hi friend,

in honor of nancy’s request: here’s how to make ghee (taught to me by ayurvedic friends fresh back from years-long stay, studying in India).

start off with frozen (this is my method at least, as i never have time to defrost!) UN-SALTED good-quality butter. please remember that the time you invest in making ghee is returned to you a thousand-fold if you get into the habit of using ghee, instead of butter. (ghee is the exact same stuff they serve with lobsters, by the way, “clarified butter.”)

put small saucepan on high flame as you unwrap the quarters of an entire (frozen or not) pound package. by the time you finish this task, it’s time to turn down the heat. 

when the melted butter starts to bubble, put heat down to a simmer, making sure you don’t leave the room. EVER!!! if you want to ruin the ghee, then leave. otherwise, use the next 15 minutes (or less sometimes) as a meditation. you have to catch the cooked ghee at precisely the exact moment, otherwise it … well, may not burn, but it can get plenty toasty, and it changes the taste from mellow to something nuttier.

as ghee cooks it make a “popping” noise. when the noise finishes, you know you’re close (anywhere from 10-20 minutes, depending on altitude, humidity, quality of butter). from then on it’s a matter of watching the bottom of the pan, seeing that the milk solids have dropped to the bottom (they appear as … you got it, CRUSTY SHIT!! at the bottom). this is the solid stuff you do not want clogging your veins, ever! when the noise stops, and the color turns a glorious golden brown — but before the crust residue on the bottom burns (it can take on a “burnt umber glow”) then you know your ghee is properly cooked.

pour through a simple tea strainer (ghee washes out easily) into a clean glass jar. allow to cool on your steel, porcelain, wood, or ceramic counter. put top on in a few minutes.

you never have to refrigerate ghee. try to put a tiny bit in your food every day. use on toast, in place of butter (but don’t bake or make cookies with it, it won’t work). the nutritional qualities are magnificent. check out www.ayurveda-foryou.com for more into. lord flea sings the glories of ghee. have made it lovingly for my family for over 15 years!

gotta go! off to a hatha yoga workshop for the entire weekend).

more later. here’s your little visual treat for the day, my beloveds.

in the Light, lord flea

a healthy, balanced person, gives Self the best nutrition, for body-soul-mind, everyday in everyway