Wild food equivalent for milk

[Toadflax]

Milk is, for many of us, a routine and almost essential part of our diet. Many of us take dried milk out into the field for our drinks (tea and coffee), our breakfast (in porridge), our staples (as a flavouring in bannock). If it weren't for domesticated animals, we wouldn't have it...

...so if you didn't have milk, is there anything in the wild that can replace it?


Geoff

 

[Toddy]

I can't drink milk, it makes me incredibly queasy so I make nut milk instead.
Ground almonds, hazelnuts or the like are simply soaked in warm water for five minutes and the liquid sqeezed out. It works just like milk in recipes, tastes great and is good for you too

cheers,
Toddy

p.s. don't dump the ground nuts afterwards, they make great biscuits or scones, and if you add them to oatmeal and make oatcakes they don't need any extra fat or oil added.
atb,
M

 

[lottie.lou]

I can't drink milk, it makes me incredibly queasy so I make nut milk instead.
Ground almonds, hazelnuts or the like are simply soaked in warm water for five minutes and the liquid sqeezed out. It works just like milk in recipes, tastes great and is good for you too

cheers,
Toddy

p.s. don't dump the ground nuts afterwards, they make great biscuits or scones, and if you add them to oatmeal and make oatcakes they don't need any extra fat or oil added.
atb,
M

Thats super advice! Milk is really bad for most so I don't touch it, but I am obsessed with oatcakes. This sounds like to perfect solution to both

 

[Steve R]

How long would the 'milk' last Toddy?

 

[Toddy]

It's so easily made that I just make it as I need it, and ground almonds last for years. I treat it just like milk tbh. I keep it cold and I don't leave it hanging around. I've never had it go off so I'm not much help there I'm afraid.
It thickens stews and makes 'cream of' soups. The hazelnut stuff is tasty but not quite so milky.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Toadflax]

and ground almonds last for years.

So why does someone in my house keep throwing out packs of nuts and dried fruit because they have gone a month or two beyond their sell by date? We never had sell by dates when I was growing up, but we had something else...

...now what was it called...

...ah yes, common sense!


Geoff

 

[xylaria]

Niether me or my daugther can drink cows milk, so I end up bringing soya baby powder when out. It is expensive and when she was a toddler i took her off it because it gave her symptoms of precocious puberty (soy has avery high phyto-oestrogens). I don't really don't wont drink it on health and environmental grounds.

I will be out buying almond powder today, and experimenting. I have cooked with it but never thought about making milk. Thank you very much this will make a big differance to us

 

[Toddy]

Basically two heaped pudding spoonsful to a generous half a pint of warm water and let it soak. Strain through a hankie or the like when out or a fine seive at home. You *can* get a second wash from the nuts, maybe threequarters of a mugful, but it's thinner stuff....think skimmed milk.
This is usually a good time of year to start looking for special offers on ground almonds and hazelnuts, and I stock up. They're not cheap but they can be bought in bulk from cash & carry stores too if you really take to it.

Rarely you might get an awfully *almondy* scented bag but the milk is fine.

With all the talk of nut allergies around it's almost as though the rest of us have to apologise for eating them Silly really, they are an incredible resource.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[xylaria]

.

With all the talk of nut allergies around it's almost as though the rest of us have to apologise for eating them Silly really, they are an incredible resource.

cheers,
Toddy

AAgggh my niece has nut allergy, luckily they never visit. My brother house is spotless and mine isn't. His daughter needs to carry an eppy pen in case someone else eats a snickers, and my daughter can eat milk chocolate in moderation. Nowt wrong good clean dirt.

Thanks for the recipe.

 

[match]

I've made a couple of alternative milks from recipes I've found online for a vegan friend - rice milk and oat milk. Both worked well, but both had their downsides (rice milk can be a bit 'grainy' and oat milk tastes of porridge - which may or may not be a problem! )

Rice Milk
-------------

Cook a cup of rice for at least 25-30 minutes - until quite soft and sludgy. Strain off but keep the water and add 4 cups of the hot water to 1 cup of hot rice. Put into a blender and blend for 3-5 minutes until fairly smooth. Leave to stand for at least 30 minutes, then pour off, being careful to leave the thicker sediment behind.

Oat Milk
-------------

Same as above, but 2 cups cooked oatmeal to 4 cups water. Optionally add a banana and blend for 2-3 minutes.


EDIT: My vegan friend has also told me that in Mexico there is a drink called Horchata which is made from rice, nuts or other grains cooked with spices and sugar and blended up which is commonly sold in cafes and restaurants. There are several recipes online for this.

 

[nicodiemus]

I always get really depressed when i see children having to carry / use an epipen.

Great advice there, Toddy. I might give it a go just to see what happens!

 

[BOD]

What a clever question!

And a great answer Toddy. Best discovery of the year!

 

[Tengu]

It is and all. Nuts are one of the bestest foods ever.

Why has no one mentioned coconut milk yet?

 

[Toadflax]

Thanks everyone for the interesting and informative replies.

If I'm thinking British countryside /woodland, it seems that there probably isn't really much occuring naturally that is going to give a milk substitute (we have Toddy's hazelnuts when available), so maybe before we domesticated animals, an equivalent to milk wasn't part of the diet. Teas and tisanes were presumably drunk simply as flavoured water. I wonder what modern hunter gatherers do?

I can't imagine a good cup of tea without milk, but if I didn't know anything different...



Geoff

 

[Jodie]

Is soya milk off the menu or am I murdering the planet if I drink it? It's so tasty, but I
can manage without. I love milk in all its forms, skimmed, semi-skimmed, cheese,
cream, creme fraiche, dairy dairy dairy

But Toddy has shifted me towards organic where possible.

I can't wait to try almondnutmilk and hazelnutmilk, that sounds great.

 

[Tengu]

Soya milk is vile.

 

[Spikey DaPikey]

I'm now thinking about a hazelnut and banana milkshake

 

[xylaria]

I have tried the almond milk.

It was proper nice.

After making it I tried the second wash milk, and added coco and mascovdo sugar this time. now that was really good. The kids loved it aswell. I ate the paste that was in cheesecloth and that was really very nice too.

Hazelnut milk coco must be like been smacked about by lovelyness of hot nutella I guess.

 

[Roibeard]

Thanks everyone for the interesting and informative replies.

If I'm thinking British countryside /woodland, it seems that there probably isn't really much occuring naturally that is going to give a milk substitute (we have Toddy's hazelnuts when available), so maybe before we domesticated animals, an equivalent to milk wasn't part of the diet. Teas and tisanes were presumably drunk simply as flavoured water. I wonder what modern hunter gatherers do?

I can't imagine a good cup of tea without milk, but if I didn't know anything different...



Geoff

I doubt hazel milk or an equivalent was part of the hunter gathers diet at all.
I remember reading in "Ishi in two worlds" the story of Ishi, the last hunter gather in the US.
He disliked any cloudy soup. Tea, soups and stews all had to be clear.
He was really particular it about, he was almost suspicious of cloudy foods.

Rob

 

[Matthew.Passmore]

How do you go about grinding the nuts, coffee grinder? what would you use out in the bush?

do you think it would work with acorns after the tannins had been broken down by roasting?