"Raw milk" news and stories

Are raw-milk cheeses healthful? Recent findings of Listeria monocytogenes, the bacteria that causes Listeria, in cheeses from Montesano, Washington's Estrella Family Creamery in Missouri's Morningland Dairy unequivocally suggest the contrary. Both dairies, which were inspected by FDA (Food and Drug Administration) officials within the past few months, are going to have a particularly hard time defending their raw-milk cheeses, especially since it's just the latest raw-milk scare. Just last week, health officials found 25 E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to Bravo Farms' raw-milk Gouda being sold at Costco stores in Colorado.

When it comes to raw-milk, the conflict between cheesemakers and the FDA is not new. Many cheesemakers view the FDA as an organization of government officials with little or no experience on dairies. Sunday, the Pacific Northwest Cheese Project released a series of cheesemakers' reactions to the recent recalls of raw-milk cheese. One of them states, anonymously, of course, "I am concerned about any potential surprise investigations, because the investigators usually don't have any experience with farms at all," the cheesemaker told the Cheese Project. "The ones who recently visited here had never even been on a farm before; not a good thing in my opinion." Apart from revealing the incompetence of the FDA, their anonymous responses indicate that the health risks do not involve raw-milk, on its own.

• The Dairy State is legalizing the sale of raw milk, sending a strong signal to the rest of the country.
  
• Fiestaware is more than a set of dishes. It's a subculture -- complete with its own play.
• Spring has hit early in Wisconsin -- which means rhubarb and morels are ahead of schedule, too.
• When wine meets gadgetry, a love affair is born.

• A profile of P. Terry's (pictured above), Hill-Bert's and Mighty Fine, three storied burger joints united in their "appetite for construction."
  
• The FDA really doesn't like raw milk, but could it be the next miracle drug?
• In local dining news, Fabi and Rosi brings pan-European cooking to Austin; Max's Wine Dive offers "haute" dogs and a 180-label wine list; a fully organic Natural Grocers opens; and numerous local businesses offer a free breakfast to cyclists who bike to work.
  
• 74-year-old Herb Butler shares his Mom's Cornbread recipe.
• One meat-eater talks about her efforts to eat local beef -- and less of it -- to save both money and the environment.
• Drinks as fashion statements? Click here for a list of drinks and the wedding colors they match.

• Raw Milk -- The risky drink outlawed by some and adored by others. And now demand is increasing in the UK.
• The title says it all: "Cheese made with unpasteurized milk is legal and delicious."
• Locavore is on its way to a prime restaurant destination, but is currently perfectly sweet but a little too salty.
• Wines, Pt 1: Castillo de Monseran 2007 Viura, Robert Mondavi Woodbridge 2007 Merlot, Peninsula Ridge 2007 Sauvignon Blanc
• Wines, Pt 2: Kir-Yianni Petra 2007, Maison Champy Bourgogne Signature 2006, Chakana 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, San Esteban In Situ 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva, Magpie Estate The Sack 2005 Shiraz
• Recipes: Beet and Clementine Salad, Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Zucchini and Capers, Cherry Oatmeal Cookies, Soba Soup with Shiitakes and Spinach, Lemon Risotto with Garlic Chili Shrimp
  

The idea started as a way to use up some sour* milk. I couldn't bear to just pour it down the drain and so I started scouting around for ways in which to use it up. I remembered reading a line in a vintage cookbook about saving sour milk for quick breads and muffins (oh, the food knowledge we've lost over the years, I'm sure my grandma Bunny would have know what to do with sour milk without consulting a cookbook). Flipping through my turquoise-covered Joy of Cooking (the edition from the late 1960s), I settled on making a batch of biscuits.

I realize that for many of you out there, the idea of making biscuits to go with dinner isn't a groundbreaking idea. However, I grew up in a family where we did not eat bread products with our evening meal (although my grandparents always had bread on their dining table and my sister and I used to think it was the most thrilling thing ever) and so for me, dinner-time biscuits feels subversive and exciting.

They came together quickly and baked up quickly, adding a level of special-ness and comfort to a regular old dinner. There were a few leftover and I ate them for breakfast the next day with peanut butter and homemade jam.

*When raw milk sours, it's still usable in baking and cooking. Sadly, when pasteurized milk goes bad, it's just bad and can't be salvaged.