Butter

I just bought some at Giant Foods for 2 / 4.00,( their brand ).
I may go back for more before their add changes.

I have a "butter boat" and keep some in it, so it's always spreadable.

I think butter makes a grilled cheese sandwich taste so much better.

I can't eat scrambled eggs unless I can taste the butter through them.

ginlyn, what you said about grilled cheese sandwiches and butter should be proof (to anyone with tastebuds) of the superiority of butter!!

Same for butter & eggs, Daisy!

imway2dumb....I am on my soapbox again but many years ago [ before we were all born] and the Dental Assocl. [dentists] knew the hazzard of mercury it was BANNED from dental use until it was discovered that to replace it was too expensive [ it is very cheap] so guess what profit took over [ again] and it was re-introduced as ''safe'' ???? read about it under ''silver amalgam'' the health hazards of it....
We purchase this European style butter which is unsalted but delicious, and what I love about it also that even after you take it out of the fridge it is still soft enough to spread...I am with you Daisy, bring on the butter and the scrambled eggs [ and the natural sea salt] HOPE no one on this thread gets mad with me [smile] thanks Dais. m

ps I don't dig lectures !!!!!![ unless I deserve them ???]

Do you like Maldon's Sea Salt? Its my favorite.

I am one weird American with a salt cellar on my stove.

Haven't tried Maldens yet, will do tho, we use "Real Salt" a natural mineral rock salt, but I enjoy experimentig with different salts and there are a lot [ As Martha would tell us]
I just do not believe that salt is bad for people, sodium yes, but if our diets are good then salt is needed [ my mom had very high blood pressure so I realise that there are people who cannot use..she couldn't] I could not imagine eating anything without salt...[ but I cannot have sugar, so I am deprived I guess ] well, at least I dont gain weight..m

:)

Hi imway2dumb, is this :) an agreement or a
not so sure we know what we are talking about :) or are you jealous that I am not putting on any weight and I [we] meaning myself and Dais can eat all the salt we want....smile..
have a good evening.. nighty night Gracie

Merely, enjoying the conversation. G'night Gracie.

Here's another one who has to have butter in the pan for my eggs! I don't care if it is in the best non-stick pan ever, a slice of butter is still dropped in the pan. Scrambled eggs made with fresh hen eggs, a drop of milk and buttered are the absolute best. And I can't have grilled cheese without butter on both sides. I usually melt some butter in the pan, rub one side of the bread in the pan, melt some more and drop the other side in the pan with slices of Cabot sharp cheddar cheese and other slice on top. Yum!

Back to the original subject... I went shopping last night and both the Walmart Brand and the Cabot Salted butter were 2.89 & Walmart unsalted was 2.66 - all much better priced than it was.

I guess I am just a crazy American Brit Dais, actually I have it figured out now...I am [percentage-wise] 40 per cent a Brit...and 60 per cent American...but I am not 100 years old just giving percentages.....
Glad you are enjoying the chit-chat Imway2dumb, I think I have found a fellow traveller in Daisy from Long Beach.....oh of course we are both living in crazy Calif...explains everything !!!!!!!!
-------- I am with you Sweezel we do not have hens anymore but purchase fresh eggs [organic mind you] with all the butter we can handle...do you know how good butter is for you...my doc asks me frequently if I am still eating butter and eggs [ he is a natural practicing physician] Eggs are the perfect food they always have been !!!! This may sound gross but it is not...get a tub of Brown Cow natural Yogurt...mix with eggs for an omelette or scrambled eggs..also makes the best pancakes........try them !!!!!
G'night George have a good one....

That does not sound gross at all. Sounds great in pancakes! I just worry that the amount of butter I use might be overkill with my husbands cholesterol shooting through the roof. Though it is probably more likely the additional fried foods that I have been making to satisfy my step-kids. Ick!

We don't have hens here either, but am happy when I can get my hands on them. I can occasionally pick up eggs from the feed store that's about 15 minutes away on when they occasionally get some from locals. Also, my step-kids bring them back from mom's house because she lives in out in the country, just a hop and a jump from imway2dumb.

As far as cholesterol is concerned, "all things in moderation" is the key. If we get in the habit of pigging out on those kind of foods we are just asking for trouble.

sweezel...Imway2dumb tells me he is dumber than me...do you think this is true...apparantly you have met him ???

I feel so sorry for people who cannot afford butter, margarine is so bad for them, honestly I read somewhere that lard [yuks] is better for you than margarine...but do you remember the wonderful pies we all [well most of us made] with lard, before we found out it was better for us to use margarine instead..then I started using butter and sour cream for my pastry..that is yummy !!!!

I agree with you about pigging out..we cannot do that... but butter and eggs does not cause high cholesterol....fried food does, french fries, fried hamburgers. high fatty meat, etc., cooked in bad oil...do you know the very best oil to use and to cook with [ and have a tablespoon of it] is coconut oil...but has to be the real stuff..even better for you than olive oil as olive oil changes [chemically] at a high heat level...and coconut oil doesn't....mercola.com [Dr. Mercola] don't take my word for it... cheers m

Yep- I lived in N. Wales. : )

Nope, have not met him, just did a search on where Gordonville is when he was talking about being close to Lake Texoma a while back. Looking at the map, it is practically next to the town my husbands ex-wife lives in (Callisburg, iw2d).

And, I did not know that about Coconut oil so I will check into it. I'm just gonna have to cut back on the fried foods again. Those kiddos are so used to fried okra, fried chicken, Chicken fried steak, fried Catfish, fried zucchini, etc that I tried to accommodate them and I need to go back to having a fried food about once a month instead. At their mom's house, almost all food is either fried or smoked. I do miss not-fried fish or chicken, though sometimes I would saute it in a little butter and olive oil. Yum! I use to enjoy cooking back then!

me too, altho I still cook quite a bit when our boys come to visit...but otherwise only my hubby and myself...Good idea to try and get those children off all that fried food, they will really have problems when they become adults, altho I do have a problem with our grandaughter because her mom is a junk food eater but her dad [ our son] does know better [ was reared on good food] so he does try to encourage her to try 'good' food....
[sometimes works, even if they will just eat a nice salad]...The coconut oil must be from the coconuts..not the husks [ for the health benefits..only from the meat]...another hot, humid day for us here, but not complaining compared to what other folks are going thru we should be down on our knees giving thanks !! ps..wanted to mention...when we lived in Florida, I think I must have gained several pounds eating hush puppies..[ l would eat a bucket full tomorrow if I could]..loved those things..can yu believe I do not have enough fat in my diet so my doc has me on ..eggs [yes fat in those] butter, extra virgin olive oil, grape seed oil,flax seed oil and a small amount of coconut oil,[ also fish oil yuks] my cholesterol is so low he wants to normalize it [ am trying to recover..have some health problems] so the good oils are very beneficial, it is the bad oils that do the damage [ and those are the kind most people have] m

The thing about the various oils is how they are processed, e.g., hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated, etc. I am not knowledgeable enough to say anymore than that. Much has been written about the subject though. For both health qualities and cooking qualities of all the oils. For most cooking I decided on canola oil. For flavor butter and olive oil.

agree with you there, but have you tried cooking with coconut oil..gives a wonderful flavor...I use the olive oil/butter as I do not like the taste of olive oil on its own..
I still think grape seed oil is a good substitute for the other oils [ but we all have a preference I just cannot use them] my hubby now has gotten used to the grape seed oil..if people would just pay more attention they would be in better health..

Not unprocessed coconut oil. I didn't know it was available in a "natural" form.

if you link up with mercola.com [Dr.Mercola] what he suggests on his website, is very healthy [ mostly organic] foods, vitamins, oils etc., he researches all of them and has some great info. just look for coconut oil [I purchase ours from them] and will give yu a better description of its health benefits.m

Well, I agree with most of the recent posts here about oils, butter, etc.

Personally I won't use Canola, but I do use cold-pressed EEVO, butter, grapeseed oil, and a tad of cold-pressed safflower oil, and I have actually gone back to baking with a bit of lard (animal, not vegetable) based on some research. Makes very flaky pie crusts. Margerine is a big no-no.

When I did cardio-vascular research at Johns Hopkins years ago, we discovered that real butter contains something that prohibits plaque build-up on artery walls... same but better for onions and garlic.

I read the Dr. Mercola newsletters and I'm waiting for more results on coconut oil, from the fruit, NOT the husks.

Whats the skinny on canola, darius?

No nutrition, plus trans-fats, John. I also won't use any soy products unless they are fermented.
One problem with canola oil is that it has to be partially hydrogenated or refined before it is used commercially and consequently is a source of trans fatty acids; sometimes are very high levels.

Here are some Pro's and Con's, although there are many more if you do a Google search:

http://www.karinya.com/canola.htm
http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/canola.htm
http://www.mercola.com/2000/jan/16/dangers_canola_oil.htm
http://www.snopes.com/toxins/canola.htm

Understand, this is just MY opinion based on reading lots on both sides for years. Besides, I don't like the taste.

Well, thats what I get for limiting my reading to the min. Quick & dirty doesn't work! Thanks for the links.

John, you are in a majority when it comes to really limiting reading and understanding what we are eating. I post occasional heavy-duty threads on the Health forum, and a few people actually read them, LOL.

Our food supply is now so corrupt that it's a wonder any of us are still living, and I suspect that more diseases will start to show up soon...

They are now saying not to eat canned tuna more than once a month (mercury poisoning), stay away from farm-raised salmon and catfish (mercury again), grain-fed beef (contamininates in the feed)... chickens are now grown to table size in 7-8 weeks rather than 12-13 weeks (hormones, saving 5 weeks of feed for the growers)...

I'm about convinced that if I don't grow it myself, it is suspect.

I find it extremely dificult to sort through all the potential hazards. Trusting the government and corporations doesn't make sense. Alternative views are subject to hysteria. Taking a "the answer lies somwhere in-between" view isn't good enough! Neither is shrugging my shoulders and doing the best I can.

I trust the contents of your picnic basket, though!

I am not much of a food watcher, Darius. I use what my mother and my Mother in Law used: Real unsaltd butter for toast and baking , Olive Oil with a bit of butter for stir fries Lard for Pie crust. When I shop for these things I have no idea about their price, I do not have time to go looking somewhere else for lower prices.
Maria

Maria, you use the same things as I use... and like you, I don't shop for price either. Quality, yes, though.

imway2dumb said

Good enough for me too, Darius, I have never spared on food or fed my family with artificial stuff, such as margarine or sugar. My children still think it is so funny I never had potato chips or the likes in the house nor ketchup( I told them I make good testing food and you are not about to spoil it with that stuff, LOL)
I hardly ever bought bread, made it myself, was that ever good! I still bake a lot, I know what's in it.
Better get off my wagon, I could do all these things because I was a stay at home mother.. and saved a lot of money.
Maria

Absolutely agree with you Maria, can I be honest and tell everyone that when we first came to the United States all those years ago [40] and I picked up a jar of jam and there were enough chemicals and preservatives in that jar tolast a thousand years...I always grew my own fruit, grew my own veggies, made all my own jams, jellies, baked and cooked and always organic [ the way my mom taught me] and never even allowed a bottle or can of cola to be brought into our home.. my kids never had it growing up [ they bought it themselves] WELL as you know Maria for someone with my fastidious ways, hard to believe that I have been poisoned with mercury..and aluminum..and nickle, and a host of other metals, plus arsenic [ no my hubby did not try to poison me] this all came from dental poisoning...that is what has practically ruined my health...and everything that has been mentioned about the mercury in tuna in fish [ fish farms are poison].. the only fish that is tested is from the Bering Sea which is what I purchase [ costs a fortune have to have it airmailed..frozen overnight delivery]..I knew years ago to stopusing aluminum for baking..to use baking powder without aluminum..many poducts we use still have aluminum in them...including ant=acids [ forget the calcium..the aluminum will poison you first] ..along with the fish are all the crustations..lobster, shrimp, crab etc., [ Darius pointed this out] as I did ''cockroaches of the deep'' ''SOMEONE'' got very upset with me...gave me a good scolding..I guess I spoiled her day..but hey...it is their lives, their health..I just know how devastating it can be to have your body poisoned with all this stuff, especially the children [makes me mad] BUT if they do not want to listen..very little I can do about that...I just try as Darius mentioned to get the message out [ and I do enjoy all of your postings Darius]...I used to be a very healthy person, cannot believe [ none of my family can believe] that this could have happened...when you get so sick and all you can eat is bits of celery for one year..and your doctor asks you if you are bulimic..and to stop wasting his time...well,what can you expect from the public at large ???? [ I had lost 70 lbs that year..this is why I am struggling trying to get my health back, with the help of holistic doctors and dentists....and living on completely organic food, chickens from an organic farm back east [ Calif. organic will only sell to restaurants etc.,] meat..from organic farms in Texas etc., salmon etc., from Alaska....[ mercury free which they tell me all fish are tested ??] so it is not that I do not know what I am talking about exactly....

Peterson, You may or may not know that my husband and I are farmers/market growers in Kentucky. We are not certified organic, but only because we choose not to go with the USDA standards. What they actually accomplished by taking over the organic program was more paperwork for us farmers, we choose to farm, not do paperwork in our dreams (wait, I already do that) :) We farm by the same sustainable methods we have always used, even when we were certified organic.

In any event, about 6 years ago, a woman came to shop at our stand....a beautiful woman, she appeared to be extremely bright, well dressed, but every now and then she would come out with statements that didn't make sense or her words were garbled. She went on to tell us how she would only buy from us at the farmers market because we were organic. She said you can't imagine what the pesticides and other things have done to her. She further went on to say that it wasn't those things that caused her to be the way she was, but she merely could not handle anything with pesticides since she found out she had mercury poisoning. Well, I hadn't known anybody that really had mercury poisoning, so we listened and it amazed me when she told me, she was almost dead when she begged her dentist to remove all of her fillings. They had done so many other tests on her and she came to the conclusion that she had to take hold of her own situation. She has come a long way from then and is doing much better, but will never be the same and it was because of her fillings. The only reason she got any better was because she had them removed. She nows lives in NY State and calls us from time to time to let us know that she is doing much better, but wishes she could get our produce shipped to her. We found some organic farmers in her area for her and have not heard from her in a while, so hoping she was able to find them and utilize them.

I say this, not because we are "naturally grown" farmers, but because we all make choices and I don't always make the right choices either. And Darius, you are right, it is not a matter of price, but choice. I don't think our veggies and fruits are expensive, but we get questioned on a daily basis. I would so much like to say "If you don't pay for the healthier items now, you could pay for them later on." Some people just don't care and others just don't realize.

Thanks for this post and I hope that all goes well with you P. It cannot be a happy ride. Darius, always appreciate your postings.

One more thing P, we do raise and sell whole free-range chickens. Now we can't call them organic (because we are not certified), but they are hormone and antibiotic free and tasty, tasty, tasty. If we can ever be of service to you, let us know. You can read a little diddy about us at www.kyagr.com/mistymeadowsfarm.htm or www.localharvest.org and going to Misty Meadows Farm.

Just for curiosity's sake, how do they ship your chickens to you and what are the shipping costs? We've had others interested in us shipping them chicken, but really have not pursued the idea. Thanks for any info you can give me and you can email me direct, if you'd like.

Happy Day, Kathy

This message was edited Sep 12, 2004 10:45 AM

THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR MESSAGE KATHY...will mail you both direct and will leave a posting here so folks can know what we are talking about...it is REALLY expensive the postage..will explain about packaging etc,
I am most willing to pay ...I have to I cannot take any more chances with my health..I do applaud you so very very much for what you are doing...not easy I know..and a lot of extra hard work that you have to put in..I always ate [good] food, so for me not a huge swing..only now, I have got to be extra careful...will mail you later..regards, marion

I didn't read all the posts, but I get the drift! Another reason to live in MN! Highest the butter has been here is, (4lb package at Sam's), $10.00. Our milk went to $3.00 for a gallon of 1% earlier, it's around $2.38 now.
How about gas? I paid $1.67.9 last night here.
Bernie

Dairy product prices seem to be all over the place here and elsewhere as well. Gas at the cheapest place here is $1.779/gal. Avg. is $1.819

Many years ago we used to have every farm animal there is. cattle, cows, pigs, sheep and goats plus a vegetable garden. Everthing was raised for food we ate. We had apple trees and ornamental crabapple trees from which I made Jelly, my neigbor had Concord grapes and I made the same with them.
We are not farmers but my DH loved everything about farm life, it was his hobby. He became ill and we had to give up everything.
Our chickens never ate pellets, our animals ate grain in the winter they all were free ranging all the other seasons. I even churned my own butter after seperating it from the milk.
Rehoboth was truly a farming community but now hardly a farmers is left, but is a bedroom town for people working in Providence, RI or Boston, MA
I could not buy a fresh egg if my life depended on it not to mention a chicken.

Such is life today.
Maria