Dairymom's Beat the Heat Strategy

Perfect for any hot day in July or
August, especially these 106 degree ones,frozen dairy treats continue to be  a summer tradition  in our family. My childhood  favorites were  fudgesicles,vanilla ice cream and  sherbet.  Last week when grocery shopping, I couldn't resist buying a tub of Hiland's Rainbow Sherbet as part of my beat the heat strategy.

Whether you say 'Sherbert' or 'Sherbet',  you are eating the same delightful frozen dairy product. Sherbet is a fruity flavored frozen dairy product. Butterfat is the distinguishing difference between ice cream,sherbet and frozen dairy desserts. When comparing the amount of butter fat, you will find:

• Ice cream contains 10% butterfat.
• Frozen dairy desserts contain between 2 to 10% butterfat.
• Sherbet contains between 1 to 2% butterfat.

While browsing through a Southern Living cookbook, I found the perfect recipe to try for our beat the heat strategy  in August !

Creamy Pineapple Sherbet
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream,whipped

Combine sugar and boiling water,stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add lemon  juice,pineapple,and milk.Freeze until slushy; remove from freezer, and fold in whipped cream. Return to freezer, and freeze until firm.
Yield: about 6 servings

I'm planning to beat the heat with dairy delights. How about you?

Happy August!!

Farmer's Favorite Game

Just a few days ago, it rained! Even though it rained only a quarter of an inch on our farm, it was a needed positive reminder that --It Can Rain!  As you can tell, it doesn't take a lot to get us excited when we're in the middle of a severe drought. Although that little bit of rain was just enough to settle the dust, it did give us the courage to play in the dirt and replant a field of sorghum that hopefully will receive another bit of rain to grow feed for our dairy cows.

Drought hasn't changed my role as the bring-it-to-me assistant when planting or other field work is happening on the farm. As I approached the field this afternoon with an extra bag of seed and the air pump for the planter's low tire, all I could see was a cloud of dust. It was the farmer playing in the dirt!

Just as the seed was poured into the planter and the tire aired up, we looked up to see a cloud of dust and the beef cattle jogging across the field. Someone forgot to close the gate  (and it wasn't me)!

 Luckily for us, they were going for the grain that had just been put in the feed bunks and  on to the pond for a cool drink. It made my assistant job much easier to just shut the gate!

Then it was back to the farmer's favorite game---

playing in the dirt and planting a crop!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Drought, no doubt, is bringing new challenges to us every day on our  fourth generation family  dairy farm.   I'm thankful for all the lessons learned and taught  by previous generations of family farmers, technology, and science based best management practices that will enable us to restore what drought has destroyed. 

Taste Arkansas!

If you haven't checked out Arkansas Farm Bureau's food blog (http://www.tastearkansas.com), you're missing a lot of good recipes and interesting information about Arkansas food! 



 Last week one of the featured recipes was Twice-Baked Potato Casserole. In between calf feeding and getting dressed for church on Sunday, I assembled the casserole and baked it when I returned home from church. It was delicious and I am adding it to my list of family favorites. Multi-tasking moms  can't go wrong with a recipe full of dairy products and potatoes!

Twice-Baked Potato Casserole

Ingredients:
3 pounds russet potatoes
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
3 pieces cooked bacon,crumbled

Peel potatoes,cut into large chunks;place in large pan,cover with water and boil gently until soft (approximately 10-15 minutes).
Drain potatoes and place back into pot. Add butter,sour cream,heavy cream,salt and cream cheese into pot and mix with a mixer until smooth and creamy.
Place potatoes in an 8x8 pan, top with cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon; bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes or until the cheese melts.

                                                                    
                                    Have a Dairy Good Day!  

Dairy Style Vacation

At the end of these hot,dry days on the dairy farm, I love to see the cows gathered in the shade of the trees by our front yard fence. For me, it's a vacation-like moment to watch the cows resting in the shade and shadows created by the sun going down, cooling the air and bringing relief from the heat and stress of the day. These pregnant  Holstein dairy cows by the house have been on vacation for almost two months. Birth of a calf  will end their  two month resting-in-the-pasture vacation that has been preparing them for delivery of a healthy calf and the production of high-quality milk.


Although dairy style cow vacations happen all through the year on our farm, summer is a good time for a dairy cow to be on a resting vacation from milking due to the stress of Arkansas summer heat and humidity. After pregnancy is confirmed by our veterinarian, the cow will be turned dry for this resting vacation two months before the expected due date. On the turn dry day, the cow is milked and her  four quarters (teats)  are treated with preventive medication to protect from bacterial environmental infection. The cow is then removed from the milking herd, fed a special balanced and nutritious diet during the dry cow period, and allowed to rest in the pasture with other expectant cows.

After the cow has her calf, her resting vacation is over and she will return to the milking herd rested and  ready to provide high-quality milk. Due to being treated with medication at turn-dry time, her milk is discarded until the milk is tested negative for medication. It's a fact that milk and dairy products are among the most highly regulated foods available.

Dairy style vacation is part of our ongoing commitment to providing high-quality milk by taking good care of our cows.

                      Hope you're having a dairy good vacation!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

                                                                                 
                  During stressful times, it's important to focus on the
                      blessings that are often taken for granted.
   I'm thankful for my faith in God,my family and our dairy farm.

Drought Shopping Tips

In the next few weeks, drought will become a reality when doing the weekly grocery shopping to feed our families. When making decisions to get more bang for your buck, it's important to choose nutrient dense foods like dairy. Dairy foods are an economical choice and play a critical role in the diets of adults and children by providing nine essential nutrients,including calcium,magnesium,
potassium and phosphorus, in addition to 48 percent daily value of protein.

The ultimate goal of all dairy farmers is to provide safe,nutritious milk regardless if it is produced by conventional or organic production methods. It's a common misperception that some milk contains antibiotic. An important fact to know when purchasing milk is that there are NO ANTIBIOTICS in  MILK.It is illegal for any milk to be sold that has any antibiotic or medication. Milk is the safest food that you can buy because of the strict quality controls to ensure freshness,purity, and great taste. Information about milk production and comparison of organic and conventional production methods can be found at http://www.midwestdairy.com.

When stretching your food dollar, make a plan that includes these tips from the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension (http://www.uaex.edu):

• Set a spending limit
• Plan menus and use them to make your grocery list
• Read sale advertisement and use them to plan menus and grocery list
• Make a shopping list and stick to it
• Eat before shopping
• Clip coupons for items you know you'll use
• Try store brands
• Compare stores
• Take advantage of special discounts like senior discounts or double coupon days
• Choose your best day to shop-some stores have sales on specificd days
• Compare forms and buy the form of food that costs less for each serving
• Compare sizes and buy the size that costs less for each serving