Lancaster residents Bev Martin and Nancy Rohrer recently launched their business, Simply Ghee, to provide consumers a healthy and naturally delicious alternative to cooking oils and regular butter. As the first Pennsylvania-sourced and produced ghee, this purified essence of butter is often considered a wise choice in conscious eating, because the milk solids, lactose and moisture have been removed via a slow heating process. The practice of using clarified, premium butter oil originated in South Asia thousands of years ago and became popular in the ayurvedic traditions of Indian and Pakistani cultures.

Martin and Rohrer’s ghee is handcrafted from pure, organic and unsalted sweet cream butter, made from the milk of grass-fed cows in Lancaster County. With a smoking point of 486 degrees Fahrenheit, the highest of all oils, ghee does not burn; it is very shelf-stable and does not require refrigeration.

According to tradition, one teaspoon can enhance digestion and add butter flavor to any meal. Nutrition researcher and writer Michael Ravensthorpe says ghee—a pure saturated fat, which should be consumed in moderation—is rich in antioxidants that aid in the absorption of minerals and vitamins from other foods. It also contains a high concentration of butanoic acid, a fatty acid found in butter, which Ravensthorpe says has antibacterial and anti-cancer properties.

For more information, call 717-587-6841, email [email protected] or visit SimplyGhee.com or Facebook.com/SimplyGhee.