NYC Greenmarket Diva

Did I ever tell you about my friend Elly? She's at the Union Square Market each day it is open. Her farm, Patches of Star Dairy, produces some of the best goat products I have ever tasted. She has several varieties of goat cheese—raw aged havarti and edam, and ricotta—as well as yogurts and amazing ice cream. I love her cranberry-almond chevre on my morning bagel or the plain salted chevre in my salad for lunch. The kids love their Friday night pizza topped with the aged havarti.

Why goat cheese? One major reason is that goat's milk is much more digestible than cow's milk. Actually, and this may come as no surprise to you, we are neither baby goats nor cows, and were not designed to digest milk from other mammals. Enzymes in our digestive tract that break down the protein in the milk disappear by the time we are adults—that's why some of us have lactose intolerance. The protein in goat's milk is similar to the protein in human milk and our bodies are able to understand and digest it better. It also is less likely to trigger our immune system and cause allergies. In the end, the nutrients are easier to assimilate and use by our bodies. Stephanie Clark, a dairy researcher at Washington State University says, “Goat cheese is very nutritious, and adds a nice variety to the dairy products that are out there.”