 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.
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. 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! 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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 Why Yogurt? Did you know that cultured dairy such as raw milk yogurt and cultured butter has the same probiotic benefits as lacto-fermented veggies such as real sauerkraut?? AND it has all the added benefits of preformed vitamin A, beta carotene, vitamin K2 and CLA that is found in dairy! Pictured here is lemon yogurt topped with berry/honey combination and creme fraiche on top. A wonderful desert . We have explored Raw Milk and Kefir in earlier posts. While yogurt is similar in benefits as kefir, it still has its unique uses and health reasons for consuming it and also has a flexibility in its use above and beyond the raw milk and kefir. Let's explore yogurt a little more. Yogurt is made from milk and a “starter” culture and brags of being a super-food full of live probiotics, good calories, and being high in protein as well as rich in vitamin A and calcium. These provide benefits for the entire body from the skin to your gastrointestinal tract to your bones. Not to mention, great on your taste buds! Why is yogurt made from raw milk better than pasteurized milk yogurt from the store? As with anything, you know your source of the milk. It is pure, clean, and healthy! Can you say the same for the dairy products at your local grocery store? In addition to that, raw milk yogurt tends to be richer and have a more diverse array of beneficial bacteria than that from pasteurized milk. Yogurt probiotics are in their most natural and digestible state. How does Diamond S make yogurt? By now you may have read a few articles about making yogurt from raw milk and you’ve probably found that there are about as many ways and theories of making yogurt as there are beneficial elements in it (millions). And everyone has to find the way that works for them. We think Diamond S has found our groove with yogurt and it’s a tasty groove, for sure! We have made and sold everything from plain and vanilla yogurt to entire parfaits with organic fruit and homemade granola! Yum! Not a fan of yogurt but want the benefits? Yogurt holds a unique ability to not only be consumed in its natural state but can be used/disguised in many other recipes. We talked in a previous post about how kefir can be used in smoothies, popsicles, and more. Well, so can yogurt. It can even help thicken and preserve homemade mayo! In addition to the above ideas, yogurt is high in lactic acid which is key in pre digesting grains by means of soaking them in recipes to reduce the amount of phytic acid in the foods you eat. To learn move about this and why you should sprout or soak the grains, nuts, and legumes you eat, check out these two web pages.
Intrigued and ready to enjoy some yogurt? Contact Diamond S to see when the next batch of plain, fruit or lemon yogurt will be available. Blessings,
~Diamond S P.S. Get ready for a little "culture", our next blog is about cultured milk!  You may ask yourself, what is kefir and why should I drink it? Good questions, let me tell you!
Kefir is a probiotic drink made from fermented milk. More recently referred to as a drinkable yogurt which helps to balance your digestive system and recolonize it with good bacteria. It has been found to be one of the best ways to get many different bioactive ingredients, including up to 30 different strains of “good” bacteria into your diet. Made with good milk, it is great for your entire body from your bones to your skin and also helps boost immunity! Sounds like the perfect food, doesn’t it? Learn more health benefit specifics about Kefir from this informational page of Dr. Axe. This probiotic super-hero of a drink has been around in various forms for thousands of years and can be made by combining nearly any kind of milk with kefir starter grains, which are a combination of bacteria and yeast. Naturally, we believe the best way to make kefir is with raw cows milk and that is also the Robertson’s personal preference in how they consume dairy on a daily basis! Do I need to make it myself from Diamond S milk or can I purchase it already made? As with many things in life, there is a lot of joy in the process. Making basic kefir is actually very simple and extremely rewarding. Simply combine milk with kefir grains, let it sit for 24 hours at room temperature, strain the grains out, and it's ready to drink. Easy instructions can be found here. If you are ready to make your own, contact Kris for your kefir grains and milk! Making your own can be great, but if you are nervous of the process and want to just purchase some, contact Diamond S to get on her kefir rotation. Not only is kefir great plain, but for those a little less into a more sour, yogurt-like drink, Kris has perfected her Maple Kefir recipe which is absolutely delicious with its natural maple syrup as the sweet flavor. It’s perfection! Oh, and did I mention that it freezes well!? Even when the dairy cows slow their production and kefir availability decreases, you can still have kefir by ordering ahead and freezing it! What if I don’t like to drink kefir? No problem! Do you like smoothies? Kefir makes an amazing base to any kind of smoothie, ice cream, or even popsicles for kids (or adults (; ). An easy smoothie recipe would be combine 1 cup raw milk kefir with your favorite fruit, such as a banana and a handful of raspberries. Add a bit of water to thin if necessary. Add protein powder or mix with our cheese whey for the protein. The Striff Family, loyal Diamond S customers and seasonal delivery drivers to Worland love popsicles. They say to put one quart of kefir (or yogurt) in with one container of any natural juice concentrate (orange is the favorite) in a blender and then into popsicle forms to freeze. It's a favorite snack of the entire family throughout the year! Want more ideas for Kefir smoothies to fit your fancy? Check out this page! https://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/recipe/milk-kefir-recipes/fresh-frozen-any-fruit-kefir-smoothie/ To Kefir or Not? Check out the links above and if you would love to try Kefir, contact Kris to learn what Diamond S has available and how to order! Blessings, ~Diamond S P.S. Want to learn about yogurt? You're in luck, that's our next blog post!  When we refer to real milk, we are talking about milk that comes from real, healthy, dairy cows who eat real foods instead of genetically modified grains or cheap filler feeds that have almost no nutritional value. If a cow doesn’t have the proper lifestyle and nutrition, their milk suffers. Real milk is also, and very importantly, NOT pasteurized (a process known to destroy good enzymes, proteins and vitamins) or homogenized (a process in which the butterfat globules are broken down so they don’t rise to the top). If you want details on milk and why Real Milk (Raw Milk) is a movement, https://www.realmilk.com/ is the best place to go and learn. They also help to settle the fears of those thinking that raw milk is dangerous to consume. Spoiler, it’s not! The end result of good, real milk is a lovely bottle of white milky goodness with a layer of cream on the top, the thicker the better!  While milk has great benefits on its own, it also can be used to make cultured dairy products and cheeses which provide an even wider range of health benefits (to be discussed in later posts) and also taste amazing. If you don’t believe that there's a world of difference between the yogurt made from raw milk and yogurt you grab in the grocery, boy are you in for a treat. Just order a serving of our lemon yogurt, you won’t be sorry! If you want to learn more about dairy, Diamond S friend Laurie and her friend, Jamie, have put together a lovely class that is entitled The Wonderful World of Dairy. Why A2A2 Milk Matters Once in a while, you might see someone refer to cows that produce A1 or A2 milk. They are referring to the protein make up of the milk itself. A2 is the original version of milk protein that is more digestible and found in more of the heritage cow breeds. It's an easier to digest protein is especially important if there is a known milk sensitivity. The A1 gene was a mutation that was found and spread through mainly dairy cow herds in more recent history and is beginning to be linked to multiple conditions including Type 1 Diabetes and heart disease. Does this mean A1 milk is bad? Not necessarily, but it's not the best. So if you have a choice between A1 and A2 milk, choose the A2. A2 type of β-casein is also the protein found in human breast milk so it only makes sense that this would be the ultimate version of raw cows milk you can get! The Diamond S cows have been tested and found to be A2/A2. If you would like to learn more about A2A2 milk, I think this article is great and has great references: https://downacowtrail.com/2020/02/14/a2-a2-milk-what-it-is-and-why-you-need-it/ What if I don’t really like to consume milk plain? Milk can be used in just about anything you can imagine from mixing into your eggs in the morning, added to your soup in the afternoon, or to be made into a creamy gravy for dinner. And for a dessert, I am going to pass on a favorite recipe in the form of a short class that was also put on by Laurie at The Healing Table. Natural, nutritious, and exceptionally tasty Real Food Pudding! What’s Next? You have read the information above and may have followed the links to learn more. Ready for milk? Alright, just head on over to the Contact Us portion of our website to get in touch and learn more about where and when you can pick up your dairy! Hope to see you soon! ~Diamond S P.S. Be on the lookout for our next post about Raw Milk Kefir! This will be short and sweet: We are on the tail end of our season, with two more weeks of deliveries. Last chance for Lemon yogurt. Please get your orders in this week. Special orders of Marinated Feta will be ready the week of the 30th at the ranch store.
Also Claire Striff, who helps us with all our Worland deliveries and many of you have met, will be posting on our blog page soon, with interesting and hopefully educational information about each of the products we make or deliver from Diamond S Ranch. I hope you will read and let us hear from you through the winter months. Our new calf crop will be born early spring so our milk production will be ready for you all to enjoy, so please let us know in March what your families needs will be for 2021. To your health, kr Just a quick note today about the Dream Cheese that will be delivered to TenSleep tomorrow, Worland Thursday, plus our pickups at the ranch store got their samples yesterday. Be sure and let me know if you missed out as some picked up before I got it packaged.
There will be samples of two flavors so everyone will get to taste this yummy probiotic filled soft cheese. The Sweet Orange Dream Cheese will be delightful in the morning on a piece of sourdough toast, and the Savory Dream Cheese delicious as a late afternoon snack with veggies or crackers. For this one if you love our Marinated Feta I think you will also love Savory Dream Cheese. Please let me know which one you tried and how you liked. I'm planning with a friend to pair her pepper jelly with a plain Dream Cheese sometime in November before we dry the cows up. Happy Halloween! Have a great week. Kris |
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