I’m not very sure how to summarize this chapter… it’s about soup!  There are lots of recipes as to be expected in a cookbook… so that about sums it up!  I would say most of the recipes appear to be simple and pretty basic, but of course nourishing and nutrient filled.

There are over 50 recipes in this section of which quite a few I’ll give a try.  Usually soup is a common food at our winter table.  As I write this post it is over 80 degrees in Northern Virginia today!  In March!!!  I’m not sure what is going on, but I certainly don’t feel like having soup for dinner!

In each chapter there are quotes and interesting excerpts from different books or thoughts by Sally Fallon herself along the sides of the book.  There are about four different ones per page.

This chapter seemed to have a lot of info on healthy fats and the benefits of the fats found in raw whole milk.  Sally mentions how vitamin B12 is essential for healthy coping skills.  Deficiencies can be linked to deep depression, anger, Alzheimer’s, bipolar, schizophrenia, and a host of other behavioral/psychological illnesses.  This vitamin is only found in meats and raw milk.  Consequently, deficiencies are more commonly found in vegetarians.

There were also quite a few quotes from [amazon_link id=”996263654X” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Milk Book [/amazon_link]by William Campbell Douglass, MD.  Each of these quotes I found fascinating and am interested in locating the book or possibly purchasing it.

The first excerpt was about the creation of margarine cheese in Europe.  Apparently this cheese tastes like dairy based cheeses and one can hardly tell the difference… a vegetable oil cheese… who would have thought!  These cheeses are so processed, that they are doubly pasteurized and homogenized at least twice as well.  Does that make it appealing?

Another product that has been heated at high temperatures multiple times are all refined oils, and these at least four times.  They are also treated with all kids of chemicals and then bleached so that an appealing color can be added.  The original color is a grey brown… who would be interested in using and oil of that color?  The oil is also deodorized because of the offensive smell it produces.  Doesn’t good fresh butter sound so much more appealing?  Not to even mention the health benefits?

In [amazon_link id=”996263654X” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Milk Book[/amazon_link] it also talks about an experiment that was done on calves.  They were attempting to fatten the calves as quickly as possible at minimal cost.  Instead of feeding them raw whole milk, skim milk was used and other refined oils were added to give it a higher fat content.  High percentages of the calves died in the first 33-150 days.  DIED… not just got sick… however if they were changed to the whole milk they did just fine, recovered quickly and matured.  If this is true of calves, what do you think refined oils do to our bodies?

The book also talks about how there is a high incidence of infertility in this country and it is rumored to be around 25%.  A possible contributing factor could be the fact that we drink so much skim milk and no butter, so that we no longer consume healthy milk fats in the milk or in the form of butter.  Animals that are fed skim milk frequently have atrophied testicles and often complete sterility.

So, in this chapter the soups were interesting to read about and contemplate making, but on an 80 degree day I found the asides more captivating!  I’m sure I’ll come back to this chapter to try some of the recipes and report on the results!

Happy eating!  I’m interested, have you’ve ever heard of [amazon_link id=”996263654X” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Milk Book[/amazon_link] or if you have read it?  Please let me know!