My husband Ted earned all sorts of brownie points last weekend.
First, he sent my seven-months-pregnant self to go chill out in the air conditioned bedroom and proceeded to clean the entire (slight-disaster-of-a-)kitchen. Then he packed the half gallon mason jars and cooler in the back of the car and took charge of the multi-stop road trip that included our bi-weekly visit to
Champoeg Creamery. And once we stopped in at the farm, he managed to snap a (dare I say cute?) picture of my baby-belly + the new calf...and captioned his image
"Babes."
I mean, really? The cuteness of new life? Unstoppable.
Seriously,
we celebrated our seventh anniversary a few weeks ago, and I still think Ted's the best, and I love sharing this crazy life together...
On a more serious note, I'd like to mention that my little Peach (growing more every day - due September 18th!) is a raw milk baby, and I'm so grateful for a trustworthy dairy farmer who holds herself to impeccable standards and makes it possible for me to make the educated choice to drink raw milk during pregnancy.
...Both raw and pasteurized milk harbor bacteria but the bacteria in raw
milk is the healthy bacteria of lactic-acid fermentation while the
bacteria in pasteurized milk is the bacteria of spoilage. And the
overall bacteria count of milk produced under clean conditions is much
lower than that of pasteurized milk. Both raw and pasteurized milk
contain E. coli, normally a benign microorganism. The most likely source
of the new strains of virulent E. coli is genetically engineered soy,
fed to cows in large commercial dairies. If there is any type of milk
likely to harbor these virulent breeds, it is commercial pasteurized
milk.
Back in the days when scientists at our universities did real
research, they compared the health of children fed raw or pasteurized
milk. Children fed raw milk have more resistance to TB, scurvy, flu,
diphtheria, pneumonia, asthma, allergic skin problems and tooth decay.
In addition, their growth and calcium absorption was superior.
-Is Raw Milk Safe for Babies? | Sally Fallon Morell
Everywhere I turned for research and information about the safety of raw milk during pregnancy was negative...
CDC Data: Raw Milk Safe During Pregnancy | The Healthy Home Economist
If you’re going to drink raw milk, then knowing the diet and living
conditions of the animals it came from is crucial. This is the reason
the FDA and big dairy companies don’t want you to know that clean raw
milk is actually safe – it requires healthy animals and sanitary
dairies. I don’t know about you, but clean milk from healthy animals is
the only milk I want to drink...
Why I Drink Raw Milk | Eat Naked Now
Resources:
If you're only just beginning to toy with the idea of raw milk, check this quick comparison on the difference between
Conventional, USDA Organic, and RAW USA Certified Milk, and if you're interested in learning more about real food during pregnancy, let me suggest
Nina Planck's Real Food for Mother and Baby. I gave a copy to my Sustainable Food for Thought partner in crime, Emily, when she was expecting her first child, and I was so glad to give it another read when I became pregnant...
Local Raw Milk Tidbits:
My
raw milk farmer (and first-cousin-once-removed), Charlotte Smith of
Champoeg Creamery, is now running a project to educate and train
high-quality raw milk dairy farmers and responsible customers. Her
messages are important, and I wholeheartedly believe in what she's
doing.
Are you a raw milk producer in Oregon? (Or anywhere, for that matter?)
Are you a raw milk customer?
Do you desire to participate in a more
wholesome
&
holistically sustainable
food system?
Lastly, speaking of brownie points...if your summertime garden is
overflowing with zucchini and your chocolate craving levels are high,
let me leave you with the flashback to the
Yogurt, Honey, and Whole Wheat Brownies that we enjoyed along with our early glasses of raw milk...
xx
Bethany
