First time user of Buttermilk

[Sylvia]

I have came across the occasional recipe calling for buttermilk, but have never been able to buy buttermilk. I have raved on and on about vinegar, but didn't realize that all I needed to do to get buttermilk was add a tbsp of vinegar to a cup of milk. I tried Suehorne's recipe for Ms. Maddie's Biscuits this afternoon and was blown away when the milk just magically turned to buttermilk. Remember I have led a sheltered life. Ron thought Sue's biscuits were great - reminded him of the biscuits and creamed beef he had when he ate at the mess in Riyadh. I of course was expecting the biscuits to be crunchy - such a fool. I will try Sue's dip but used one of my own this time and had few a with humous. There aren't many left and remember there's just the two of us. I really should have halved the amount.

When I mentioned this to Ron needless to say he disagreed and said it may not turn out so good if I mess with the amounts. Men!??

Sylvia446

[Chris in NM]

Sylvia, you could also use lemon juice (same amount) instead of vinegar and get the same results. I do this all the time!

[Sylvia]

Hi Chris

I have come across the alternative a few times in the last month, but at certain times of the year lemons and limes are really expensive here in Scotland, in fact they are never cheap. You can't go for a walk as in many countries and pick them from the wild trees. We can get lemon juice in plastic Jif containers and in bottles, I sometimes use one or tother in the winter for jams or jellies to up the pectin content. Pectin is another product that we have difficulty getting.

Vinegar is still relatively cheap so in the meantime I will stick to the cheapest.

Really don't know why we can't buy buttermilk, it's one of the few dairy products we can't get locally.

Sylvia446

[Chris in NM]

Sylvia, if you can find a bottle of lemon juice, that is even better when lemons are so expensive! That's what I use.