On the topic of raw milk...I am going to a new place, (just went this morning actually), but I've noticed that the cream has not risen to the top since putting it in the fridge this morning. It's been about 6 months since I've tried the raw milk, (it is out of the way in my errand running loop, so I've been avoiding it), and I forget how long it takes for the cream to rise. It also tastes different than my last supplier (better actually). Is it really raw milk?

Also as a side note...I have been successfully soaking grains! Oats, rice, quinoa, and barley so far (the whole grains). We LOVE barley. I haven't tried soaking flour yet, but that is on my menu plan for this weekend to try with swedish pancakes...I hope my recipe alteration works or I am going to have a sad husband and daughter Saturday morning;o). I'll have to read up on your recipes and soaking techniques for flours.

I don't have much in my freezer with meats but I am going to work at stretching what I have and using what I have in my pantry for the next month. It is on my agenda tomorrow to work up an inventory and menu for the rest of the month of April.

Thanks to you and Crystal for the inspiration.

Blessings,
Michele

Jen, the way I get my Azure is by having it sent to a US drop point and then picking it up. I am also blessed to have my MIL live in the Seattle area, so I plan my orders around visits to and from her, which makes it easy. But when I need to pick it up, I use a drop point near the border. They will ship to Canada, but of course, the shipping is more pricey.

Sarah, great question about raw milk's safety (and the "nutrition nerd" in me loves to ask questions like that, too :). Here is an excellent article on the merits and safety of raw milk:
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/02/raw-milk-discussing-its-merits-and-safety.html
And also an older post of my own, with some good links in it:
http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2008/01/is-raw-milk-rea.html

Alexis, I think that raw milk would be an excellent option for you during your pregnancy (congrats!), provided you can find a good, clean source of it. Check out the links above to find some guidelines for what to look for. Also, look at the site:
http://www.realmilk.com/
Here you can try to locate a source of raw milk near where you live. This is how I found the cow share where I purchase my milk. As for cost, mine is very expensive (about $17.50 CAN per gallon). However, if you are American, it is available in many places for much less than that. I know that in WA (for example) you can buy it at some health food stores for about $10 a gallon, or as little as $7-$9 per gallon straight from the farmer.

Taylor, I only wish that pic was my own! It's from stock xchng. :) I did my own canning this summer (applesauce, tomatoes, peaches, jam, pickles) but it didn't look quite that beautiful. One day, I hope!

Nola, I couldn't handle squash much this pregnancy either. I'm finally starting to feel ready to eat it, and I have about 8 big spaghetti squash from my garden still sitting there! LOL!

Raven, I also find that my 5 dozen eggs last without going bad, until we finish them (usually about a month, sometimes a little less). I also freeze organic store-bought milk for yogurt and kefir, and think it works just fine. My milk from the cow share comes weekly (that's just how it works, so I have no choice but to pick it up each week), so that's why I'll still need to go out to get that.

Instead, we'll eat frozen veggies from the recesses of the freezer. We'll eat some of those gallons of dried fruit I've made in the last few months. We'll stretch that last dozen eggs into only the necessary baking recipes. I'll make everything from scratch, and we'll eat a LOT of beans and rice. ;)

This is probably a good exercise for all of us to do once in a while: leave aside your favorite meals in order to clean up the remnants of what you already have. Prevents waste....

I freeze milk, btw, and I find my 5 doz. eggs last all month without going bad. :)

I'll see how it goes and maybe do more months like this. Mainly this means my freezer for me. I did go through the freezer though and discovered a few things that shocked me: one was we hardly have any more blueberries, but we have TONS of strawberries. We also have almost no beans left. I keep meaning to do an inventory list as I put stuff in with a list of when I can use it like my MIL does (counting out what you have and rationing it over the winter on a list). This year it was all I could do to put it in the freezer! I need to use up a lot of squash, pumpkin, and peppers...couldn't eat them while pregnant for some reason.

We too need to eat out of our pantry a bit and get rid of some of the older stuff I stocked up on before it expires. It is no deal if you pay for it and then throw it away!