Milks

6/30 Days of Sacred Cacao

Got milk?

Yeah! what one do you want, raw cow, coconut, oat, hemp, almond, rice...?

With so many options for milks on the shelves and in the fridge its hard to know what milk to try 1st and which one you like best. Its also a challenge to know weather to make your own or go with premade.

I've done a little of the hard work for you in the tasting department and the making sections of milk choice. I have a few favs, but by no means is my current list exhaustive, there are way more options out there in the world of plant based milks, and depending on where you are in the world animal milks can be a broad and interesting discovery.

A few milks I haven't tried yet, in case you need more inspo are...

• Camel

• yak

• buffalo

• sheep

• walnut

• chickpea

• hazelnut

• sesame seed

I have tried

• cashew

• soy

• macadamia

• raw goat

• barley

• oat

• almond

• coconut

• hemp seed

• rice

• raw cow

The ones in pink, I like and have made. I have tried home made cashew and macadamia as well as store bought, not a fan.

Oat is where its at for me if raw cow milk isn't available. (it rarely is) Oats are really creamy the closest I've found to whole milk in texture and taste.

Then Hemp seed milk is next, its nutty and lightly earthy.

Almond is ok, but I seem to bloat with almonds and its a bit on the watery side. I'll use it cooking but not in my drinks.

Coconut milk is a nice choice too in cacao, but can be over whelmingly coconutty. Its think and creamy and smells good too.

Rice adds a touch of sweetness but like almond is on the watery side. I also prefer to cook with rice milk than drink it.

Milk is by far not essential in the making of a beautiful cup of sacred cacao, but oh my does it make it a little more luxurious and smooth when we do use it.

When I make a strong ceremonial cup of sacred cacao I use less milk so I get the richest deepest flavour to really anchor into the magic of cacao..

In my day to day ritual use I add far more milk, sometimes I only use milk and no water too, think Cacao latte. mmm.

Having tried a few store bought milks, and having made many milks with the exception of coconut and raw cow/goat milks, I personally feel that home made is way yummier. Its not any more time consuming than going to the store and buying it and its way cheaper with the added bonus of being kinder to Mamma Earth and knowing exactly what is in it.

How to make any plant based milk.

Tools

• Cheese cloth or cotton tea towel, canvas or other natural fabric you can strain though. You can purchase nut milk bags specifically for this, I choose to use good ole cheese cloth folded 3 times.

• A blender. I have used a bullet style blender before for small batches, works a charm if you want to make small batches or are happy to repeat the process for a bigger batch.

• A large jug or vessel to strain your nut milk into

• A large jug or containers to store your milk in the fridge.

Ingredients

Yield's approx 3-4 cups

1:3 ratio

• 1 cup of nuts, grains, or seeds

• 3 cups of filtered water

• 1/4 teaspoon of coconut oil or hemp seed oil. (helps the milk stay emulsified)

Method

1. 1st you will want to soak your nuts, seeds or grains in filtered water over night, to help remove enzymes and other digestion inhibitors, it also helps blend smoother. You can go one more step further and sprout your nuts, seeds and grains if you like. I don't do this, I just soak.

2. Drain the soaking water

3. Add the 3 filtered cups of water into the blender then add in the nuts, seeds or grains.

4. Blend for about a min. Oats I prefer to do 30 seconds of short bursts to prevent sliminess.

5. Add in the oil in the last few seconds of blending to emulsify.

6. Over your large jug or vessel, lay the cheese cloth or nut bag over it and then pour the milk through to catch all the fibrous parts. You can save the pulp and use in your cooking, muffins are a great use or make a body scrub with a little coconut, olive or hemp seed oil and cacao, mmm lush.

7. Once strained pour the milk into your storage jar or jug and store in the fridge for around 3 days for best results but you can store it for about 5 its up to you, longer than 5 the milk starts to separate and isn't as fresh tasting. Use left over milk in the garden.

And that's it. Soak, Blend, Strain, Enjoy!

Have a play with combo's like oat and almond, or hemp and rice, why not 3 milks in one, nut seed and a grain. Go on go wild!

Thanks for reading cacao pod and I hope you find my recipe enjoyable, keep it simple I say.

What milks do you enjoy in your cacao, tell me about it below in the comments.