Comments on: Thanksgiving, season of schmaltz.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:31:11 +0000

Love it!

I knew that anyone with a post titled “Thank the Lard” had to be an all around good person. America’s fear of fat is very odd. Particularly since we stuff ourselves with an ungodly amount of chemicals and other processed nastiness without batting an eye. But, heaven forbid that someone would eat a little extra fat.

I married a French woman, so she keeps me in line pretty well. I am also reminded that the fat is where the flavor is!

By: Gillian

Gillian — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:08:14 +0000

I apparently have some residual fat fear because I was very comforted by the breakdown of monounsaturated:saturated fat ratios. Perhaps you could do a post at some point on saturated fats? I have read that the research points out that people who eat indigenous saturated fats and have active lifestyles seemed to have no ill effects but my doctor likes to talk about the instantaneous changes in the body after consuming saturated fats. I want to say “toss it all” and assume that short term changes are probably for a beneficial reason that we don’t understand yet and try and eat as my great grandmother did but it’s hard somedays to fight the tide…

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 16:27:47 +0000

Well, there is also research to suggest that animals that are fed their “natural” diets (i.e., cows eating grass, chickens eating bugs, grubs, seeds, etc.) have better fats than animals that are fed “unnatural” diets (i.e., cows eating corn, chickens eating grains, antibiotics, other animals, etc.). So, it is not just the fat itself. There are much more complex factors at work. And, we have to understand these facts. As we move further away from how we and other animals have “evolved,” we are seeing many more diseases, ill health effects, etc. I am a full believer in taking an evolutionary perspective when we start discussions of diets. A few million years of natural selection have served us well!

By: crabappleherbs

crabappleherbs — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:52:17 +0000

Ah, yes, I do plan to blog about the “saturated fat is the devil” thing.

And yes indeed it matters a great deal how the animal in question lived.

There really is so much to say about fat!

By: Leda

Leda — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 20:27:45 +0000

I’ve been saving and using poultry and other animal fats and using them as part of my local foods diet. Much as I love olive oil, olive trees don’t grown in New York! The food cooked with fat from local free range animals is delicious. I was worried about the saturated fat thing at first, but I am increasingly skeptical about that national phobia. My intuited opinion is that there is a world of difference between the fat from healthy, free range animals and those from the commercial factories. Fat has a tendency to store toxins in the body after all. Oh, and my CSA meat farmer offers leaf lard for a very cheap price–you have to render it yourself, but that’s not a big deal.

Many thanks for the post, and I look forward to more on this topic.

By: crabappleherbs

crabappleherbs — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 18:24:10 +0000

Thanks, Leda… I’m working on a “fat” post right now.

By: Riana

Riana — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 06:50:30 +0000

I adore schmaltz! I cook it up with onions and green apples and then jar it to smear on my sandwiches and it’s the secret ingredient of chopped liver! I fry my potatoes in duck In fact, almost all my winter recipes start with melt three tablespoons of duck fat… and its yum, yum yum.

By: crabappleherbs

crabappleherbs — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 19:58:41 +0000

Ah, duck fat. How lovely. I’m hoping to get a duck or two from a farmer over the mountain. We shall see.

In the meantime, the goose fat from our Thanksgiving bird is infused with rosemary, and it should be lovely on roasted potatoes.