In Pennsylvania, Amish dairy farmers keep camel herd, sell milk

[liberalnurse]

I live in rural central PA which has a large Amish population. A few weeks ago I was driving by an Amish neighbors farm and I thought I saw a camel in the field. I said something to my husband and then forgot about it. Today I drove by and saw not just one camel but a whole herd. When I got home I told my son and he said no way. He said they have to be Llamas or Alpacas. He took the short ride with me and sure enough they're definitely camels.
http://www.ydr.com/state/ci_23655505/pennsylvania-dairy-farmers-keep-camel-herd-sell-milk

A few years ago, a friend at the Bird-in-Hand Fire Company told Stoltzfus that he had a cousin in Turbotville, in Northumberland County, who had a camel herd and was selling the milk, which some people believe is helpful for children with autism or people with diabetes.

Stoltzfus was looking for natural remedies for his son.

He got in touch with Noah Peachey, who was operating the state's only camel dairy at the time, and purchased some of the milk. He and his wife felt that the milk improved their son's temperament

I live in Northumberland County only 12 miles or so from Turbotville and the farmer mentioned in the article. Seems my neighbor is following suit.

From another article:

Benefits of Camel Milk http://heatherh104.hubpages.com/hub...els-for-Camel-Milk-The-Benefits-of-Camel-Milk


•Camel milk is the closest milk to human mothers milk making it easy to tolerate. In many countries camel milk is given to babies suffering from malnutrition.

•Camel Milk has three times more vitamin C than cow milk

•Camel milk has ten times the iron count versus cow milk

•Camel milk contains 10 times the amount of antibacterial and antiviral properties over cow milk

•Camel milk contains insulin like protein that survives the digestive tract and may benefit people with certain forms of diabetes

•Camel milk contains disease-fighting immunoglobulins which are small in size allowing penetration of antigens and boosting the effectiveness of the immune system

•Camel milk improves the quality of life for those with autoimmune disorders helping the immune system respond properly and no longer attacking a persons own body tissue

•Camel milk is a whole food. This means it has enough nutrients to sustain a person through the day

•Camels milk is lower in cholesterol than cow milk

•Camel milk is rich in potassium and minerals such as sodium and magnesium

•Camel milk is a natural source if Alpha-Hydroxide acids which are known to smooth fine lines and "chubby" the skin

•Camel milk can be used as a precautionary in ulcers

 

[I<3Liberty]

I don't live near there and haven't seen any camels, but I've visited some of the areas with lots of Amish people and saw the lama and alpaca farms. Either way, they're both part of the camelid family. Someone bought me alpaca socks from a local person that makes them. The socks are great because they're warmer and more health and environmentally friendly than acrylic and you can wear them with dress boots without forgoing the comfort of Uggs. ^_^

The author of that article didn't back up these facts with credible resources. I'm not buying all of the 'miracle' health benefits, but I have no doubts it's better than the pasteurized milk from factory farms most people buy. One of the nice things about living in PA is the abundance of local, organic, and less processed foods. Even in the suburbs and urban areas, there are so many natural-eating 'hippie' stores and Weis which carries more local stuff than most of the other grocery stores.