Alternative Community Farmer/WPB.FL

In tribute to my father and grandfather I want to share with you some home made yogurt and cheese recipes .The reason is there are less CHEESE  (MONEY) to earn and spend .So home made will even  be the best to eat with all the family and take a memorial picture with a "say cheese to the camera" smile.

As a fourth generation farmer I have stored so many kitchen memories and recipes that I feel I need to share with you in celebration of this coming Father Day June 20th.

My father used to keep some goats and cows and sheep .He loved to make his own yogurt and cheese and off course salads. My mother was the daughter of a butcher so she loved to cook and eat meat dishes. I followed my father and became a vegetarian since 9 years old. My favorite was the home made yogurt from raw fresh goat and cow milk. Here is the recipe:

Goat (or Cow) Yogurt (KEFIR/Laban) Home Made Recipe:

1-Warm raw or pasteurized ORGANIC whole milk to 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you wish to make it thick add a tablespoon of Honey or Carob Molasses before incubation.

2-Incubation.Add a half cup of cold  cultured goat(cow) organic yogurt to the organic milk with heat  temperature  around 100 -0F to incubate and ferment the culture (test with your clean finger to make sure it is close to body temperature ,if you do not have a thermometer).Slowly disperse and mix together. If you want to make it more sour add more culture and keep longer to sit before serving.

I prefer  ,personally, sour yogurt because this is how it was originally prepared  ,to boost the immune system with the sour pro-biotic lacto bacillus bacteria.(Pro biotic means PRO-LIFE  as opposed to Anti Biotic which means ANTI-LIFE(kills all good and bad live  bacteria in the colon particularly initiating CANDIDA to flourish)!

3-Keep in warm 100 degrees Fahrenheit dark place and cover with towel if you live in a cold region, or expose to the sun to make a solarized yogurt if you live in a warm southern region like our south Florida, for 5-8 hours.

Pour into stone or brick containers and refrigerate. Cover with a clean cloth.To make Kefir or Labneh, simply pour ober a cheese or clean cloth and upside down to separate the whey from yogurt and strain to become thicker .This is called Labneh or Kefir in the middle east,  while here it  is known as sour cream.It should taste sour though not sweat!

Enjoy serving cold with cucumber and mint leaves and a pinch of sea salt .It is best for the summer season to refrigerate your body in case your electric bill can not afford Air Condition!

The benefits of Home Made ORGANIC yogurt (containing live beneficial bacteria), according to recent study and research:

1-Helps your body to lose weight.

2-Boosts your immune system.

3-Helps your body fight diabetes.

4-A good source of protein for vegetarians.

5-Reduces the risk of Osteoporosis.

6-Discourages Candida growth.

7-Great for colon health and fights colon cancer and colon inflammation.

8-Anti aging food.

9-Calms the nervous system with its loaded B vitamins.

Helps in alleviating constipation.

10-Reduces the risk of high blood pressure.

Ancient long living people s that ate yogurt:

1-The Hunzas-

 2-The Bulgarians and the Armenians who ate KASKAVAN CHEESE and YERIVAN(EYERAN )yogurt. 

3-The long living Caucasian Russians who ate KEFIR.

 4-The Greeks, Turks and Phoenicians who coined the words:  LABAN and off course GREEK YOGURT! The Mediterranean diet is known because of a study that researched the reason why the GREEKS of CRETE in the Mediterranean, were the most CENTURIANS on earth during the 1950s.Therefore the MEDITERRANEAN DIET is named after that study.

Stay tuned. Coming next is the  home made cheese recipe!

Enjoy-Yasso!

The Japanese and the Scandinavian countries have pioneered in bringing the garden to the hospital to treat patients thhrough Garden Therapy.

Here in the US farmers are paid incentives so as not to farm and Organic Urban farmers are discouraged to market their produce by making their visibility  more difficult through imposing high  stands  and insurance fees at the farmers/green market.

The growing demand for organically grown organic produce is now changing the rules of engagement and alternatves to the green markets that are run for profiteering and tourist attractions purposes.

Churches and colleges and community gardens are now having their own organic produce markets.They are inviting local urban farmers to market their harvest without imposing any of the green and farmer markets ultra fees.same with Garage sales .

The trend of popular markets were initiated in Europe during the first and second World Wars as a cheap outlet for farmers to sell directly to the urban and city residents at affordable prices that eliminate the extra expenses paid to middleman and merchants.

So what is the link between garden therapy and popular markets?

Therapy comes when patients immerse their hands in the organic soil and plant and harvest organic produce,fruits and flowers.They will absorb the healing energy that emerges for the Cosmic Universe and the interact with four elements of creation:EARTH(SOIL/MUD THERAPY)-AIR(OXYGEN THERAPY )-WATER(HYDROTHERAPY)-FIRE(SUN-THERMOTHERAPY).

Stress the root of all dis-ease.People in our times are lacking food,pure water and steady jobs .The  faltering economy is stripping them from their basic needs of housing,transport,health insurance,health foods stc..

So , now we are in similar situation to the WW-I and II .There was the Victory garden solution back then and now the Backyard /Frontyard and community organic gardens are immerging to be same .What is missing is the Farmer Factor.Now we use migrant farmers who soon will be deported so sho will fill in the blank? You and me mon amie!So start digging and flexing your muscles in the backyard and forget about the expensive inefficient GYM.

The garden will make you:Fit and healthy .