Original message sent by MBalaska
about cakes?
I don't think I could compare anything I cook to what y'all are probably baking up, but I'd be happy to talk about ingredients and share some sources for them if anyone is interested. My wife and I have spent years finding sources for high quality foods that meet our requirements and I'm sure we use some common ingredients you'd use in cakes.
We are also really into pet nutrition for our dogs. I see people making cakes out of boxes for their dog's birthdays and I cringe when I see these folks giving their dogs sugar like that! So we have recipes I could share for dog-safe cakes. Some are our own recipes, and some are ones we have learned from others. Although, I don't think we know exactly where some of the recipes came from, so I won't know who to credit. :-( My wife makes one cake that is based with coconut flour, sweetened with raw honey and iced with a cream cheese frosting that also has raw honey in it. This cake is safe for dogs to eat in moderation and it is so moist and delicious that we eat it with them. So, yes, I can share some info about cakes too! I'd love to see what some of you could do with the recipes!
Quote:
"I have a feeling I'll be back here to post a new thread with some interesting facts one day!"
I really look forward to that day Farmer John and I would like to personally welcome you to CC. Even though you don't know to much about confectioners I feel that you would offer a lot of knowledge about natural ingredients and real food to this site.
Thank for the warm welcome, I appreciate it.
FarmerJohn... a round of applause please!! People are *so* far removed from their food. We live surrounded by farms and I get eggs and meat from them. My friends and I raised 100 chickens for meat and processed them ourselves with guidance from my friend's father who used to have a chicken farm. (not the Cornish crosses either... real chickens that can survive past 9 weeks old).
We are building a coop in the spring so we can have eggs too. Nice to meet you!
Wow, 100 chickens, that's awesome! We will have about 50 chicks that we will raise this year for meat. We also only raise heritage breeds, it's a shame what people have done to these poor hybrid animals. We prefer animals that can actually walk to their own food and water, and have some sort of a good life here, however long it may be. Heck, we've got a couple turkeys here named Christmas and Thanksgiving.....of 2013! They started laying eggs so we kept them around to earn their keep! Someone asked us how are turkeys laid eggs, because their turkeys never did. They got some domesticated hybrid turkeys that can't lay or fly, we raise heritage American Bronze. Speaking of eggs, their eggs are very interesting. They lay a large speckled egg that is about twice the size of a chicken egg. If you scramble them, they come out extremely light and fluffy, almost like you whipped a chicken egg with milk. I'll bet they'd make an interesting cake!
When you build your coop, there is a really good chicken forum called backyard chickens with lots of good info and brains to pick.
Quote:
I have absolutely nothing to do with baking. I came across this thread by accident while searching for some chicken information, because I raise my own "backyard" chickens. I read all the posts of this old thread and I am so bothered by the ignorance of people today. Please don't take that as an insult, it's just that, that's what it is, ignorance. People are just so out of touch with their food sources these days. If you are so interested in food, you should really know more about where your ingredients come from...
I recommend you support small, responsible, local farms. Also, become more educated about what you and your family are eating, you won't regret it. -Happy baking!
no offense taken--thank you for your careful and honest feedback and information--my dad raised chickens and while i'm not personally into butchering my own meat nor do i have chickens now--i needed to hear what you have to say--
i agree wholeheartedly that it is of the utmost importance to be fully informed about the products we use--
thanks again
Farmer John wrote: Please don't take that as an insult, it's just that, that's what it is, ignorance.
Kate, just one example of his attitude. I'm sure you're familiar with how people start off with "Bless her heart, but..." and then say the nastiest things about their "dear friend."
I just love shaming posts. As long as you have a 'cause', you can call people ignorant, out of touch, and ridiculous, tell people to 'just get over it' and mock them.
Imagine if I used those words to describe someone using box mixes, I would be getting flagged, not praised.
This is a cake baking site, not a 'shame everyone who doesn't agree with your local organic philosophy' site.
I am a local/small farmer/etc ingredient user, but I share my opinions about those things in appropriate places, and I certainly don't berate or ridicule people who don't agree.
All that post did was make me not want to support a local farmer.
The first thing that came to my mind with this thread is that it's really ancient news and are women surprised that eggs make babies.......
then came the second thought about all the billions of 'city slickers' who ( If we are going to be on the subject of really disgusting things that may gross some people out ) cook and drink toilet water that has been recycled through the human body, their toilets, and the city sewers three times on average. It's a fact, It's true the world over, It isn't something that I'd lecture about on a cake website, or ever actually, as humans have to do the best to live in the conditions they are surrounded with.
Currently we have a well system, but when I travel to Seattle I happily drink the water right out of the faucet to stay hydrated and healthy and don't give it a thought. Bloom where you are planted. Make the best choices that are available to you and that you can safely afford.
Perhaps this whole thread could be put to sleep.
Not everyone has access to free range chickens and to ignore the fact that some religions do not allow the presence of blood spots is uninformed (and" ignorant" ) at best. JMO
Excellent point, the majority of my family eat kosher, I guess throwing eggs with blood spots out deems them ignorant and ridiculous. Silly people.
AQuestion to people who use fresh eggs: how do you go about 'logging' your ingredients? I'm in the uk and was told by the food department of my local council that I had to keep a record (batch number etc) of every ingredient in case anything had a problem so I could track it back. Last time I checked, non-store bought eggs don't get a lot number stamped on them!...how does it work? I have access to fresh eggs but have never used them largely for this reason...
When you build your coop, there is a really good chicken forum called backyard chickens with lots of good info and brains to pick.
I've been on their site before to learn more about different breeds, that's how I learned about diatomaceous earth too. I wanted to ask you from your own experience what would be the best breeds for egg laying that can survive in colder climates in your opinion.
ps I know this is OT maybe you could start a forum in the lounge area or pm me the information. It would be greatly appreciated
May I please remind all members to adhere to the rules for posting in the forums. We warmly welcome all new members who have something to contribute to our community. It may be different or unique information that you might consider quite tangential to your interests and practices as a cake decorator, but it is still valid and interesting.
As Farmer John is adding more information to an existing topic regarding the very basic elements with which we make our cakes and our livings, please be respectful.
Farmer John, if you do decide to join in to forum life here on Cake Central, I would advise you to check out the rules of engagement:
http://cakecentral.com/t/117741/addressing-the-moderating-policies-at-cc
Thank you everyone!
Quote:
When you build your coop, there is a really good chicken forum called backyard chickens with lots of good info and brains to pick.
I've been on their site before to learn more about different breeds, that's how I learned about diatomaceous earth too. I wanted to ask you from your own experience what would be the best breeds for egg laying that can survive in colder climates in your opinion.
We are more concerned with heat tolerance here, so cold is something I'm not sure about. There is a really good website you can go to that will help you select breeds for cold weather. Check this link out, I think it will help you. http://www.mypetchicken.com/chicken-breeds/which-breed-is-right-for-me.aspx
Diatomaceous earth is fantastic. We use it in the garden and on our livestock. For the chickens, we just throw it into the areas they like to use for dust baths and they do the rest.
Quote:
Question to people who use fresh eggs: how do you go about 'logging' your ingredients? I'm in the uk and was told by the food department of my local council that I had to keep a record (batch number etc) of every ingredient in case anything had a problem so I could track it back. Last time I checked, non-store bought eggs don't get a lot number stamped on them!...how does it work? I have access to fresh eggs but have never used them largely for this reason...
I know a small local backyard chicken keeper like me here in town who sells eggs to a restaurant. I have also wondered if they are skirting the laws. I would be interested in knowing what folks here have to say about it. Technically, since we aren't licensed we aren't even allowed to sell eggs to anyone, let alone a restaurant. But our flock is primarily for personal use, we only have a small group of people who we sell eggs to because we don't have THAT many eggs. But there is a small local farm nearby that sells eggs. I imagine local restauranteurs who want local ingredients go there.
Quote:
May I please remind all members to adhere to the rules for posting in the forums. We warmly welcome all new members who have something to contribute to our community. It may be different or unique information that you might consider quite tangential to your interests and practices as a cake decorator, but it is still valid and interesting.
As Farmer John is adding more information to an existing topic regarding the very basic elements with which we make our cakes and our livings, please be respectful.
Farmer John, if you do decide to join in to forum life here on Cake Central, I would advise you to check out the rules of engagement:
http://cakecentral.com/t/117741/addressing-the-moderating-policies-at-cc
Thank you everyone!
I found those rules but then couldn't find them again. Thanks for posting that. I will gladly follow the rules of the house, no problem. And thank you for the welcome.
ANew information is great, so are new members. Getting after people for not enjoying being called ridiculous or ignorant is not. Come on.
With all do respect I don't think that farmer john was trying to be insulting with his remarks. I felt like he was trying to inform and educate people about eggs and where our food comes from. JMHO
"I read all the posts of this old thread and I am so bothered by the ignorance of people today. Please don't take that as an insult, it's just that, that's what it is, ignorance. People are just so out of touch with their food sources these days. If you are so interested in food, you should really know more about where your ingredients come from."
ig·no·rant
adjective \ˈig-n(ə-)rənt\
: lacking knowledge or information
: resulting from or showing a lack of knowledge
With all do respect I don't think that farmer john was trying to be insulting with his remarks. I felt like he was trying to inform and educate people about eggs and where our food comes from. JMHO
"I read all the posts of this old thread and I am so bothered by the ignorance of people today. Please don't take that as an insult, it's just that, that's what it is, ignorance. People are just so out of touch with their food sources these days. If you are so interested in food, you should really know more about where your ingredients come from."
ig·no·rant
adjective \ˈig-n(ə-)rənt\
: lacking knowledge or information
: resulting from or showing a lack of knowledge
Thank you, enga. The word ignorant seems to rub people wrong like that, but it is the proper choice of a word in this situation, and it wasn't meant as an insult at all. That's why I specifically said, please don't take it as in insult. It's not like I said, "no offense, but you're ugly"! I admit the post was a little provocative, but only because of the audience in here. There are plenty of people elsewhere who would read what I posted and think to themselves, "duh!". And the word ridiculous, I think we can all admit that it is a little ridiculous to use an egg and not understand that it is a product of an animal and that these things sometimes do happen. Society has blinded us from nature by making food in stores "perfect", and when we embrace what food is really supposed to look like, I think we all can enjoy it even more.
I was once very ignorant of food, myself. I used to eat absolute garbage, but I didn't know my food was bad because society tells us that it's okay to eat everything from a can or box. A very quick and funny story.... Years ago I had a friend from Italy visit us and she wanted to cook a real Italian meal for the Americans. She said she needed to go to the store for the ingredients. We walked into a supermarket and she was in awe of how big the store was. As we're walking around the store, I notice she isn't getting anything. Finally she says, "excuse me, but where is the food?". I must have had the most confused look on my face, I didn't even know what to say. She asked, "What are all of these boxes for?". It was at that moment I realized just how silly we have become with food in this country. It wasn't until years later that I started to change the way I think about food, but looking back I see I was completely ignorant about it all. Food came in boxes, meat came in sealed plastic, chickens alway have huge breasts, it just seemed so normal. I am not upset if people say I was ignorant, it's just the honest truth.
Anyway, I think we've gone off topic enough in this thread. I am happy to stick around and chat with the folks here, but we will have to take the discussion to a new thread. I look forward to sharing and learning something here, I hope you do too.
Kindest regards,
farmer john
Edit: I almost forgot to add.... Due to the question about how to use local farm eggs commercially, I did a little research. I found out that it is rather easy to become licensed in my state and I am discussing the option with the Mrs. to see if we would like to become licensed egg dealers. We would likely have to expand our flock and charge a little more due to the requirements of the state, but I know that we would meet the requirements of the inspection process and we would be granted the license. So, I'll let y'all know how that goes if we decide to do it so you can understand exactly what the legalities of it are, at least in my state of Nevada. So, thanks for inspiring me to do that!
AI am the poster that threw out my grandmothers eggs. Not because they were dirty, but because it is impossible to determine the age of them. She just throws them all together in the pantry, and the painterly isn't even cool, it has an outside wall, and this is southern GA. When using her eggs it is common to find some filled with green or black slime. Some entirely red. We have had them with legs in them, too. Excuse the hell out of me, but I find that revolting. If I have to have surprises when opening eggs, then I prefer it be twin yolks. Why don't you do a search and go complain on the thread from a few years back where the OP threw out a twin yolked egg? That is pure stupidity.
Quote:
I am the poster that threw out my grandmothers eggs. Not because they were dirty, but because it is impossible to determine the age of them. She just throws them all together in the pantry, and the painterly isn't even cool, it has an outside wall, and this is southern GA. When using her eggs it is common to find some filled with green or black slime. Some entirely red. We have had them with legs in them, too. Excuse the hell out of me, but I find that revolting. If I have to have surprises when opening eggs, then I prefer it be twin yolks. Why don't you do a search and go complain on the thread from a few years back where the OP threw out a twin yolked egg? That is pure stupidity.
I was praising you, not attacking you. No need to be defensive.
You're the one that said this! You didn't say anything about all the eggs actually looking gross inside the shell. You're right though, without knowing how long they've been stored like that, they might be bad. If it's warm enough, they very well could be incubated in that cupboard. It would have to be pretty hot, like over 90 degrees. You said she gave them to you for Christmas, so I don't think it would be hot enough on an exterior wall to incubate in the cupboard, even in Georgia. For future reference, I think it might have been discussed in the thread already, I can't remember.... You can tell the age of an egg by placing it into a bowl of water and check how it falls or floats to get an approximate age. If the egg sinks and lays on the bottom sideways, it's pretty fresh. If it sinks but stands on the bottom of the bowl with one end pointing up, it's still a good egg, but probably a couple weeks older than the sideways one. These eggs are perfect for hard boiling as the shells will peel off much easier, which you already know. Like you, we also use these for deviled eggs. If the egg completely floats, it's beyond an age that anyone would call fresh and we discard them Even if the egg sinks like a rock, it doesn't necessarily mean the egg is safe for any particular reason, it just means that it's fresh. Likewise, a floater is not necessarily unsafe, it's just old. It sounds like your grandma just doesn't have good food handling or livestock husbandry practices. She's probably done it like that her whole life, and not had any problems, but I would question the feeding and care of the chickens from a household like that before I'd want to eat them either. Only you know if granny's chickens are healthy and clean and fed good quality food, because I haven't seen them. Based on what you've just described, I probably wouldn't eat them either.
"...........Anyway, I think we've gone off topic enough
............ we will have to take the discussion to a new thread.
............exactly what the legalities of it are,
Newby, perchance to dream; exposed way too much CC.com terminology to be a first time Newby .............
Quote:
Newby, perchance to dream; exposed way too much CC.com terminology to be a first time Newby .............
Off topic, discussion, thread...... These are all pretty common terms on a discussion forum, and there are other forums on the web other than CC.com.
Legalities? We're talking about commercial sales of food here, which is highly regulated in this country. So yeah, legalities is a pretty common word in this situation.
Why don't you just come right out and tell us what you're insinuating? Because I have no idea who you think I am or why you think it.
AThe chickens get tons and tons of fruit and vegetable scraps, and high grade chicken feed. They have a large shed area that is open on one side into a large pen, with a 8" tall fence of chicken wire. I have no idea if this is normal, and the only reason I know the feed is high is because my grandpa was telling me how grandma spends more because she can get more eggs, but selling them doesn't cover the cost of the feed.
The pen is probably fine, lots of people keep them in pens. Our chickens free range, but we don't have that many predators to worry about, so we can get away with it here.
Maybe the bad eggs you got were just a fluke and the rest were ok? Maybe she saved them up for too long to get all the family members 4 or 5 dozen? We've have never had eggs go bad, but that could be because our eggs are all fertile, so we refrigerate them right away to prevent the topic of this discussion. I have found a clutch of eggs that the chickens hid outside the nest boxes that were rather old and many were just air inside as everything evaporated. We opened some and they were pretty unappetizing. Give Granny's eggs a try again, maybe they're not so bad after all.
AHmm. For my own part, I (because there are old, frail people in the house) use only pasteurized eggs (and when Sprouts started carrying them, they opted to carry the cage-free ones; I count that as a win-win scenario: I don't have to drive10 miles to the nearest Bristol Farms, just to settle for pasteurized battery cage eggs). And I've always cracked my eggs into a "quarantine" bowl to inspect them (and trim off the chalazas if they look too heavy to just beat out).
Be that as it may, since the pasteurization process removes the "bloom" more completely than ordinary processing, Davidson (the pasteurized egg people) waxes the shells to replace that bloom.
And at any rate, applause to Farmer John: we all need to understand where our food comes from (hint: it ain't a replicator; we're about 2-3 centuries too early for that!), and to remember that the primary purpose of an egg -- any egg -- is to produce offspring.
I was at my daughters last year after she had had a car accident and decided to clean the fridge for her. There was a pile of old food, with some going mouldy, but the box of blue eggs took the cake (See keeping it relevant to CC). "For goodness sake' I said (Not really but you get the drift as what I said was slightly more colorful) when I got to the hospital. "How long have you had that box of eggs that I threw out. They've Gone Blue".
Ignorant. You bet. They are supposed to be blue. They come from special hens and were only a week old. And I am not a city slicker and I know exactly where my food comes from but until then I had never heard of blue eggs.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%