables, just like grandma did! It’s really easier than you think.
6. Find restaurants that support local growers. Ask or look for restaurants who advertise local food. Chef John Folse is really into this sort of thing!
7. Ask where your food is from at the grocery store or produce stands like Southern Produce or Fresh Pickens. You have a right as a consumer to know where your food is coming from.
8. Visit a farm! Go blueberry picking in Clinton or strawberry picking in Ponchatoula. It makes for a great family or couple outing! And it’s cheaper than buying from a store!

Soda is the enemy!!!

Or Coke's as we call it down south, no matter what type it is. Giving up Coke/Dr. Pepper etc will be a challenge.  Here is an article on how to cut health care costs and get people to eat a healthier diet.  Tax Soda, Subsidize Vegetables

Featured Farmer: Iverstine Family Farms

This morning the girls and I went downtown to the Farmer's Market. I didn't have a shopping list but I did know that I needed to get some meat to stock in my freezer. While picking out a pork roast from the Iverstine Family Farms booth, I had a thought that it would be nice to profile one farm each time we go to the market. All of the vendors work hard to bring us the best products that they can and they definitely deserve some recognition!

Iverstine Family Farms is located in Kentwood, Louisiana.

"We produce high quality, all natural, nutritional foods for their community. We aim to respect the design of creation by working with the resources that nature has provided for us. We see ourselves as stewards of the land driven to develop sustainable growth techniques. We seek transparency in all that we do, through responsible farming practices that respect the land and the animals that we raise. We strive to build a relationship with our customers that gives them access to their food from the farm to the table. We currently offer pastured broilers, pastured eggs, and heritage Berkshire pork. We are currently developing our cattle genetics to offer the best beef available. Call us today about joining one of our buying clubs, or become a buying club host and receive 20% off your orders." Location 2973 Newman Road Kentwood, LA 70444 [ get directions ] Contact Information Galen Iverstine 225-276-0207

It's a Dog's Life

Not only did our new food habits change for our family, but our dog has seen the benefits of it as well.  We rescued Kaiser from the Denham Springs Animal shelter. 

We always look at the ingredients for his food.  A whole protein MUST be the first ingredient, with no fillers or by-products.  If you read the ingredients you will notice that the cheapest dog foods are loaded with corn products that have no nutritional value.  Dogs are carnivores by nature, so it would make more sense to give them a meat based food.  We also have supplemented his diet with raw food. 

How a Chicken Changed our life

That chicken.  I remember that day.  How can a chicken have such an impact on our lives?  How can it make us go from a family that did not have a worry in the world about what we ate to what we are now?  I am not sure what we are yet, all I know is that we ARE concerned about what it is that we actually eat.  Where did it come from?  How is it raised/processed or produced?  What is actually in it?  Where did it come from?  What impact to the environment does it have?

Whole Foods.  Whole Foods caused this.  Whole Foods is responsible for what we are about to do.  A few years ago the first one opened in Baton Rouge, LA.  Whole Paycheck is what it seemed like the first time we went in there.  I loved the variety and selection that they had.  Up until that time we were average consumers gladly spending all of our money at Walmart.  Not fully understanding what it was we were eating (besides seafood and that is another story).  I had never seen a more beautiful produce area, and CHEESES!!!!  I had never seen anything besides sliced cheese and bagged shredded mozzarella.  What an experience...  Oh yeah, and the kids LOVE all the samples.

So we picked up a few things, I couldn't tell you what everything was, except for one thing.  You guessed it, the chicken.  It was just a prepackaged whole organic chicken.  It was more expensive than any other chicken bought at Walmart.

So the time came when I was going to cook it.  As soon as I opened it, I noticed something was different.  It didn't have the same smell as any other chicken I have cooked.  You know the smell like it is just about to go bad, even though you just bought it.  I thought all chicken smelled that way.  I didn't do anything special, I just roasted it whole in the oven with a little seasoning, no big deal.  

But when we ate it, OMG.  It was the BEST chicken I have ever eaten.  It tasted better than I ever thought chicken did.  It actually tasted like chicken is supposed to taste.  I was amazed at how much I enjoyed eating that one chicken.

So that chicken, bought at Whole Foods a few years ago, slowly put in motion a chain of events that would lead us now to where we are.  

Accepting the No Grocery Store Challenge!!!  Effective August 1st 2011.