Author Archive | Emily Gouge

Krsna Rajalingam, founder of Basik Chocolates, is a chocolatier and Maleny Dairies, Real Cream fanatic. His amazing creations are made using fresh, local ingredients and are set to take over the Brisbane chocolate scene.

Quality not Quantity

Basik Chocolates begun in December 2016 with a low-key test sale. Krsna explains that all production is kept small-scale to maintain product quality. This quality over quantity philosophy is reflected in the chocolate’s ingredients.

Maleny Dairies Real Cream, for example, is pure cream with nothing added and nothing taken, hence the lack of an ingredients list.

With just 5 flavours that rotate every 60 days, Basik Chocolates are unique mouthfuls. Each chocolate has just two main flavours, a primary note and a subtle note.

Otherwise it gets too hipster, people lose focus as to what it really is.

Krsna reckons his passionate yet unpretentious attitude to food come from his Malaysian heritage;

Many Australians eat to live but Malaysians live to eat.

With tasting notes on the Basik Chocolates website to accompany each chocolate, Krsna is making eating a Basik Chocolate a real experience.

It Tastes Like…

Here at Maleny Dairies there is a phrase that is synonymous with our products ‘It tastes like it used to when I was a kid.’ Krsna’s goal is to evoke this feeling of nostalgia with each taste.

Nostalgia means a lot, the Lemon and Thyme White Chocolate tastes like having grandma’s lemon cheesecake.

Krsna’s decision to use Maleny Dairies Real Cream was born from his own fond memories of devouring the Maleny Dairies Chocolate Milk and Gold Top at the tuck shop.

Ingredients List

When asked what he values most in the ingredients chosen, Krsna’s agenda is clear;

I will go for something dearer if it means a higher quality product, for me the product quality is the most important thing.

For the Coffee and Vanilla Milk Chocolates, Krsna uses Maleny Dairies Real Cream and shots of espresso from a local coffee shop and for the Kaffir Lime and Sichuan Dark Chocolates Krsna can be found cleaning the wax off limes with hot water and a brush.

What goes into somebody’s body should be right, it should be good and natural; like Maleny Dairies un-homogenised milk, it is so beautiful, rich and textual, it is almost like a raw milk because it has been processed so little.

An Exact Science

Tempering, creating and finishing such high-quality chocolates is a very precise process, even the components that make up the ingredients used have an impact.

Krsna explains that most cream is around 35% fat and so when it is reduced to make ganache you can see the water splitting out from it. With Maleny Dairies Real Cream however, which is around 45.5% fat, Krsna can be sure he is giving people the best he possibly can.

I don’t even bother buying butter, I just whip the Real Cream in a Thermomix.

Through these delicious chocolates, Krsna is not only creating delight but also educating people on taste, quality and the provenance of food.

If they are not educated enough you’re duty bound to provide that information.

We share this ideal at Maleny Dairies and hope that as more people understand where their food comes from they will be better equipped to make smart, healthy and sustainable choices.

Many years ago, one of our customers, Mr P, let us know that our Real Cream was

“fantastic for making ice-cream due to its higher fat content making for a far creamier and richer flavour”.

Mr P even took the time to send us his recipe. We thought it was about time to share this with the world. Let us know how you go and don’t forget to send us some pictures!

Ingredients:

2 cups Maleny Dairies Real Cream

1 1/2 cups Maleny Dairies Full Cream Milk

8 egg yolks

1 cup caster sugar

4 teaspoons vanilla extract/essence or 1/2 vanilla pod

pinch of salt

Method:

1. In a medium saucepan over a low-medium heat, combine 1 1/2 cups of the cream and the milk and heat until hot but not boiling, stirring regularly. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. In a bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy (not grainy in texture). Slowly add the cream mixture until well combined.
3. Return the mix to saucepan and reheat over low-medium heat, stirring constantly until small bubbles form around the edges of the saucepan. Do not allow to boil.
4. Return the mix to the bowl and combine the extra cream, vanilla and salt. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
5. Using an ice-cream maker, churn/stir until desired consistency is reached. Serving immediately or freeze in an airtight container for at least 2-3 hours before serving.

Note: If you so not have an ice-cream maker you can pour the mix into an airtight container and freeze for 2-3 hours, removing from the freezer every 30 minutes and stirring the mix with a whisk, wooden spoon or electric mixer vigorously, making sure to break up any frozen sections to make the miz consistent. try to avoid letting water get into the mix, including any droplets formed by condensation during step 4.

If you’re looking for some ingredients see the My Berries website for berries and our Store Locator for all things dairy.

Don’t forget our Instagram competition! Post your favourite way to eat Maleny Dairies and My Berries products and be in the draw to win a hamper of our products!

*Competiton valid from 02/12/16 to midnight 09/12/16 *Make sure to tag Maleny Dairies and My Berries! *Hamper must be collected from Maleny Dairies, 70 McCarthy Rd.

Ingredients:

Make a crème anglaise. Do this by gently warming the full cream milk and vanilla in a sauce pan.  While warming, whisk yolks and sugar until pale in colour. Combine yolk mix and warm cream together and cook on low heat constantly stirring until the mixture coats the back of the spoon.

Pass through a sieve and let cool. Cover with a sheet of baking paper whilst the mixture cools so that it does not form a skin.

Once cool, churn mixture in an ice cream machine.  If you don’t have an ice-cream machine place mixture in freezer and stir every 20 minutes until frozen.

To make the Raspberry Ripple place the remaining ingredients in a pan. Bring to a gentle simmer then let cool.

When the ice cream is almost set fold through the ripple mix.  If refreezing, make sure that you pull your ice-cream out of the freezer 10 minutes before required.

Enjoy with good friends and send us a pic on Facebook or Instagram!

Jason and Lisa Rozynski and their two children, live and work just outside of Imbil on their Dairy Farm. After getting comfy on some hay bales, this farming family were keen to debunk the myths around farming and farmers.

Born and Bred

Jason, whose Grandmother was a dairy farmer in Maleny, is as rooted in farming as it gets;

“I’m 3rd generation born and bred, my Grandfather started dairying here in 1946.”

Lisa, on the other hand, married into the lifestyle and was under the impression that Jason was a mechanic. Lisa’s role, like most women, is multi-faceted. As well as looking after the children, managing admin for their business and helping Jason out when needed, Lisa also works at the local school which her children attend.

Dreams vs. Reality

Jason and Lisa are all too aware of the disparity between the reality of farming life and what the public perception is;

“You talk to people and their perception is that we go out and milk our cows in the morning and spend the rest of the day reading the newspaper and then go out milking again in the afternoon. The reality is there is so much more to it.”

Jason is aware of the growing respect for farmers and farming but believes there is some way to go in bridging the gap between reality and perception;

“There is a disconnect between farming and the general public. A lot of people have got on board with the ‘buy local stuff’ and that has helped highlight some of what’s going on. But people still ask, what did you do this weekend and they forget you worked all weekend.”

Passionate People

It is clear that to endure and be successful as a farmer, a genuine passion has to be present. Lisa reckons that without the passion that Jason has, it would be hard to get up at 3.30 in the morning and work all day.

For Jason, this is a life you have to be born into in a lot of ways;

“It’s not as though we’re bound by tradition and don’t want to do anything different, it’s that we love it. We’ve seen our fathers and grandfathers do it, you think, well, we are going to do the same and build the business.”

Jason has definitely succeeded; his grandfather started with around 90 cows and Jason, along with his father, have built their business to 500 cows and cattle.

The Good Bits

Although Lisa admits there are times when it would be easier if Jason were not a farmer, the couple were also keen to highlight the benefits of the life including Jason’s involvement with the kids;

“Because Jason worked at the farm and we lived here, he could see them grow, even if it was just 5 minutes at breakfast or lunch, which a lot of people would miss out on.”

Jason is also proud that his kids are growing up in a farming background which he reckons generally makes them better kids as they are older.

The Bad Bits

It’s obvious that farming is a lifestyle not a job but, according to Jason, it’s not for everyone;

“It’s a lifestyle but it’s a lifestyle not a lot of people want. They want to see the nice green paddocks and have some cows but they don’t want the floods, the droughts, the early mornings, the Christmas days, the weekends.”

Happy Cows

When asked about a farmer’s relationship with their livestock, Jason was keen to set the public straight;

“This is the thing that really bugs me with all these people online, saying how farmers are so cruel to their animals. We are the complete reverse, we get so sad if we lose one of our prize cows, it’s our livelihood and its money down the drain and it’s not what we want to see happen, we want them all to live long and happy lives.”

With 500 animals, the Rozynskis have resorted to only naming the stud calves. Each family member is given a letter the name has to start with and then a family debate ensues. 7 year old Payton, who wants to be a scientist, named the last stud calf ‘Belle’ after the princess from Beauty and the Beast.

The Future of the Farm

When asked about the future of the farm and whether the children will be the fourth generation of Dairy Farmer’s, Angus, 5, was excited to let everyone know he definitely would be. According to Lisa, Angus is already following Jason around the farm;

“He’d be out at 4:30am in the morning on a school day, we have to convince him to go to school. He’s mad keen.”

The Rozynski’s Imbil farm was created with the purpose of supplying Maleny Dairies and has endured, Jason reckons, through the support of customers who are willing to get behind a local brand;

“The support from the customers that have got behind the Maleny brand, it’s been terrific, there is no way we could’ve done what we’ve done without their support and that’s the thing that’s bought it all together for us.”

If you can tolerate dairy then you are lucky to have such a great quality product like the Maleny Dairies Farmer’s Choice (Gold Top) Guernsey Milk on the market. It has minimal processing & is only pasteurised which gives it that lovely old-fashioned cream on top, which my children love & battle for.

Breaking Down Dairy

It is high in Beta-Casein A2 protein, which is easily digested as opposed to A1 protein. It also provides an abundance of nutrients perfect for young children. It is what I choose for my family because I want my children to flourish and thrive, not merely survive.

Think about this, ‘you can either feed a disease or prevent one’ that is a powerful statement & when it comes to children we, as parents, have the single biggest impact on their health.

Children need good quality protein, fat & complex carbohydrates to provide them with the necessary nutrients for growth & development. Unsweetened dairy products provide an excellent source of nutrients.

Delicious and Nutritious

Just one serving of Maleny Dairies full cream milk provides nutrient rich fats. We absolutely need fats in our diet, they are essential! The fat is what contains fat-soluble vitamins.

• Vitamin A – which is required for optimal vision, immune health and for normal growth and development of body tissues.
• Vitamin D – plays a vital role in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus and is essential for healthy bones and teeth. Vitamin D is also a key nutrient involved in the immune system.
• Vitamin E – functions as an antioxidant and its roles in anti-inflammatory processes are integral to health.

There are also valuable water-soluble vitamins like the B group vitamins & vitamin C in dairy, which help with energy metabolism & concentration.

Information Overload

Children are growing in hyper speed & they require a lot of essential nutrients from their diet to support this growth & development. I know as a Mum there is a lot of information out there and marketing does not help the situation. My advice for any parent is to avoid as much processed food as possible & stick to whole foods.

Maleny Muscle Fuel Smoothie

Maleny Muscle Fuel Smoothie Recipe

My kids love smoothies, it is a great way to load them up with fuel.

2 cups of Gold Top Maleny Dairies Milk

1 banana

½ cup blueberries

½ cup plain Maleny Dairies yoghurt

4 brazil nuts

1 Tbsp chia seeds

A handful of spinach

Blend in a high-speed blender.

Serves two hungry hippos.

With love & health,

Nutrition By Gina Rose

nutritionbyginarose.com

Rob & Ann Cork, the owners of Wittacork Dairy Cottages, have been dairying for 24 years. Nestled in the stunning landscape surrounding Lake Baroon, the Cork’s farm has seen every twist and turn of the dairy industry and endured despite it all. Rob’s branch of the Cork family have been dairying in Maleny for over a century, going back to Rob’s great-grandfather. Rob’s father, Aub, owned the farm that is now part of the Wittacork Dairy, and with his twin brother Clarence, once owned the town milk run during the years surrounding world war two as well.

Dairy Deregulation and Diversification

To reach this secluded farm stay, guests must first traverse a winding dirt road which offers stunning, and distracting, views of the Sunshine Coast hinterland. The Wittacork Dairy Cottages were born from the need to diversify after deregulation of the dairy industry occurred in 2000.

“It changed the whole dynamic of the industry.”

Wittacork Farmyard.

Rob is sure that deregulation was the hardest thing the farm has faced, adding that Anne had to work full time, off farm for a few years, because the farm didn’t support the family at that time.

“The Hopper’s built a processing plant and we put in cottages.”

Apparently, everybody who comes here wants to see where their food comes from and hear the farmers’ side of the Dairy story.

The view from the dirt track that leads to the Cork farm.

Mad Dairy Marketing

The number one question the Cork’s get from tourists is what is ‘permeate free’ milk? Rob’s response, ‘Sounds like milk to me!’ is typical of his no-nonsense attitude to marketing in the dairy industry.

Wittacork Dairy Cottages, being a 15 minute drive from Maleny Dairies farm, allows people to see for themselves the process from the cow to the bottle. Rob says this is beneficial for the farmers and for the consumers as this rekindles a lost link between farm and table. Rob believes the big processors have lost this connection;

They reckon consumers don’t want cream on their milk but I’ve never met anyone who has said that.

Maleny Dairies

Supplying Maleny Dairies was an easy decision for the Cork family who say Maleny Dairies is better than any other company we’ve been with. Rob says there has been a slow strangulation of farm gate price over the last 15 years with the ‘big end of town’ deliberately stripping the dollar from the farmer. Anne says they didn’t want to continue supplying a large processor and would have shut the dairy down, if the option to supply Maleny Dairies had not presented itself.

The view over Lake Baroon from Wittacork Dairy Cottages at dawn.

Rob and Ann say they are more interested in dairy than they have been in 15 years and would really like the opportunity to produce more milk and have purchased more cattle and a property next door for this purpose.

“Resurgence of local milk is making a difference to us and I assume is making a difference to others around us. It’s been a fantastic year and we have been able to employ another person to help on the farm.”

Rob acknowledges Maleny Dairies’ fair treatment of its farmers;

“People wonder how this little company can go from strength to strength, it’s because people know they treat the farmers properly.”

Rob and Ann Cork with their dog Harry.