While searching for the next big trend, my sources tell me butter sales are on the rise… More requests not only for traditional butter, but for more exotic types including goat milk butter and ghee, aka clarified butter…

My guess is it has something to do with the return of comfort foods which in my experience always go heavy on the butter…

I have to be honest, until today I had never heard of goat milk butter, but a little research turned up more than a few makers of the stuff…

So why goats milk?

According to several sites it not a problem for those with lactose issues, contains 13% more calcium than cow’s milk, 47% more vitamin A, 134% more potassium, 350% more niacin and never contains BGH…

Have a favorite butter, a fan of goat milk or some insight into where this is all headed, let us know in the comments section….

Last year it was all about pomegranates. You couldn’t and still can’t go into a grocery store without seeing row after row of new products containing pomegranate juice.

This year it seems from the folks I’ve spoken with, cheese is the new pomegranate juice.

Consider the following anecdotal evidence…


I spoke with numerous checkers over the past few weeks from three different grocery chains who reported cheese flying off the shelves… And keep in mind checkers are pretty numb to what passes by them… It takes a lot to catch their eye…

The launch of Culture magazine… A magazine devote to cheese…

Several of the major food makers are expecting huge jumps in the sales of mac and cheese this year…

Cheese shops I spoke with tell me there has been no drop in cheese sales, higher end cheeses are selling still selling well and there has been a big increase in folks asking about American Artisan Cheeses.

Then there’s the predicted trend of a return to comfort foods… Which includes mac & cheese as well as cheese burgers.

We would love to hear your thoughts on the trend, or if you have a favorite cheese use the comments section to promote it…

And if you just find you can’t get enough cheese stories, I found this video by Jeffrey Roberts, author of The Atlas of American Artisan Cheese…

Title: Tee Mamou-Iota Mardi Gras Folklife Festival
Location: Iota, Louisiana
Link out: Click here
Description: Throughout the day, Cajun and Zydeco bands play on the main stage featuring the only raised dance floor in the area. Another stage features the area\’s finest young musicians playing Cajun music. The festival also offers the most delicious Cajun foods and a variety of Cajun crafts.

The highlight of the day is the arrival of the Tee Mamou Courir de Mardi Gras riding through town in the Mardi Gras wagon. The brightly colored costumes are topped off with screen masks and capuchons which hide each persons identity. The courir will then gather on the main stage along with the capitaine, Todd Fruge, to sing their traditional European chant in French that is dated back 400+ years. Once the song is completed, the Mardi Gras descend onto the street like a colorful wave, dancing with any available ladies and begging for loose change.
Start Time: 8:30
Date: 2009-02-05
End Time: 17:00

I’m not sure when you have to stop making food prediction for 2009, but today’s list comes from Reuters news service…

A good list highlighted by a entry called, Recession Diets… It makes the case that foods that are bad for you are cheaper to eat… Translation, “we’re all going to start eating crap.”

Put aside the fact that organic potatoes are 99 cents a pound, while a one pound bag of potatoes chips is $2.49… We don’t have to go the lazy person’s route… Plenty of good options out there…

My favorite recession fact to share is that the Safeway just down the street from my office offers every Friday what I call the recession special… They’ll post a notice on the door in either pink lipstick or on a sheet of white paper announcing what you can get on Friday for $5… see photo above