Team TLSP Road Trip to MooJesus!
28. Dec, 2009 
3 Comments
It’s illegal to buy raw milk in the state of Texas, but to be Paleo with our milk it must be raw. You can buy raw milk on the farm from the owner, so off we went. We picked this raw dairy out of a list of many (some closer to Austin) raw dairies simply because of its name: MooJesus!
But perhaps it was some sort of divine intervention, as 1/2 of Team TLSP ventured to Seguin, Texas for raw milk adventures and ended up finding kindred spirits.
Video footage forthcoming of the entire trip, but it started with a gaggle of giggly girls half-afraid MooJesus! was a cult (would we come back named MooLyssa, MooLisa, MooVeronica?). As we bump-bump-bumped down a dirt road past the first set of EverythingJesus! gates with giant iron crosses and then past a second, matching, gate, we joked that the road to Heaven sure is bumpy. Then we were inside, and signs pointed us to MooJesus! Nervously we got out and went inside a small house.
Inside, we were excitedly greeted by Pastor Gina, who as the matriarch of a multiple-generation family must be older than she looks. She was bringing in fresh lettuce from the garden. Sheldon, her sweet son close to our ages, brought us price lists for ordering the dairy products, and said he’d start us on dinner. Grandma was around too. The whole family was joyful, light of spirit.
It was a wonderful thing to experience, the radiant, shiny, unadulterated happiness that emanates from people who are truly content.
Sheldon spent much time talking with us, but not before he brought us these:
Whey-to-go drinks made of fresh pineapple, ginger, and whey. AWESOME!
While we perused the products (do I want whey? what is whey? I want buttermilk. What do I use buttermilk for? How much milk are you getting?), Sheldon began to urge us to eat more butter. Sheldon, we argued, we love butter! We eat Paleo, so we’re all about good fats. Naturally, this hurtled us into a nutrition conversation the likes of which few enjoy, but we simply ate (erm) up. Sheldon was well versed in Weston A. Price, handing us pamphlets, and also giving us book recommendations. We captured some of his opinions on film, but he got shy with the camera out.
He brought us bread and butter:
Easily my favorite part of the meal. The bread is of sprouted wheat, sprouted and ground right in their kitchen. The butter was rich, creamy, salty, sweet, light–in other words, amazing. The sprouted grain bread sent us off into a discussion about sprouted grains, what it does for your body, and if it’s Paleo or not. Sheldon launched into a long metaphor about mechanics, overalls, and tuxedos: the grain is like a mechanic wearing a tuxedo with overalls over it to cover the tux while he does the dirty work. But when you take off the overalls, a beautiful tuxedo is revealed. His main point was this: “Make sure you get the overall off, you want that tuxedo on your plate.”
Why yes, yes I do want a tuxedo on my plate.
A fresh salad with pomegranate balsamic dressing. Delish!
Gina brought us out dinner, a sprouted grain veggie patty served on a portabella mushroom cap with a side of ground beef and a dollop of avocado (for good fat).
Gotta love a place that serves ground beef as a side just because they want you to taste the happy cow. Pastor Gina says, “That’s fresh meat. I could tell you the name of the cow … nah, that’s too personal.” The beef was good, but the sprouted grain patty was really good. Of course, by now we’re totally stuffed because we’ve devoured whey drinks, yogurt (not pictured), bread, butter, and salad, but it was too good to listen to our bellies: we cleaned our plates. (Dinner: $20)
And then we waited while they prepared our orders. While we came for raw milk, I left with the milk, buttermilk (what DO I do with it?), whey, yogurt, butter, bread, sprouted grain flour, 5 pounds of ground beef, 2 pounds of brisket, and 1 1/2 pounds of tenderloin. And sans $154. But happy to be in with raw dairy for the next couple of weeks! My other team members ordered more meat, and a few other things–cheese, cream. Overall, we left with three GIANT boxes of loot.
As for our fears of being converted to EverythingJesus! religion? Completely unfounded. We prayed before dinner. Pastor Gina mentioned once, in all earnest excitement, that she thanks God for bringing us (three beautiful girls, thanks Pastor Gina!) to the ranch.
Pastor Gina told us a story about a group of underprivileged kids that came out to the ranch. She had all these educational activities planned but when she saw how excited they were just to be outside, she scrapped it all and just let them run around the ranch. Their supervisors were nervous, but Gina said they can’t hurt themselves, let them enjoy the land and explore on their own.
At its base, Gina’s actions are that of a generous parent, full of respect and trust for her children. But ultimately her actions are also a huge metaphor for religion, and I’d imagine the way she runs her church: bring the parishioners to (Moo)Jesus, and let them enjoy the land and explore on their own.
Bottom line: they won’t try to convert you, they’ll serve you an awesome meal, and you’ll walk away with 14 pounds of beef you didn’t know you needed, plus 3 gallons of milk products. Obviously a total win.
Insider tips:
- Call Pastor Gina at (830)491-8557 to let her know you’re coming.
- Order your goodies ahead by calling or emailing using their grocery list.
- It’s about an hour and a half away. Enjoy a leisurely dinner. Plan accordingly.
MooJesus! at EverythingJesus! Ranch
12061 FM 466
Seguin, TX 78155
Author Info
This was an amazingly fun trip. MooJesus! Is one of the happiest places I’ve been to, and I can’t wait to go back once I carve out some more room in my freezer.
I will say, however, that this trip solidified what I ahve been suspecting for a while- my body does not like dairy. While everything tasted delicious, I started feeling pretty sick later that night- nauseous, sweaty, extremely bloated. I am not saying this to discourage anyone from trying raw dairy- I truly believe that if you are going to consume dairy it is healthiest raw and from grassfed cows. However, it’s also important to pay attention to your body and know what is good for you. Taking on the paleo challenge allowed me to identify dairy as a major irritant to my system. So, I won’t be going back for the dairy, but I definitely plan to visit again for the grassfed meats and great conversation.
That said, leave us a message in the comments if you are interested in joining on the next trip, or possibly placing an order that we could pick up for you!
Bravo to our resident writer! Excellent article. =) I, too, had a great time on our MooJesus adventure. 8 hours after we initialy departed, I arrived home with milk, butter, whey, cheese, yogurt, ground beef, tenderloin, sprouted wheat flour, sprouted wheat bread, and buttermilk (I mix it in scrambled eggs. Other southern and decidedly NON-PALEO uses include buttermilk biscuits, pancakes, and batter for frying).
Although I didn’t have the adverse reaction that Lisa mentioned (perhaps it was the grain and not the dairy?), I have come to terms with the fact that some of the items I bought are better left off my grocery list. Not because they weren’t delicious–trust me, everything was–but because they won’t help me maintain my goals. Take, for instance, the sprouted wheat bread. Yes, by all accounts, sprouted grains are indeed Paleo, however, they are still very high in carbs. Although I might indulge in an occassional loaf and freeze it, we all know that over-indulgence of this yummy treat will lead to a little extra junk in the trunk. On the other hand, it’s winter right? A little extra padding might be advantageous….er…in a survival of the fittest type of way.
Definite keepers, however, include the butter and the meats. I LOVE butter, and this butter, well, Lyssa calls it heavenly; I call it orgasmic! YUM!
I can’t wait to go back.