Tom and I were out in public dressed as cows last Saturday. You may have seen us manning (cowing - what's the correct
adverb?) the Good For Moo Milk Bar by Good For You Market at the Rehoboth Beach Chocolate Festival organized by Rehoboth Beach Main Street ( http://www.downtownrehoboth.com/ ).
The Good For Moo Milk Bar by Good For You Market is a great crowd-pleaser and attraction, with milk types for all diets. If you'd like us to bring it to your special event, then please call or e-mail me: (302) 684-8330 mailto: goodforu@comcast.net .
In the G4U style, the Good For Moo Milk Bar is organic, natural, environmentally responsible, quirky, and a boat load of fun! We hustled like crazy. We're never shy of selling our great products because, well, we know they're great products! We use our products ourselves, and, above all, they're (all together now), "Good For You (Moo)." We're bursting with enthusiasm for what we do, and all the products we work hard to source and can never wait to tell everyone about them. Life is so varied, and so much fun, don't be shy folks, step on foward and join in!
We got so many great questions about the different kinds of milk we were selling that, long before the cows came home, and our cow suits were packed away for the next event, a blog entry was already forming. If you couldn't make it to the Chocolate Festival, have forgotten what type of milk you tasted, or are wondering where you can get more, here's our Good For Moo Milk Primer! Milk 1o1 with no test to study for.
We had 15 different kinds of milk with us at the Milk Bar, many of which Good For You is the only store in this area carrying. Be careful with the non-dairy milks if you're considering them for infant formula since many are typically unsuitable for infant formula. Always check with a qualified medical practitioner and nutritionist first. All of these milks can be bought in our store and on our website (http://www.good4uorganic.com). Of course we carry more than 15 kinds in store, but a cow can only carry so much ("They lack opposable thumbs, Greg"). Drum roll Tom, please:
1. Cow Milk (2%, whole, whole chocolate). The best organic, 100% grass fed milk we've ever tasted. It's by Natural By Nature, a small dairy based in Newark, DE: http://www.natural-by-nature.com/ The milk is sourced from family organic dairy farms in Lancaster County, PA: the Lancaster Organic Farmers Cooperative. It's the 100% grass-fed herd that makes the difference in the flavor. Cows are not meant to eat grain. Grass contains higher levels of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (an Omega-3), beta-carotene, Vitamins A and E. Hence the milk from grass fed cows contains higher levels of these nutrients too and the milk is sweeter, and richer. The cows are less stressed, are not pumped with drugs, and so happy, naturally healthy, cows do make better milk! Natural By Nature Milk is also a low-temperature pasteurization so it's as close to raw as state laws allow. Store milk should not have several weeks shelf life - it is the high-heat pasteurization that allows this and affects the flavor and nutrition accordingly. We have a good relationship directly with the Natural By Nature dairy, supporting small, local farms and allowing highly competitive pricing.
2. Goat Milk. The brand we brought Saturday was a private label brand - "Albert's Choice" through Alberts Organics. Sourced from goat herds in New Jersey. We also carry an excellent brand by Meyenberg. Why Goat Milk? It is easier to digest than cow milk and this is a good option for those who have difficulty digesting cow milk. Nutritionally, goat milk contains 13% more calcium, 25% more vitamin B-6, 47% more vitamin A, 134% more potassium, and three times more niacin. It is also four times higher in copper. Goat's milk also contains 27% more of the antioxidant selenium than cow's milk. However, cow milk contains five times as much vitamin B-12 as goat's milk and ten times as much folic acid meaning it must be supplemented with folic acid if using for infants and toddlers. Taste-wise, goat milk is an acquired taste, a raw, earthy sweetness, which in my opinion is better suited to baking and cooking, but is very popular with our customers for drinking. If you like goat cheese, you'll like goat milk.
3. Almond Milk (Chocolate and Vanilla). Yes, made of almonds, not dairy. A great option for those lactose-intolerant. The brand is Blue Diamond (http://www.bluediamond.com/index.cfm?navid=53). We carry the shelf-stable and the new, fresh (refrigerated) versions. The fresh version is a better deal, a much better flavor, and you can re-seal the carton. The brand is also gluten-free. Almond milk is naturally sweet, and has a good thickness making it a perfect drinking milk. It does not separate when heated making it a good choice for baking and cooking also. The fresh Chocolate Almond milk is our best seller and in our opinion is a better flavor than the dairy or soy chocolate milks. I use the Vanilla Almond milk regularly for baking and in my bread machine. Substitute a cup or two of the water for the milk and you'll get a great, sweet, dense teatime/brunch toasting bread.
4. Coconut Milk (Original and Vanilla). Yes, made from non-GMO (non-genetically modified) coconuts, not dairy. Organic is not so relevant for coconuts. They are rarely sprayed and have a very thick outer skin and shell. The brand we have is "So Delicious" ( http://www.sodeliciousdairyfree.com/ ) It is the first fresh (refrigerated) coconut milk we have found and it is, "So Delicious!" This is the thick, white, coconut milk, not to be confused with the thin, clear, coconut water. It has the same saturated fat content as whole cow milk. However, the fat is a medium chain fatty acid, a so called, "good fat" and easier to digest for many people. The texture is very similar to a full fat, whole cow milk and heats well, making it a good drinking and cooking/baking milk. It is not overly coconut in flavor. The original is mildy sweet and the vanilla a rich, ice-cream kind of flavor. It's also gluten free and vegan. This is flying off of milk shelves at the store, and not because I dropped it, either!
5. Hemp Milk (Chocolate and Vanilla). Oh boy, this one always raises a few eyebrows! Hemp milk is a non-dairy milk, made from the edible seeds of the cannabis sativa L plant. Before the Feds swoop, let me assure you, it's not that kind of cannabis plant! It's a relative in the same family. Anyone have a wierd relative, they'd prefer not to have at the Thanksgiving table? Hemp and marijuana are both varieties of cannabis sativa L, hemp is grown for food and fiber, and contains only trace amounts of THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the psycho-active component of marijuana. It is not marijuana! You will not get high, you do not need a drug test! Hemp seeds have a delicious, rich, nutty sunflower flavor. Hemp seeds are a complete protein, containing all 10 essential amino acids, rich in Omega-3 and Omega-6 essential fatty acids, and are one of the few, plant-based sources of gamma-linolenic acid (GMA). Hemp milk is great on cereals, for beverages, smoothies, salad dressings and marinades, cooking or baking. It is a little thinner than cow milk. I favor the chocolate over the vanilla, but both are good. It's also gluten free and vegan. The brand we brought Saturday is Living Harvest (http://www.worldpantry.com/). Manitoba Harvest (http://www.manitobaharvest.com/) is another excellent brand.
6. Oat Milk. A brand new product! This was a firm favorite at the Chocolate Festival. The brand is "Oat Dream" (http://www.tastethedream.com/). Oat Dream Non-Dairy Beverage provides a unique flavor offering a thick and creamy consistency. Oat Dream is a great way to start your day and a good source of fiber. It's a great choice for those who cannot tolerate dairy. We have Original and Maple Brown Sugar varieties. It's a matter of personal taste, but I think the Original is still the best. It's a little thinner than dairy milks, but a good enough flavor and texture to drink by the glass.
7. Rice Milk. The brand we carry is by Rice Dream ( http://www.tastethedream.com/ ). Again, this brand is available in shelf-stable and fresh (refrigerated) form same as the Almond Milk. The fresh version is a better deal, a much better flavor, and you can re-seal the carton. We had the Original with us. Rice Milk is typically a harder sell. You either like the consistency, or not. It's much thinner than cow milk, closer to a fat-free milk consistency. It is a good drinking milk because of the good flavor, however. Another great option for those intolerant of dairy, gluten free and vegan. I like it. I love the slightly nutty, sweet flavor. It definitely tastes like rice. Do not expect a cow milk type milk and you will like it too.
8. Soy Milk. Another controversial milk since a lot of people are becoming concerned over the pervasivenes of soy in our diets. There is also conflicting information out there on the role of plant-based estrogens (phyto-estrogens) in our diet, versus animal or human-based estrogens. Again, you either love or hate soy milk. Vilified as, 'beany', and true for some varieties. I personally like the Organic Valley Soy milks and these were the varieties we brought to our milk bar ( http://www.organicvalley.coop/ ). Obviously Organic Valley is a certified organic brand, which means no chemicals and prudent land-management practices. The biggie however, is no GMO soy beans (genetically modified organisms). No "Frankenfoods" here. A good, heavy, creamy milk. We have Original, Original Unsweetened, Chocolate, and the Silk Brand Lite-Chocolate. Silk is not organic, but the soybeans are responsibly sourced from non-GMO crops ( http://www.silksoymilk.com/ ).
Until next time, what's your milk moustache made of? Whoop-di-doo, Andy.
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