That’s ‘dairy’ good!
By Lisa Hadden
While June is National Dairy Month, January 11 was National Milk Day. This day commemorates the day believed to be the first day that delivery of milk in glass bottles began in the United States.
Since students are not in school in June, I chose January to present some dairy lessons. Approximately 487 fourth-grade students in Cass and Morgan counties made butter in January. Eisenhower Elementary School’s second-grade students in Mrs. Otten’s and Mrs. Terwische’s classrooms took advantage of the opportunity to do a dairy lesson — they got to enjoy making ice cream in their classroom!
Although Cass and Morgan counties are not home to any large dairy farms, we do have farmers in those areas who own some dairy cows. A handful of these farmers have dairy products available for purchase.
Discussing dairy cattle with second graders was slightly entertaining. While most knew that chocolate milk does not come from brown cows, there were a few that believed this to be true. We read a wonderful book, “Tales of the Dairy Godmother: Chuck’s Ice Cream Wish,” by
Viola Butler. This book explains a bit about the tubes that hook up to the udder and send the milk to storage tanks. It reinforces the fact that there is a lot of cleaning involved, and the milk must pass multiple tests. Also, farmers, nutritionists and veterinarians are all involved to ensure a healthy diet for their herd.
Dairy cows do not begin producing milk until they have had a calf. Therefore, our milk comes only from females. The cows normally have their first calf when they are two years old. The cows are milked two to three times per day, seven days a week. There is no break on the weekends or holidays. The dairy calves do not nurse from their mothers. If this were to happen, there would be no dairy products for us to enjoy.
The students learned that there is a lot involved before you go to the store and buy your ice cream. They also learned that you can make ice cream in a bag right in your classroom.
Here is a quick and easy recipe for making ice cream at home.
Homemade Ice Cream
Ingredients:
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 cup rock salt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 quart
• 1 gallon size plastic storage bags
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup whipping cream
• Crushed ice
• Duct tape
• Bath towel
Directions:
1. Combine the sugar, milk, whipping cream and vanilla in a 1 quart bag and seal it. Fold a piece of duct tape over the top to ensure the mixture doesn’t get out.
2. In the larger bag, add crushed ice and about 1 cup of rock salt.
3. Place the smaller bag with the ingredients inside the larger bag.
4. Wrap the bag inside a bath towel and shake for about 10 minutes. Open the outer bag and remove the inner bag. Wipe the salty water from the outside.
5. Cut the top off and scoop your ice cream into cups or bowls. Enjoy!
