donk79

Drinking raw milk from a farm you do not know... That's a bad idea. I grew up drinking raw milk from our own cows. The first time brucelosis hit our herd, Dad stopped bringing milk from the tank home with him. Its not worth the risk. I have purchased raw milk from a local farm for cheesemaking, but my first step was to check their history and reputation. In a small, close-knit community, they had done a good job of making certain they were reliable in taking care of the animals and people around them. There was another certified raw milk dairy nearby. Their reputation was nowhere near as good, and I would never have bought milk from them. Sure enough, they had a similar recall a couple of years after we moved to the area.

Isn't there a last meal thread around here somewhere?

I tried a sample... Maybe look to see what other people have done with green Jolly Ranchers?

Urban beekeeping is not that new. I started keeping bees about 10 years ago, and it was a topic of conversation among beekeepers then. Famously (among beekeepers) the White House had some hives installed at that time, and our local Bee Club hosted the White House Beekeeper for a presentation. So far as what the bees source their honey from, it is true that they can make use of anything sugary. But they can also be quite picky. When we had some display hives at the local fair, I noted yellow-jackets swarming over every half-empty soda can in sight. But the honeybees, they stuck to the organic lemonade stand! Cities, with their parks, and abundance fo flowers and flowering bushes and trees can often be a more concentrated source of real nectar than some rural areas, where wildflowers have been wiped out in favor of acres and acres of monoculture corn.

Cannot say I am a huge fan, but I do know one youtube channel that focuses in this direction: https://www.youtube.com/user/jastownsendandson

No one is going to be surprised by the idea that fake wine is out there. But I do not think that anyone tries to market it to a serious audience. It sounds like that could be changing, with an effort to develop artificial wine that tastes like good wine. I heard this on KCRW's Good food podcast today. I am curious what others reactions are to this. Culturally, I find the idea abhorrent. Culinarily, I am curious. http://www.kcrw.com/news-culture/shows/good-food/the-great-tasting-menu-debate-cast-iron-skillets-grapeless-wine/grapeless-wine

300-325 in a smoker? I suppose it is possible, depending on your equipment, but that is way above what I would consider "smoking" temperatures. There may be some adjustment/adaptation necessary to make this happen.

I suspect family-style dining is becoming an increasing rarity in the US. I have been to a number of places that serve this way. It is even more common (though still rare) for sides to be served this way. I cannot remember any family-style service that did not include refills. Most of the family-style services I have experienced have been connected in some way to Pennsylvania Dutch culture (ie Amish, Mennonite, etc.). Maybe this is a relic that they have held on to? Or maybe it has to do with their own cultural preferences and emphasis on sharing in community.

I wish I could remember how I originally found Egullet. I do recall that some shift in the software provoked me to finally register, after I had been lurking anonymousy for quite a while. My profile says that I joined in January 2003. I have not been the most prolific poster, but for almost all of my adult life, Egullet has been my go-to for any question on food. It has perhaps not been as transformative for me as it has been, for say gfron1, but it has still been one of the greatest influences on my experience of food. When I first joined, I knew little, but thought I knew plenty. I was still welcomed warmly by many signatures that I would love to see again. But I still enjoy reading new voices, and gaining from the experiences of new participants in the forum. Thank you to all of you for your sharing!

Is this where the tradition of sardines on pizza began?

Ran across this today. Since Egullet seems to be my best source on cast iron information, I am curious about your thoughts. The first thing that I think when I hear someone bragging about thin cast iron is "What's the point of that?" My understanding is that cast iron conducts heat poorly, and that its primary advantage is its thermal mass. At least that is how I use it. Is this something that would interest you? Is there something that I am missing here?

If you ever wanted to see a new KitchenAid given a thorough going through of its innards, check out this video. This guy is as full of malapropisms as he is of experience in teardowns, and manufacturing knowledge. He also is not always g-rated in the language, but never in a way that I personally have found offensive. But if you are easily offended, warned. Anyway, the video is about 45 minutes, and I am not all the way through yet, but I suspect many others here will appreciate some deeper knowledge about the what is inside these machines.

I cannot testify to how roasting these birds would do, but there was a time when I had some young (6-8 month) free range roosters that proved to me why too many roosters in a flock can be a problem. Presented with a coq, I decided it was time to give coq au vin a try. I can testify that these birds worked beautifully for this dish. So while I cannot definitively say that your free ranging birds cannot be roasted, I bet they would work braised, even as young as they are. I deeply hope that you do find a way to satisfactorily roast them. If you do, I will note it carefully, and make use of it on unruly coq's in the future.

I have not roasted many potatoes until recently when they began showing up in my CSA box. About this time I stumbled across this video. All I will say is that it worked for me!

Could be variable results from variable ingredients. Apples are a natural product and include natural variation. Chances are the water percentage change from one fruit to the next would not be huge, but it could contribute. Size of the apples used, now, that could be interesting. I have three apples in my kitchen right now that could be termed medium sized. Respective weights: 184 , 188 and 237 grams. Now lets say Norm likes big apples and he uses 4 large apples (Why buy anything else?!?). But lets say I am cheap, so I took 4 apples from my bag of small apples from the discount bin. Suddenly Norm is adding 800 grams of apple to his cake, while I end up only adding 400. This may not be what is going on. But to answer the question "Is something wrong with this recipe?", this is the first thing I think about.

Is the okra pickled? Or did you prep it some other way post-photo?

I assume you are saying that this is already is something already set. If it is a wish at this moment, I hope it comes true! Whenever that is going to air, please give us a heads up. I would love to hear it!

We can barely agree on a standard in our house. I'd be amazed if their were an industry standard. Of course the USDA will give you this: https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/storagetimes.html But who throws out unopened hotdogs (or imagines they need to be thrown out) after two weeks refrigerated? They probably sit longer than that in the grocery store!

The culturing was a success! I ended up leaving the buttermilk at about 72 degrees F for 18 hours. It thickened nicely and definitely developed the tang I was looking for. It may have a bit of a cheesier (Not sure how to describe it) flavor than commercial buttermilk, but the first test says it works beautifully for biscuits. Now I am just wondering about perpetuating the culture instead of starting from a fresh packet of culture each time.

A new experiment! (For me.) I have a creamery near me that produces uncultured buttermilk. They always seem to be sold out of it, but I finally was able to pick some up. It tastes like weak cream. And then I remembered that I have some mesophilic culture in the freezer left from some cheesemaking experiments. The culture has been added to the half-gallon (less a taste) of uncultured buttermilk. The jug has been placed on top of the freezer. I am about to cap the jug with a brewing airlock. Anything else I should be thinking about?

Season Two has just been released. My daughter was enthralled watching Grant Achatz's platings in episode 1. It was a beautiful piece of cinematography.

Chocolate pudding, because Wife and daughter made it earlier. +Golden Grahams, because texture. +Mini Marshmallows, because smores. Could be worse!

William Logan addresses the question. Here is an interview with NPR on his book "Oak: The Frame of Civilization." The book is a good read in itself. In the interview he says that contemporary use is restricted to Korea (acorn jelly) and some Native American tribes. The book talks about other historical uses. It has been several years since I read it, so I cannot recall the details.

Very interesting, Heidi. I do not have any nasturtiums now, but you are inspiring me to plant some!

There was an Aldi's in town when my wife and I had just gotten married, were both still in school, and definitely had a limited income, though we were still above the poverty line, so I will not push that point too much. Anyhow, we weighed our pennies and still found we were better off paying for better quality at Kroger or Meijer. Produce that melted into goo the next day and other food that was just shy of inedible the day you bought it? Money wasted at any price. This was fifteen years ago. It has really made me pause to hear the waves Aldi has been making in the past couple of years. I assumed they must have changed, and went into one a couple of years ago to look again. It did not take me long to turn around and head back out.