Cheese and Breastmilk

I was talking with a friend today about making cheese at home, she asked me if I had ever done it (I hadn't) and mentioned a book with great recipies for easy-to-make homemade cheeses.  I adore cheese, especially raw milk cheese and artisan cheeses.  I've often thought I could quite happily be a goat-herder in Switzerland, living in the moutains and  eating cheese and bread each day for lunch.   In case you haven't guessed, I've always had a rather romantic image of Switzerland from reading Heidi.

Anyway, this conversation reminded me of a very recent uproar over a New York City chef who sold cheese made with his wife's breastmilk.  Apparently a lot of people's first response to such such cuisine is a resounding "ewww".  Personally, I will never understand how people can be so squeamish about breastmilk.  In my former life, I extensively studied the reproductive physiology of dairy cows and have worked on farms and milked many a cow and goat in my time.  Trust me, cows are way more dirty and disgusting than any human mother ever could be....especially a mother who takes the time and energy to pump her milk (it's not easy).   Cows, especially those raised on factory farms need to have their own waste cleaned and disinfected off their udders before each milking.  That's ewwwwwww!!!  

 However, despite witnessing this first-hand...I still love cheese.   In the future, I hope to experiment with making my own (and no, it won't be from my breastmik...I've never gotten into the whole pumping and storing milk thing). Stayed tuned for a future edition chronicling that experiment.

Also, please don't think I'm actually advocating that mamas turn their extra milk into cheese.  Absolutely not....a much better use of that milk would be donating it to babies in need.  Unfortunately there is no shortage of infants who are unable to receive their own mother's milk, and would greatly benefit from donated milk (check out the Human Milk Banking Association for more information on donating milk).

Anyway, since breastfeeding is one of my favorite topics, the article obviously caught my eye. Breastmilk is the ultimate REAL FOOD. (Formula on the other hand is one of the most highly processed foods around).  It's amazing to think that a single food could provide ALL the nutrition a baby needs for at least the first half-year of life.  It's even more amazing to me that the human body is capable of producing such a superfood!   I've always loved breastfeeding my own children  (as evidenced by the fact that destructo-boy is still nursing at age 2..and the girls both weaned shortly after their third birthdays).  Surprisingly enough, it is only with the 3rd child...little Destructo-Boy,  that I've had people question why I am still nursing a child over the age of 2.  My general thinking is that since by all accounts he appears to be  human (two legs, opposable thumbs, upright posture and the ability to make sounds which at least resemble speech) that human milk is probably a pretty darn good choice of food for him.  If at any time he sprouts a tail,  starts walking around on all fours, eating grass and saying "moo" then I will concede that perhaps it is best to put him on cow's milk.

Breastmilk is also the ultimate in frugal feeding of infants, .and it always comes attractively packaged at just the right temperature.....so while it may not be a top choice for making cheese with (mostly because babies need it more) it's a pretty darn awesome substance and the one food I am most proud of making myself!  It is my heartfelt desire that every mother have the support and help she needs to provide this remarkable real food to her baby!