Eat Locally! 'Cause I love sticks and mud!
Irradiated by Stingray
We’re foodies. There’s not much getting around it. Both LabRat and I would rather eat food that tastes good, so all the low-fat carb-free low-sodium anti-food is largely absent from our abode. We’ve got lard and we’re not afraid to use it!
In that spirit, one of the latest additions to the bookshelves here at the nerd ranch is Jennifer McLagan’s book Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes. I’ve gone through the chapter on butter already, and while I agree with the spirit, and a lot of the recipes look damn tasty, the thing is pissing me right the fuck off.
Things start off smoothly enough, with an explanation of fats (saturated vs. un, poly, mono, trans; frankly it reads like a printed version of something familiar, only less detailed). There’s some fat-lore and a bit on the history of margarine (which, given the original form, I suddenly find myself with fewer objections to the modern incarnation thereof). What there’s also a lot of is the plague that hovers around the whole/organic/slow/sustainable/$buzzword-for-I-just-want-something-that-fucking-tastes-good movement, the snooty disdain for major brand/readily available sources.
Only those who lived in the countryside and churned their own enjoyed the taste of fresh butter. Thankfully, our butter is no longer adulterated, since it is highly regulated and mass-produced, but the same system that guarantees a certain standard also results in a uniformity in both the butter’s color and (lack of) flavor.
…
To enjoy the benefits of butter you must eat the best you can buy. Good butter not only tastes better, but it is better for you. Butter from pasture-fed cows has omega-3 fatty acids, which we need more of in our diet.
…
Butter shouldn’t taste only of fat, but also of what the cows ate. We should be able to savor the grass, the herbs, and the flowers. While we are all willing to spend a small fortune on deluxe olive oils, we grab a pound of butter without thinking.
Outstanding! I’m right there with you, butter is awesome already and should be awesome-er with some care and attention and selection! I’m gonna actually check this shit out at the store rather than just grab a pound! Only one problem. Above the vast swaths of margarine, which we’ve already established is bad and really only good for spreading on toast* there are…hold on, this is tricky counting this high… there are three brands available! Store Brand, the one with the Indian girl you can cut the box up to make it look like she’s showing her boobs, and the one with the deer! Well, ok, let’s go by the actual numbers and compare the fat content on these suckers. They all have the exact same FDA grading, so we can rule that out as a yardstick off the bat. As it turns out, the fat content and breakdown of saturated vs. un is identical across all three! So between the three brands I can pick from, the only measurable difference is price.
Ok, no problem. A little effort isn’t too much to ask in tracking down better chow. I’ll just pop over to the specialty store and… oh. Wait. No I won’t. Los Alamos has two grocery stores, both branches of the same major chain. Oh, and some of the convenience stores sell milk by the gallon, which I’m sure is the very peak of quality and not at all priced unreasonably. Fine! I’ll just make my own!
The simple act of making butter will give you an insight into the magical transformation of cream into butter and show you just how good very fresh butter can taste. Unlike Alexandre Dumas, you won’t need a horse (see quotation at right)**- just an electric mixer, a sieve, and the best cream you can lay your hands on.
All right, over to the milk section, let’s see what they got.
Really? Just three brands, and that ZOMG WE’RE ORGANIC PAY AN EXTRA FIVE BUCKS stuff? Again? Dammit.
Well, maybe I’ll go straight to the source and visit the nearby dairy? Nope. Some effort is fine, but a two hour drive each way for better milk and butter just ain’t gonna happen. And these are still outfits looking to maximize their profits. I don’t think we’re gonna be seeing milk from cows treated all Kobe style out of these joints.
And this is really the crux of what gets me. There is virtually no middle ground between that twit on Food Network going on about how to pick the right curtains to go with that stove-top-and-kraft-cheese concoction and the hardcore “IF YOU CAN’T TASTE THE SEASON YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG” crowd. Yes, absolutely there are some truly amazing foodstuffs available locally. But small-scale pasture-fed cows? Not likely. Well fatted chickens? Not unless I raise ‘em myself. Damn near every one of these current crop of “make food that doesn’t suck” books and/or personalities come from a big city where you can’t swing an organic, locally produced sustainable dead cat without hitting a specialty store that imports your poison of choice direct from the world’s best poison-of-choice producer.
Fuck it. Maybe I’ll just get an ostritch egg or two next time I go to Albuquerque. Meanwhile, I’ll just go raid the freezer for the beef*** Ms. McLagan only wishes she could get. She can look down her nose at the butter I use all she likes, it ain’t gonna magic up a better option.
*Yes, I know. I do think the butter tastes better on toast, but there’s a certain point of diminishing returns for effort to reward, and the hassle of getting hard, cold butter to actually spread on toast is beyond that point for me. Your mileage may vary.
**Apparently he tied a jug of milk around his horse’s neck at the start of the day’s ride and got butter out when he stopped in the evening. A bit slow for my taste, but clever, I’ll grant that.
***We lurves us some FarmFamily raised beef. Oh yes. If you find yourself in a position to obtain some, it’s well worth it.
September 24th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
Two things.
1 - for soft butter, use a butter bell. Just make sure to change the water frequently and refrigerate during the heat of the day. But if you want maximum spreadability for your morning toast, it’s fine to leave out overnight.
2 - I just got finished reading Jennifer Mclagan’s book Bones. Making oxtail and marrow bones soon!
September 24th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Got Bones at the same time. LR’s reading that one while I go through Fat, then we’re switching. Picked up Nose to Tail for good measure.
The butter bell intrigues me (and is suggested in Fat as well) but this in-and-out of the fridge thing seems iffy. “Wait, it’s over 90! Butter to the fridge GO!” seems an unnecessary complication.
September 24th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
My family has just always left a stick of butter out, in a regular butter dish. It’s fine if it’s used within a three or four days.
September 24th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
It’s easier than it sounds; if you’re comfortable in the house, the butter is going to be, too. Unless you’re an old person that turns the heater on when it gets to 72. (And it’s not like it goes bad immediately and kills you if you then eat it, it just melts into the water and makes a mess, or if it’s not quite that warm, it doesn’t last the full month, which, let’s face it, it’s not going to need to last through anyways.)
September 24th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
The wife and I just use a plain old butterdish out on the counter. I’ve never once had a problem with it. Well, other than getting crumbs in it.
September 24th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
I second the butter dish on the counter- done it forever & Magdalena may be tad warmer then Atomic town.
Re beef & stuff; have any country friends you can wheel & deal with? We have split a young steer straight off a friend’s ranch with friends, and that was pretty cheap as well as grass fed. Our local sheep rancher, another buddy, will sell most of his lamb to rich people up your way, but allows us to have young barren ewes- better taste & not much tougher- for free if we assist at slaughter and packaging, and he provides tools, direction, assistance, & booze! (search the blog for “sheep” & “Pieter”)
September 24th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
The link is here.
September 24th, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Farm Fam is our solution for beef. We used to have another fellow who provided us with lamb in exchange for baked goods, but unfortunately he died recently. We have a family member we can get goat from.
No dairy solution, unfortunately.
September 24th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
We have both the local beef ($2.09 a lb hanging weight for pastured grass-fed) and local raw unpasteurized rich milk. I’m using the cream from the milk to make butter and the milk to make cheese.
That being said, we intentionally moved here because the pasture is so good and we want to have our own livestock eventually. It’s only natural that we can get good animal products locally.
But good hot-weather produce like tomatoes and peppers? I had to greenhouse those myself. As for citrus, that’s about as tasteless as possible. Everywhere has its own trade-offs. If the local item is better, reasonably priced, and just a little more effort than the nationally available brand, go for it. Otherwise, don’t bother.
September 24th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
I’ve already got my own laying hens and hope to put a small flock of meat birds in the back yard next summer. I get beef, pork and lamb from farmer friends who live just up the road. I can see Wisconsin from the top of the hill, so there’s lot of good local cheese available. Other than cheese, I’m not a fan of dairy.
The thing I really miss here is good, fresh produce. Minnesota has a short growing season and unless I drive an hour up to the yuppie ‘burbs, the selection in stores is depressing. When I do make the commute to the ‘burbs I can get great stuff - for a depressing price.
September 24th, 2010 at 8:29 pm
SmartDogs - considering the chickens, you don’t have a highly prey-driven akita.
September 25th, 2010 at 8:43 am
No [wink] I have a pair of highly prey-driven English shepherds who kill woodchucks, squirrels, chippies, mice, possums and other critters on an almost daily basis.
I also have a full time job as a work at home dog trainer, which is helpful when molding this kind of behavior.
September 25th, 2010 at 5:47 pm
Robert: That only works if you can maintain a room temp of about 70 degrees. Yea, I do the same in y house in the great North Wet.
In NM, 70 degrees is considered a harbinger of the next ice age.
September 25th, 2010 at 7:06 pm
Kristopher: I was born and raised in Nevada. It’s not exactly the Far north, either. However, we did run the air conditioner constantly during the summer; I don’t think my parents ever let it get much above 80 inside; my dad likes it around 70 and my mother prefers something closer to 74.
Now that I’m on my own, I don’t go through enough butter to leave a stick out all the time; it’d go bad before I got around to eating it all.
September 26th, 2010 at 8:35 am
Our local City Markup only has those same three choices in the butter section, however, in the gourmet cheese section they have several different kinds of Irish butter. Maybe give it a look-see.
September 26th, 2010 at 8:57 am
Robert: Exactly.
I have to turn the heat on to get that kind of temp ( 70 deg ) right now.
I can leave the butter out as a condiment, and just use a cover to keep vermin or dust off it. Optimum temp for spread-ability vs. going rancid is about 65 degrees.
September 26th, 2010 at 8:59 am
Looks like the spammers ( lookin at you Emory ) are getting better. That sentence was almost in English.
September 26th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
We keep the butter in the fridge, and nuke it when we need it. Fourteen seconds for a full stick, down to eight seconds for about a quarter stick, and it’s soft enough to spread on fresh whole wheat bread. Then it goes back in the fridge ’til next time. Works great, tastes great, more filling.
Now, about “…Yes, absolutely there are some truly amazing foodstuffs available locally. But small-scale pasture-fed cows? …”
Of COURSE you can’t get “pasture-fed” cow stuff in Los Alamos. I’ve been there, and there isn’t any PASTURE there. I was raised up on a dairy farm, and I know what pasture looks like. The closest pasture to Los Alamos that I know of is in the Moreno Valley, or east of Cimmaron. But, you’re right, that’s a bit far to go for butter.
Here, we have http://www.braums.com/ It’s a local outfit (in fact, the dairy operation is about 15 miles from my house) with stores all within a days commute for its delivery crews, the idea being everyone involved is home with the family every night. The closest store to Los Alamos is Dumas, TX. They have great ice cream, butter, cream, and, … damn, I’m drooling again.
September 26th, 2010 at 6:59 pm
H’mmm, so nobody knows the Hard Butter Trick? Works with the “heart-healthy” oleomargarine I buy (I grew up on margarine, butter actually tastes wrong to me on toast), too: don’t say of pats and globs, scrape a loooong thin shaving (or two, or three) off the top. Melts fast. Hold the knife at 60-80 degrees to the surface, with the tip of the knife close to you than the edge in contact with the butter, and pull it towards yourself.
…Or buy a very small handplane….
September 27th, 2010 at 6:37 am
Now Roberta has me thinking I should freeze butter and use a cheese grater on it.
My mother makes something between butter and whipped cream periodically by putting heavy cream and… well maybe just the cream, into a mason jar sort of thing and having us shake it the better part of the morning. (Usually this is during Thanksgiving or Christmas when the family is home and it is generally too cold to be out shooting for more than an hour or so.) After about an hour or two of fairly constant agitation there is a really nice light buttery substance in the jar. Not too shabby for a bit of exercise amongst 3-4 people, but if it were just me and the wife I would need to rig up a mechanical mixer.
I suspect animal warmed fresh cream would taste better, but unless we start milking the cat, that probably isn’t happening.
September 27th, 2010 at 7:53 am
What you’re overlooking is that cookbook writers have to fluff out their work with gastroporn. I find that if I ignore this and use the information provided in the book that it is a good reference. Bacon Mayonnaise, whodathunkit. It’s on my bookshelf. In truth there are cookbooks that are far more obnoxious in this regard. I tend to read the recipes and the cooking instructions and ignore the rest.