[Melinda29]

Originally Posted by Havah Well, I'm feeling better. Technically we have a family of 5 (though only 4 routinely eat solids) and I'm trying to keep our budget under $600. In the Pacific Northwest (fairly high cost of living, though not as bad as CA), it's no easy feat. I know someone mentioned to avoid salad dressings and pancake (or other mixes) - I'm already there. When I said "scratch", I meant scratch. I even make my own stock (I buy whole chickens and stretch them three meals plus generate 2 quarts of stock from each carcass). We also bought 1/4 free-range beef (split a side with my parents), so that's done. I'm lucky - my mom supplies 50-75% of my eggs for free with her hens. And we do a lot of vegetarian (generally we do only 4-5 meat-inclusive meals a week). Largely it's the dairy (particularly yogurt) that's killing us. We really only like ***e. I'm trying to culture my own, but we don't keep the house above 68 degrees and it's not the easiest process (raising the house temp would be counter-productive in the thrifty venue). I'll have to revisit Azure Standard. I'm currently buying a lot of my "shelf-stable" goods from Amazon and Vitacost; supplemented with Costco and Trader Joe's when it's worthwhile. I want to do a CSA but it's been difficult comparing the overall costs ... ? Not sure what I'd do with a lb of radishes each week (seriously!), either. Thanks for chiming in, everyone!

On the yogurt--are you using organic milk? I ask because most organic milk is ultra-pasteurized, which is very difficult to culture because most of the protein has been denatured. Ultra-pastuerized dairy products are dangerous to consume for a variety of reasons as well, so avoid them at all costs. Regular hormone-free milk will work well, or if you can get your hands on grassfed VAT pasteurized milk (Kalona and Hyvee Health Mart are two brands I know of) is the best of the best. Nutritionally and digestively, it's on par with raw milk.