The Cotters - Gainesville, FL

We showed up in Gainesville on an overcast afternoon. It was a bit drizzly and cold. Until we were enveloped in hugs from 4 year old Hoyt. He clamored to show us his garden, his toys and his house. uh-huh.

His parents run Cotter Industries:

Cotter Industries, a small family-owned company, offers high-quality, home-based manufacturing services, and a catalogue of the products that result. We currently offer custom machined embroidery, and an expanding line of reflective apparel for cyclists.

We were scooped up by domestic goddess, Momma Jen into her kitchen where we made a picnic feast to end all picnic feasts. We were going to watch Husband Bryan play in a bicycle polo match at the local park, just down the street. Immediately afterwards we were swept up into a frenzy and attended a Roller Derby match (Barbies vs. The Goths).
Oh-Em-Gee.


So much fun. This dinner was about sharing, connecting -- as much with the food from the earth as it was with the people creating and sharing the meal. Momma Jen massages her vegetables into submission, treats her milk with kindness and adulation and understands the importance of flavors that are expressive of their natural habit.


No manufactured flavors to be anywhere. She was teaching son Hoyt what food tastes like in its natural state and how to appreciate natural textures and nature's bounty.

Sour Milk Cornbread
"I get raw milk on the blackmarket!" - Jen Cotter

1. Take Raw Milk and let it sit out in a jar for a few days to sour. Make sure you set it in a cool, dark place. This milk must be raw = unpasteurized.

2 Cups stone ground corn meal
3 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Sour Milk
1 Cup Raw Corn Kernals
1 tsp salt and baking soda
2 tblsp butter
2 tblsp additional butter
Preheat Oven to 450 degrees

2. Blend the 3 eggs in a mixing cup. Add the eggs to the corn meal in a lrge bowl and Fold. Add milk to the bowl and fold into the mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon. Begin adding dry ingrediants and continue stirring. Add butter. Add Corn.


3. Meanwhile heat cast iron skillet, melting additional butter. When hot, add contents of mixing bowl to skillet. Let sit in pan for 2-3 minutes to brown on bottom.

4. Pop skillet in preheated oven and let bake for 1/2 an hour or until golden brown and a toothpick slides cleanly through the corn bread.

Slice and serve warm.


"Raw Milk. I love it! Right now in Florida it can only be sold as "pet food" and rarely reaches the grocery store shelf. But we're lucky and can buy ours from a friend . . . on the blackmarket. I want to tell all my friends about the virtues of raw milk, but I'm conflicted by the short supply. On the one hand, there's not much to go around - so I don't want to get people excited about what they can't have - but then, more demand is what creates more supply."- Jen Cotter