Raw Milk In The News

Some updates on what's been happening in the raw milk world. In Wisconsin, Vernon Hershberger was acquitted of selling milk without a retail dairy license, because his milk sales were not retail. This is a Big Deal for folks who choose to buy their food directly from a farmer. As I understand it, it is consistent with basic principles of contract law. For its own reasons, the State of Wisconsin is still trying to jail Hershberger for continuing to sell food after they ordered him to stop, but since the jury has found that the state had no basis for this order, there is no legal reason why he should be jailed. On Food Safety News…on The Complete Patient…(and here)…on Reason.com…on Health Impact News.

In Maine, my classmate and friend Rep. Craig Hickman has been working hard to create sensible regulations for small farmers. Despite the best efforts of Rep. Hickman and many others, and despite a local food sovereignty ordinance, Maine farmer Dan Brown was convinced of selling raw milk without a license, in a ruling that seems to me to defy logic and common sense.

Right now there is a lot of motion in the raw milk universe. If you are interested in following it, I'd recommend keeping an eye on the following people and organizations (in addition to Feed Me Like You Mean It!):

• David Gumpert: His blog, The Complete Patient, and his new book, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Food Rights.
• Rep. Craig Hickman of Maine. He is one of the top lawmakers in the fight for food rights and civil liberties. If you don't know him yet, please check him out.
• The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. This is a critically important organization. They represent the legal defense for pretty much every case related to raw milk, and for many or most of the important food freedom-related cases these days.

Win a Free Copy of Real Food Fermentation

Win a free copy of my book! Quarry Books is hosting a give-away on Goodreads. Two winners will walk away with free books. Click here to enter.

The Health Benefits of Fermented Foods

When we say that a food is "fermented", we generally mean that it has been transformed one way or another by microbes--bacteria, yeasts, molds, or some combination. Molds play a role in the creation of some kinds of cheeses and cured meats (dried sausages, for instance), along with soy sauce, among other things. Yeasts are responsible for anything that contains alcohol, either as an end product or in an intermediate stage (vinegar, for instance, and bread). Bacteria are responsible for things that are sour--from vinegar to yogurt to sauerkraut to mustard to chutneys and condiments like ketchup. Nowadays, short-cut versions of some of these foods are manufactured via processes that do not rely directly on fermentation.

The health benefits of fermented foods can be broken down into a number of categories:

Real Food Fermentation Book Events This Month

• A book talk and demo at The Ecology Center in Berkeley, California from 7PM-9PM on Thursday February 28. Come see fermentation and ask questions! Free and open to the public.

• A "Fermented St. Patrick's Day" hands-on workshop culminating in a very tasty full meal at 18 Reasons in San Francisco, from 6PM-9PM on Monday March 11. We will be eating such goodies as fermented cabbage leaves with corned beef, craft fermented beverages, and more. This event costs money, and space is limited. Sign up now!

For both events, I am teaming up with the fabulous Nishanga Bliss. She is the author of book Real Food All Year and blog Gastronicity. She is also a licensed acupuncturist, professor of Chinese Medicine, and of course an avid fermentor!

Full details, maps, etc. for both events are available here.

Make Easy Nourishing Soup From Leftovers

Recently, I've been re-reading Sally Fallon and Mary Enig's very important book, Nourishing Traditions.

I've also been thinking about food waste, and how each of us can avoid wasting food.