Organic Milk available July 29th to Aug 4th

MOFGA certified organic milk available July 29 to Aug 4th. We are currently making ~400# per day, last test 6-17-13 3.5BF 3.0P 48SCC. We are due to test again the week of July 15th and will have current numbers available. Jersey & Normande cows, grazing herd. FMI, Contact Heather or Doug 213-3159 or 213-3158 balfourfarm@gmail.com

Buttermilk Boomerang

My grandmother used to drink a glass of buttermilk every afternoon at 4pm with a sprinkle of salt and pepper on top. Bakers swear by the use of buttermilk in biscuits as well as other quick breads where an acidic liquid helps the baking powder fluff up the dough. And those of you who attended the Culture Workshop in March will remember our instructor, Rex Infanger, waxing poetic about the enjoying good “real” buttermilk which can be hard to find these days. Read about how Kate’s Homemade Butter in Old Orchard Beach is leading the charge to regain TRUE buttermilk’s glory.

Happy Cows Milk Better!

At the ACS conference last month we learned how animal welfare for dairy animals can be very troubling, and what is being done to correct bad practices on a local and national level. Many folks misstated that USDA Organic rules say nothing about animal welfare (yes, even Temple Grandin got it wrong when it comes to pasture requirements for organic dairy animals), leading many dairy farms to consider other certification choices specifically on that aspect of their husbandry. At the same time it’s always nice to read the positive side of dairy farming, the way we want to think about the farms who supply us with milk, which Nicolas Kristof provides in today’s NY Times.