Beef Delivery: Gobs of Gamey Butter, Grilled Venison and Unexpected Dinner Guests

It all starts here.

For several months now, on a bimonthly basis, I have been receiving deliveries of "real milk", eggs, cheese and other "fresh from the farm" goods, including ground beef. Every so often, there is a glitch in the delivery and I am either missing something or have received something that doesn't belong to me. This time my ground beef and cup cheese had gone missing.

The cup cheese had been replaced by butter and the ground beef had been left behind and since I don't have a car, I figured that I wouldn't be seeing it any time soon. Enter D., the organizer of farm affairs. Being a faithful reader of my blog, she seems to have taken a fancy to Izzy and me.

Late this afternoon, she called to say that she would be making a special trip out to Jersey City to hand deliver the beef. I explained that it was not urgent but she insisted. When it occurred to me that she and her husband would be arriving at the dinner hour, I invited them to join us.

Though I have never met D. before, our dinner was meant to be. Yesterday I had defrosted and marinated a large package of venison steaks (a gift from my brother's property) with about five servings, not knowing who would eat them.



They called only about an hour before dinner so I had to rustle up some side dishes to accompany the grilled venison. I prepared a quinoa pilaf and a chickpea, grape tomato and lettuce salad.

When they arrived we immediately settled in the yard where D. surveyed our garden. She brought along gifts of lemon balm and pineapple mint which will fit in perfectly with the add assortment of things I have growing. She also brought some chopped lovage which I have no idea how to use and dried mushrooms which are always great to have around the house.

As we chatted and awaited the venison, I was sure to put out plenty of bread and butter. Since it was rather late for Izzy, he began his meal with the bread and butter. I watched in amazement when D. showed me the gobs of butter that other disciples of the Weston A. Price Foundation slather on their bread. I can only take the raw butter in small amounts as its gamey taste can be a bit overwhelming. Can this really be healthy? I'd like to believe that it is.

Meanwhile, A. was in charge of the meat. So while I chatted, he cooked. The grilled venison, which had been marinated in red wine, rosemary, olive oil and shallots, was tender and flavorful though a bit overcooked (our propane tank emptied during grilling time and the steaks had to be finished on the stove).

Throughout the meal, A. listened skeptically, as D. and her husband touted the virtues of saturated fats, including coconut oil and heavy cream. Not one to believe in extreme dieting of any kind I am sure he found some of their ideas outlandish.

Me, I want to believe. I do like butter and if it were to taste like this butter, I might be more inclined to slather gobs of it upon my bread. Until then, I will use it in moderation, with a bit of sea salt.

Not Local Enough?: Allergies Arrive With A Vengeance

So much for my milk and honey cure. All of a sudden my allergies have emerged and I am a sneezing, itching, puffy-eyed monster.

Maybe I needed to spend the $15 on the the New York City rooftop honey, instead of purchasing the less expensive raw, Amish country variety. Maybe even Andrew's honey, which I purchased at Union Square, might be a better and more local choice. I just broke open a jar of it but it may already be too late. (Andrew's is new to the Greenmarket and you can find them there on Wednesday's)

As for the milk, my results are inconclusive as well. Although it is a part of my diet, I don't drink it every day and sometimes nearly a week may go by without even a glass.

Sorry but I have been an unreliable subject in the study of using honey and raw milk to alleviate seasonal allergies. I can only hope that a more comprehensive study occurs between now and next allergy season. I hope to be a better subject next year.

Now I am stuck using Breathe Easy Tea (which definitely provides some relief) and my Neti-Pot. Any other alternative remedies out there?

Milk and Honey: The Best Medicine?

In case you hadn't noticed, or are one of the lucky ones, allergy season is upon us. The cherry blossoms brighten our park and the crab apple trees are flowering too, spreading their sweet aroma my way. Lovely as this sounds, all of this flowering and blooming means pollens are floating through the air. Which for seasonal allergy sufferers usually means sneezing, itchy eyes, scratchy throat and much unpleasantness .

I have suffered from horrible seasonal allergies since I was a child. I remember being excused from gym (what purpose that served, I am not quite sure though I didn't mind since I loathed gym) and sitting outside with another friend who had the same excuse. I wasn't given much medication for my allergies as a child and when I eventually began to experiment with the available medicines, I disliked the side effects.


Instead I took to drinking herbal concoctions which would help diminish my symptoms, all the while trying not to tear my eyeballs out they itched so much and counting the days until June, when my symptoms typically subside.


This year I decided to explore some alternative remedies. Apparently there is much anecdotal evidence to support the theory that a daily dose of raw, local honey and bee pollen, will help diminish allergy symptoms.

I have been unable to locate any concrete research to back these claims and even the Honey Board published an inconclusive study on the subject, yet I imagine that it can't hurt to try. It is certainly no chore to add some honey to my tea every day. Bee pollen is definitely less palatable, for it has an indescribably odd flavor, to be expected from bee vomit I suppose, which is what my husband calls it.

I have also been drinking "real milk" which is also supposed to eliminate allergy symptoms. I have found anecdotal evidence as well as a recent study which supports this remedy. Unfortunately I am not sure I have been drinking enough milk to actually test the theory but I have been drinking "real" cow and goat milk and eating the yogurt too.

So far, I am experiencing mild symptoms, intermittent sneezing and scratchy throat. Will keep you posted as the season progresses.

My Adventures In Raw Milk Continue: Cup Cheese

Each time I place my dairy order, the delivery always comes as a delightful surprise as I never remember exactly what I had ordered. This week I placed my largest order ever. I received a delivery which included some new items like goat butter, goat yogurt and most notably, cup cheese. I was inspired to order this when I heard that it was made with cheese curds like those used in cottage cheese. The curds are dried and then baking soda, cream, butter and milk are added. The whole mixture is stirring until it is exceptionally smooth. It is a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch food and I learned more about it here.

To me it is most reminiscent of melted Laughing Cow cheese. Izzy seemed reluctant to try it but has managed to spoon up a few mouthfuls. His immediate reaction was, "This doesn't taste like much." True it is extremely mild in flavor but that hasn't kept me from indiscriminately spreading it on bread and crackers. But now I understand why D. who recommended I purchase this cheese, suggested that Izzy might like his with hot and spicy oil...

Meanwhile I have been musing over using it to make an exceptionally creamy macaroni and cheese...Stay tuned.