RE: Goat Milk, Part 1

Since kid season is upon us, I promised a post regarding goat milk. Now, Cousin K is the true expert, since she is the one raising and milking the animals. But I know enough to get you interested, if this sort of thing is your bag.

Ounce for ounce, goat's milk has more protein, magnesium, calcium and potassium than cow's milk. It also has more Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin B-6 and niacin. Cow's milk is much higher in Vitamin D. Cow's milk also registers lower in fat, cholesterol and calories. However, and I believe this is important, cow's milk that you buy in the store has been mechanically homogenized. That means it has gone through a process that breaks down the butterfat globules (yummy!) so they stay mixed into the milk and do not rise to the top. The intake of homogenized cow's milk has been directly linked to the rate of heart disease in developed countries (according to my completely non-scientific research of numerous medical web resources).

Goat's milk is naturally homogenized. The cream does not easily rise to the top. Some of you may have older relatives (or you may be that relative) who remember the milkman leaving bottles in the outdoor milk box in the winter. The cream would rise in a column and push the cardboard lid right off the bottle. Goat's milk will not do that because the fat globules are so similar in size to the other solids suspended in the milky liquid. That's what makes goat cheeses, soaps and lotions so fabulously smooth and creamy.

Tomorrow - and I use the term loosely to mean sometime this week - we'll talk about the superior digestibility of goat's milk, what is lactose intolerance and the benefits of raw milk vs. pasteurized milk.

Re: US

Periodically, I will create a Re: post. These will include information on a topic that may not be familiar to everyone, like post-market reuse of building materials. I may also submit a Re: post on a topic for which most people have at least a working knowledge, and recount our own individual experiences. For example, a dyeing technique that went badly (or surprisingly well), or perhaps the best way to get a true cheddar from that pot of milk.

The first official post in this category is to introduce ourselves and our expectations from life in general terms. Hopefully more people will be able to relate to our efforts if it is understood that we are not noticeably different from everyone else. We are not long-haired hippies driving a VW microbus. We are not new-age young moderns who homeschool and maintain a family bed. And we are most definitely not rural survivalists. We are just regular, very-left-of-center folks who want to do things differently from the way we were raised.

However, we do share one quality with the stereotype of each of these inviduals: we get a lot of The "there they go again with the crazy ideas" Look. You may know The Look to which I refer: sideways out of the corner of the eyes, maybe with a slight head shake, and even a little "huh?" noise if the concept is quite radical. Even in our neck of the woods, which is quite earthy and aware, I get an abbreviated version of The Look when I say that the car I drive and the food I eat are political statements. We get the full-blown "???" reaction when we tell people we mean to keep goats for all our dairy and most of our soapmaking needs. It doesn't improve when I add my dream of living in a yurt. And what do you mean you spin and dye your own yarn?

We have decided that most people give us The Look out of simple ignorance. Many of our friends did not know that it is possible to make a beautiful mozzarella in our own kitchen. They did not know that living in a 30' round tent with radiant floor heating is much cozier than their current old Victorian come February. They did not know that with some hard work and cooperation from Mother Nature, it is possible to grow and preserve an entire winter's worth of fresh organic produce over the summer. How can we hold them responsible for what they were never taught?

But with patience, understanding and a willingness to overcome generations of status quo stagnation, we find those who love us are coming into the light. When I got an email from a friend (who has steadfastly refused to recycle from her family of four), thanking me for letting her know where to recycle outdated electronics, well that was a happy day. We CAN make a difference. YOU can make a difference. Even if it's one person at a time. Even if that one person is myself, I am making a difference. Change will come from multitudes of people making a personal choice for themselves and their families. When my friend recycles her computer appropriately, THAT will make a difference.

Onward and upward.

Let the games begin

Welcome! This blog will be a record of our ongoing quest to live a sustainable, crunchy and off-grid life. As we embark on this adventure, we wanted a way to document our lessons learned. There must be more people like us: normal working stiffs who are trying to find a better way. Hoping to forge our own path, and to support others in their quest for a small, simple lifestyle, we give you the first installment of "Sacred Tasks".

Among the topics to be covered at random
(read: at my whim) in this blog:

• Research and findings on non-traditional homes
• The experience of selecting, buying, erecting and living in alternative housing - be it a recycled house, yurt, quonset, geodesic dome or earthship
• Breakthroughs in renewable energy resources and their practical application
• Raising of livestock (and their practical application)
• Cheese- and breadmaking, home gardening, canning and other self-reliant food practices
• Fiber arts - crochet, dyeing, weaving, knitting and spinning
• Homesteading
• Jewelry and other crafts
• Homemaking ideas
• The 4 Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink) and our continual battle to adhere to them
• Finding the time and/or finances for all of these endeavors

Whew! That's quite an undertaking. I invite you to please post your own ideas and input at any time. The Tall Guy and I make absolutely no claims to be experienced in many of these topics, we're fumbling newbies to much of it. Since we're all in this together, we hope to learn from an exchange of information and inspiration. Onward and upward, my friends!