“Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.” — Genesis 18:8
At this moment, this day, this season of your life, what are you craving for?
The Bible says newborn babies long for the pure milk of the Word. We, as Christians, are supposed to grow up in our salvation, now that we have tasted that the Lord is good (1 Peter 2:2-3). In order to be able to taste what is good, we need to have healthy taste buds and pure milk. Being on the homestead, we have the privilege to witness how the newborn baby goats or lambs thrive on their mothers’ milk. Within hours if not minutes, the babies are able to figure out how to nurse, then stand, walk and even run!
The colostrum is the first form of milk, also called “liquid gold”. The babies need this thick yellow milk to get antibodies and antioxidants to boost their immune system. Without colostrum, baby mammal animals may not live. They are born with this instinct to look for the teats, to hit their mother’s udder for the milk to come down, to suck the milk. As a homesteader, we are advised to freeze some colostrum if possible just in case of need. The colostrum is life-saving for the baby animals. The pure milk is that precious!
Unfortunately, some human babies nowadays don’t get to have this “liquid gold” from their mothers for various reasons. Not only do the babies miss the bonding with the mother through breastfeeding, they start off their life with a weaker immune system. I am grateful that all my children were breastfed exclusively for the first few months and continued for much longer after introducing other foods, until they naturally weaned (for two of them until after they were two years old). However, unlike the animals, we humans can survive and even thrive on nutritious foods. God is gracious in His redeeming design for human beings as we make good or bad, wise or foolish, choices over time.
One big change on our homestead these days is to add hand milking our Jersey cow into our daily routine! Our original plan was to share the milk, as well as the chore of milking, with the calf, like we did with our Dexter cow. Unfortunately, our calf at the seemingly most inconvenient time died or was born dead. We still don’t know how the death happened but just need to make adjustments and keep moving on. All of a sudden, our milk production was twice of what we needed and our milking time more than doubled. Without calf share, we need to make sure the udder is empty to prevent mastitis for the cow. It takes longer to get the last bit of hindmilk.
Instead of feeling overwhelmed, my 15 year-old son is thrilled to have SO MUCH milk!! When he filled the one gallon jar for the first time, it was like a little boy’s dream coming true! My son was literally giggly smiling from ear to ear. We have milked our goats, Dexter cow, but never really experienced this kind of abundance of milk! At one point, when we were busy attending TTD (Teaching Them Diligently homeschool conference) every day, so we had little time to enjoy much milk, we literally used every jar in the cupboard after milking. Our fridge looked stunningly white! On top of sharing milk with our neighbors and trying to sell the extra milk to offset the feed cost, we are also motivated to try all sorts of ways to use the milk creatively.
We made cheese, yogurt, butter, icecream, cream cheese, and used milk or whey to cook rice, pasta, oatmeal, and make soups. Our pigs, Shepherd (our guardian dog), chickens and even our gardens also have their fair share of nourishment from the overflow of milk. Washing all the milk jars gives me another chance to utilize the leftover milk fat to nourish my facial and hand skin. It feels so luxurious for a girl growing up with mostly soymilk (Dou Jiang/豆浆). No wonder Shawn and Beth have started the one cow revolution. Our homestead journey has been greatly inspired by their expertise. If you are seriously considering rural living or adding a family milk cow, I would strongly recommend checking out their resources.
It’s been over a month since we made this big transition of adding a milk cow into our life. Not only have I revolutionized my cooking to incorporate as much dairy as possible, I have also noticed many changes due to the good amount of high quality milk/dairy consumption. We don’t get hungry as we used to. We are more satisfied. Our digestion is better! Our human food and animal feed costs have reduced, even though we do pay more for cow treats during the milkings. I am not sure how long this lifestyle will continue, but for the time being, we are making the most of this season of abundance and busyness on our homestead.
Along with this reflection inspired by the milk encounter, I have been motivated to study further into the nutrition comparison of raw milk, and commercial milk. The white liquid may look similar, but they function very differently in our bodies when consumed. Thus, it makes more sense to me when those positive changes are happening. Our family cows are rotationally grazed almost every day, turning the sun energy into nutritional milk! This is especially true during the spring, when the lush greens are all around on our small piece of land. Milk at this season is supposed to be the most nutritious of the year! What a gift when we work with nature instead of against nature!
It’s amazing when we let the ruminants process the green grass the way they are created to do or eat! The ruminants can be goats, sheep, cows, camels, buffalos, horses, etc.. God made them convert the solar energy into the form we humans can better absorb, through their diligent grazing and digesting. Their manure, in return, makes the soil more fertile. It’s truly a win-win-win no-waste system our Father has designed for us to live on the earth. The livestocks can vary due to different regions or cultures, but the nourishing power is universal. People have consumed milk for thousands of years all around the world. When Abraham received the three visitors, “he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them” (Genesis 18:8). He was showing hospitality, honor, courtesy, respect through the abundance from his homestead!
It is not until recently people start to have different issues with milk. Not all milk or food in general are created equal. When the “food” is not real, industrially processed with chemical flavorings, cheap salt and oil, our body is impoverished, craving for more and more real nutrition, not to mention all the harm the fake food could bring to our bodies. “Fats” have got a bad name due to prevalent overweight or obesity issues for modern life. However, good fats, like real butter or lard from happy animals, are often discarded or replaced by other cheap oils, which can bring more harm to our bodies especially under high heat during cooking.
As a result, many people fall into the trap of modern life and opt for skimmed milk instead of whole milk. All the good stuff is stored in the fat if the animals are raised on pasture. However, fat is also where toxic chemicals are accumulated and stored if the animals are from the industrial food chain supply. You probably do want to avoid such fats and organ meat from the store and opt for local farmers for the real good stuff without pollutants. Like I mentioned above, we need to have discernment. Something can look or be labeled the same, but be a very different substance.
Convenient for the food industry, with the marketing of skimmed milk, people end up buying milk twice, milk and butter. Without the fat cap on top (that forms as the fat rises to the top after sitting for a while ) to work as a natural seal to keep the milk fresh longer, skimmed milk spoils even more quickly. In order to keep a reasonable amount of shelf life, industrial milk is over or ultra pasteurized from cows with uncertain sources of feed or questionable living environment. I will not go into details about how the cattle are raised commercially or the shots they have received, etc.. The point is it’s important to know where our food is coming from and how it is produced. That’s one reason why we have decided to raise our own cows and hand milk them every day! It is a change of lifestyle and sacrifice but we have been stretched and blessed!
When God called His people out of Egypt into the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the Lord our God meant to set His people apart and pour out His blessings upon them. Milk is life-sustaining, used many times as a symbol for vitality. The agrarian societies during Bible times used to seem more distant to a city girl like me. As we answered the call to the land step by step, many of the Scripture applications are not only spiritual but also practical.
Take Proverbs 27:27 for example, it says, “you will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed you—food for your household and nourishment for your maidservants”. No worries. I am not for slavery here in practice.:-) The theme here is about diligent and faithful stewardship being rewarded. As we are learning and practicing husbandry skills, we failed many times but we are rewarded in practical and satisfying ways many times more. Had I not lived close to the land, I would never have imagined what milk abundance could look like in real life. I am grateful for those real down-to-earth aha moments to allow the spiritual truth to linger longer and sink deep into our souls.
Abraham served the three visitors a very generous meal, while he himself stood by as a humble servant. This is still true in many eastern cultures. I think of the adjustments I have to make to show hospitality the American way. Rather than serving at the side, I am expected to dine with my guests, which requires more advanced preparation, and less fresh cooking, to get food ready before the guests arrive. How we show our hospitality can differ cross-culturally, but the heart to honor is similar. The very reason we are to honor each other as human beings is because we are made according to the image of God, who made us!
We can’t truly honor a person without knowing the Creator. We can impress others for selfish reasons or simply follow a man-made social conduct without heart-felt honoring. Out of the fear of the Lord, Abraham showed hospitality to strangers, and entertained angels without realizing it (Hebrews 13:2). The more we know who our God is and what He has done for us, the more the Holy Spirit will move us to follow His ways even when we don’t understand.
Back to the question at the beginning, what are you craving for right now? Do you think you will be content if your wish is granted? What are you craving for more？Deep inside, God, our Creator has designed a craving for intimate connections to Himself. Do you know the ultimate Life-giver? Not the milk, not the sun, not the mother earth, but our Lord Jesus Christ! Do you desire more than the spiritual milk for an infant but also are hungry for solid food like a grown-up?
Consider Jesus! He is the bread of life! Whoever comes to Jesus will never go hungry, and whoever believes in him will never be thirsty (John 6:35). In Jesus ALL things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; ALL things have been created through him and for him (Colossians 1:16). Let the word “ALL” sink in a little bit. He is the source of all life, creativity, gifts, blessings and so on. He is the most generous and compassionate Giver, as in His inexhaustible abundance He lacks nothing! He is the Lord Almighty, the King of Glory! Yet, He lays down his own life for me, a lost sheep. Indescribable amazing grace!!
In Him all His people live and thrive eternally! May the Lord give us greater faith to see and taste His goodness in all things He has created, and in all circumstances He has allowed. May He grant us longings for Himself and His presence. We are never alone under His loving care and generous provision, even when we don’t see it from our earth-bound situations. What a great joy to know this Creator of all things, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them, is also my Shepherd! I am eternally secure with my Lord, and in Him I lack nothing. Is He your Shepherd too? He is calling! Did you hear the Good Shepherd’s voice? Are you thirsty or hungry? Come! He has the dinner table prepared for you! He will fulfill your deepest cravings both now and forever! He remains faithful forever!!
Further reading:
The Independent Farmstead: Growing Soil, Biodiversity, and Nutrient-Dense Food with Grassfed Animals and Intensive Pasture Management by by Beth and Shawn Dougherty
Want to learn more about healthy fats, power of fermentation, and traditional nourishing foods all around the world? Check out Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
An article from western Price organization about “Commercial milk/meat vs. grass-fed cattle”
3rd Culture Living 