butter and marg - thought this was interesting

[Inertia]

Eating meat is one I vascillate between also - I eat organic meat now - however I do believe that it leaves a far bigger and less manageable footprint than a vegetarian diet.

I have always disagreed with this. Cows don't care if their are trees and hills on their field. Crops do.

Mans way of breeding cows for consumption is what makes its less ecologically sound. Its exactly the same as mans way of agricultural farming. The only way to minimise your footprint through food is to go purely organic and live in the country where the food is bred and grown.

[*Ash*]

I am happy to discuss these issues in another thread.

[Trillian]

thanks, it should be an interesting discussion to follow

[Willow]

Back to the butter - do you buy it in tubs like margarine or just in blocks? I do buy butter in 250g blocks for baking - is this what you use?

[Inanna]

Yes Willow - that's it. The ingredients should say: cream & salt. It is hard and needs to be softened to room temperature...

[Phteven]

I get the harmony organic. I went to margarine for a long time because every butter I bought was rancid but then I tried the Mainland brand and it was Ok and the Harmony one has been ok too. I'm still scared of all the other brands. rancid butter is so yuck!

[Willow]

OK, that's easy then!

Converting my DH will be hard work though, he is convinced that with a strong family history of heart disease those 'lower your cholesterol' margarines are going to save his life

How do you know if it's rancid and how do you stop it from happening? Will have to get a butter dish thingo, I don't have one.

[Inanna]

Rancidity occurs when it goes off Willow my love. So just be careful that you either use it up in about 7 days OR just put out 75g at a time... As you know I live in Qld (though in a cool clime) and my butter is out on the bench in a butter dish all year around. There has admittedly been a couple of times that it has melted a bit - but not gone rancid...