BUTTERMILK (and other cultured dairy)

A Little More Culture in Your Life
I am not sure if you have noticed a recurring theme throughout the dairy posts.  Well, let me sum it up.

1. Raw milk, when sourced from well fed and maintained cows, is filled with wonderful proteins and vitamins for your continual health
2. Products made from above mentioned raw milk such as kefir and yogurt (see previous posts) take the premium benefits of raw milk and add the benefits of being fermented, “cultured”.  The culturing process adds probiotics, good bacteria, and enzymes, all of which carry benefits for the entire body from the lining of the gastrointestinal tract to boosting your immune system.

Another way to take a raw dairy product and make it cultured is with Cultured Butter and the secondary result of Cultured Buttermilk.  

Is our cultured buttermilk the same as regular store bought buttermilk?
In a word, no.  Regular store buttermilk is made from whole milk and cultured with a dehydrated culture, usually thicker and sweeter than our cultured buttermilk which is made from our grass fed A2 heavy cream.  At Diamond S, we culture it usually a full 24 hours for added digestibility, then chill it 24 hours, then bring it to the correct temperature to churn butter.  (We have found 50 to 55 degrees is the perfect temperature.) This buttermilk is a bit more tart but makes wonderful pancakes.  Scroll down to the end of this post to check out buttermilk pancakes with 3 variations to suit your fancy!  Sometimes a few of the globules of the butter remain in our buttermilk. 

Cultured butter on the other hand is what we set out to make with heavy cream, our "liquid gold"!  We culture the cream with a small amount of the buttermilk from the previous batch (if we have it) or a small amount of fresh kefir as our “starter” culture. The cultured buttermilk is strained off first then the butter is cleaned and packaged.  Here's a great YouTube presentation you might like that walks you through this whole butter making process.  Both cultured buttermilk and butter differ in taste, texture, and even appearance in some cases as opposed to regular buttermilk and butter.  

Both versions of buttermilk can be enjoyed in its natural state but is best known for use in recipes as a source of added nutrition.  Cultured butter and regular butter also have similar uses in recipes or eaten regularly.  Remember though, the added “culture” in dairy products adds tremendous nutritional benefit.  
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Butter and more specifically cultured butter has been discovered to be a terrific addition to coffee in the morning!  Check out this fun post on “bullet proof” coffee!   This is Kris' go-to morning drink...only she of course uses our  cultured butter.  I also like this post from The Nourished Kitchen because it gives a good brief on cultured dairy products of all kinds and their use.

FRIENDS!  Guess what?? It's time to order!  Yes it it's getting very close.  We have three cows in the barn the last several very cold nights awaiting arrival of their new calves and they didn't disappoint! ​




Meet Valentine, she's our newest arrival born February 14th!

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As always, dairy products are made according to the supply of the cows and demand of the customers.  Contact us to learn more about our next batches of cultured dairy including buttermilk and butter.  Buttermilk is best consumed quickly but butter can be ordered in bulk and frozen to be used throughout the year!

Blessings!
~Diamond S

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