Buttermilk is by definition low-fat - it is the liquid left over after the butterfat has been removed, thickened by the introduction of bacterial cultures - hence the term 'cultured' buttermilk. What you're looking for doesn't really exist.

vytnas, we use whole milk keifer for every recipe that calls for buttermilk. It works great. It has a nice thick consistency and a good tangy flavor.

Lifeway is a local company whose keifer is available almost everywhere in this area. The trick is to find a place that stocks the "whole milk" kind, unflavored. This is called "Lifeway Original".

It's my understanding that Lifeway ships mixed boxes -- say 9 or 12 quarts in a box or something like that -- a mix of the different fruit flavors and full-fat, low-fat or fat free. If your local store carries Lifeway keifer, ask the manager to tell Lifeway to include the "Original" in the mix and it should show up.

Or you can find it fairly reliably at Produce World, Jerry's, Tony's, Marketplace on Oakton etc.

We use it for pancakes, muffins, anything baked, "buttermilk'-marinated fried chicken and more. Try it! --Joy

I detest buttermilk. My grandmother would down it by the glassful. I will concede that it is great in cooking and baking where it is largely at least to my mind, disguised. I am glad to know you can freeze it because so many cake recipes call for a small amount.

Cathy, was that homemade creme fraiche you brought to the dessert exchange with the clafouti? It was very good.

There is a wonderful article about buttermilk in the New York Times. It kind of reinforces my thinking that most of us have never seen or tasted actual buttermilk, no matter how many times we think we have bought some.

The photo with the milkmaid and her cows is just fabulous too. Look at the quality of that light!

Here is a quote: "...what few cooks know is that commercial buttermilk isn’t really buttermilk. It is made from regular low-fat or skim milk, usually low-grade rejects from cheese and butter companies. The milk is inoculated with cultures to make it acidic, and thickened with additives like locust bean gum and carrageenan. The result is a flattened facsimile of the real thing, as a ring tone is to a song. “There’s nothing wrong with it, but I wouldn’t want to drink it,” said Diane St. Clair, a dairy farmer in Vermont..."

There is a wonderful article about buttermilk in the New York Times. It kind of reinforces my thinking that most of us have never seen or tasted actual buttermilk, no matter how many times we think we have bought some.

great article, thanks. does anyone know of any farmer's markets that carry 'real' buttermilk? i remember my 1 year living in a dorm at the university of wisconsin in madison- the only good memory i have of the dorm cafeteria was the sunday buffet which offered buttermilk along side strawberries in syrup on the dessert table. i wasn't exactly sure what they intended us to do with it, but i remember drinking it by the glass and loving it. i suspect that it might have been the real thing. this was the '70's, and i've never tasted commercial buttermilk since that i'd want to drink straight up. though i use it often for baking.

justjoan, don't you wish you had a glass in your hand right now?

I second your question: Is there real buttermilk available anywhere in our area? yum.

Hell, just make it. Ferment a little cream if you like, whip it up, and you'll have both fresh butter and buttermilk. No big deal.

toria wrote:Cathy, was that homemade creme fraiche you brought to the dessert exchange with the clafouti? It was very good.

It was leftover from a Culinary Historians meeting, I believe it came from Trader Joe's.

I usually make it myself whenever I want some.

Regards,