It is Dairy Month. Even though we no longer milk cows every day, Dan and I both love milk. I grew up drinking a lot of milk, and soda pop was seldom seen at our house except for maybe a birthday party. Our parents had some good friends who kept pop in their basement fridge, and when we visited there as a family my siblings and I were pretty excited to get to indulge. Dan and I pretty much followed that same rule raising our own family. It just seemed healthier I guess, and of course we had plenty of milk available out in the bulk tank!
We drank our milk straight from the tank for many years, and I really liked to keep it in glass jars. It just seemed to have a better taste that way. A few years ago I was given some half gallon glass jugs for just that purpose. They had been purchased at a local recycling center, and the word TASTY was written down the side of the jar. I never really paid much attention to the slogan until just this week. As I was reading through one of our dairy papers that we still enjoy getting, there in the middle of the page was a picture of the very same glass jug! It was filled with white milk, and looked just like my jar that we use every day.
My curiosity was peaked, so I read the article describing a dairy from Forest Lake, MN. Autumnwood Farms is where my jug had come from, and they are still very much in business. They began bottling their milk in 2008 after starting a creamery on their farm to sell their milk directly to customers and retail stores. The idea began out of desperation when the milk prices took a big hit, and the whole process took them about 2 1/2 years to get it up and running. It is a small family business, and their motto is “ From grass to glass”. They have expanded to selling ice cream in the summer, and last Christmas even sold four thousand gallons of eggnog. Because of my love for milk, and my crazy connection with my glass jugs, it is on my “bucket list” to go for a visit some day.
In honor of Dairy Month, along with remembering my mom’s birthday on Flag Day, I want to share a recipe that she loved. We ate it often growing up, and our children learned to love it too as I continued to make it. Our oldest daughter, Ranell, got kidded once about liking it. It seems that it was NOT a favorite of many men who served in the army! Obviously it is not a new recipe to many, but I would encourage you to try it for a delicious and easy meal that is filling.
Dried Beef Gravy
Heat 1/3 cup vegetable oil in frying pan.
Add a small onion, chopped, about 1/4 cup. Stir until lightly browned.
Stir in 1/3 cup flour until thickened.
Add 4 cups milk and stir until smooth.
Add 2 pkgs dried beef, torn into pieces. ( About 4 ozs. of meat)
A little pepper can be added to taste, but usually doesn’t need much salt.
Cook until well heated, and serve over biscuits, toast, or mashed potatoes.
Because we have finally reached these warm days of summer, and fresh fruit is becoming more available, I want to share one more dairy recipe. This one is not only nutritious, but refreshing.
Berry Smoothie
2 cups of any kind of berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc)
1 banana ( or 1 cup of another kind of fruit, like a fresh peach, cherries, pear, etc)
6 ounces plain OR vanilla flavored yogurt
1 cup any kind of fruit juice (orange, pineapple and apple are good)
1 Tbsp. honey
12 ice cubes
Blend this all together in a food processor or blender until smooth.
Any berries, fruit and juice can be used according to your taste.
lbeerman68@gmail.com
