Making butter

Some of you had questions about home-churned butter.  If you'd like to try it yourself, buy some whipping cream at the store, put it in a jar or other container that seals tightly, and start shaking.  Make sure the jar isn't over half full; One-third full is probably ideal.  The faster and harder you shake the container, the sooner you'll have butter.  My daughter used to work at a day-care, and they would let the children make a small amount of butter all by themselves, giving them each a quart jar with a half-pint of cream.  
It's so easy, even a child could do it, as the old saying goes. 
Does it taste fantastic?  It does if you like butter, because that's what it tastes like.  Butter. 
Do I salt my butter?  I used to, and for spreading on toast and such I actually prefer it salted.  However, since I store it in the freezer these days, I leave the salt out.  
As you can imagine, since we are two people in their sixties who can't quite keep their weight where it should be, one of whom has had heart issues, we don't consume a lot of butter.  That's why I deemed 1/3 cup portions to be about right for our table use (and popcorn use).  
When the butter is churned, you're left with buttermilk, but it is nothing like cultured buttermilk you buy in the store.  It's only suitable for using in baked goods.  And since I'm STILL bringing in a gallon of milk every day (sigh), I have plenty of regular milk for cooking and baking.  
Yesterday the cow had less milk in her udder when she came up than she has ever had since this calf was born, so I am hoping against hope that he's starting to consume more milk.  When that happens, I'll only milk once or twice a week again, as I've done in the past; then I won't be making butter because there won't be all this excess cream I have now.  
*added later:  once again, I only got 1/2 gallon of milk.  Things are looking up.


If there are any more questions about home-churned butter, feel free to ask.

Lovely day for a ride

Since we rode the Gold Wing yesterday, I figured today was a day to get some things done.  

I sorted laundry and threw a load in the washing machine.  

I skimmed the cream off three gallons of milk and put it in my Dazey churn, which I bought off Ebay years ago, and is about the same age as I am.  I figured after Cliff and I took our walk, I'd churn butter.  
As we were getting ready to go for our walk, Cliff listed several things he could do out in the shop, then said, "But I'm seriously thinking about going for a ride to Jamesport; the Amish might be harvesting corn now."  
I took the top off the churn and covered the jar with foil.  I hung out the load of clothes I had washed.  I made a picnic lunch and made coffee for the thermos.  I went out and milked Bonnie-the-Jersey-cow.  
I left the piles of clothes on the floor and away we went.  

When we stopped by our favorite orchard just the other side of Lexington, the early Fujis they had were in ten-pound bags, and they didn't have any seconds.  $7.50 for a bag.  
"There are other orchards up the road," Cliff said.  
So we went on to Waverly, where nothing was labeled as #2, but all the Fujis looked terrible and could have been graded as #3:  sunburnt and cracked and ugly!  I worked at an orchard for many years, and I know what a good apple should look like.  They wanted $7.99 a bag, the same sized bag that Rasa Orchards were selling for $7.50, but their apples were good.  
Well, we weren't going to be coming home the same way, so I bought some ugly, overpriced apples.  But NEVER AGAIN!
We did have a lovely ride up 24 and 65 highways.  

There are lots of towns with buildings that look like this.  
We picnicked in Chillicothe, and then went to Jamesport.

When we saw a lady driving a horse-and-buggy, we knew we were almost there.  

We saw some Amish fellows getting ready to pick corn, but Cliff didn't stop to watch, even though there was a place near this where a car had pulled off the road.  Oh well, you aren't supposed to take pictures of them anyhow, so this one will have to do.  

Here you see a parking lot for horses.  All that dark stuff?  Horse poop.  
We did some shopping at an Amish store and came on home by a different route, Highway 13.  

We spent $21, but there's lots of good stuff here, and it was all much cheaper than in the store:  garbanzo beans, black beans, split peas (I'm making split pea soup tomorrow!), several different kinds of spices, popcorn, dried banana slices... I bought some of those last year, and loved them.  
Cliff says next year when we go up there, we're taking the motorcycle trailer.  
So, after a nice ride, I came home and looked at the clothes on the kitchen floor and decided to leave them there for tomorrow.  

I sat in my easy chair and churned butter.  

I got out a cookie sheet and measured out 1/3 cup servings of butter and a single one-cup serving that I'll use in baked goods of some kind.  Butter made from unpasteurized cream doesn't keep as long as store-bought butter, so I am freezing it in small amounts to keep it fresh.  
So, that's how my day went.  How was yours?
  

Churning butter

For most of my milking life, I did not use a churn; I preferred to put the cream in a gallon jug and shake it until the butter showed up. I liked this method because I could carry the gallon jar with me and do other things, like watch my kids or talk on the telephone. Yes, there was a time I didn't mind talking on the phone.

Five or so years ago, I decided I wanted a Dazey churn, and I started watching on Ebay. There must be a lot of them still around, because they aren't so terribly high-priced. I don't recall exactly, but I think mine cost under $80, shipping and all. I didn't have a cow at the time, but I wanted it for memory's sake. And I thought maybe some day I'd get another Jersey cow.

It's a red-top Dazey churn, which means it was manufactured between 1930 and 1945. I was born in 1944, so it's safe to say this churn is likely as old as I am. It works perfectly. However, I had never tried it out until today.

Granddaughter Monica turned the crank until she had to go home, and then I took over. I wish I'd thought to take Monica's picture churning. Maybe another time.

This is what it looks like when the cream turns to butter.

Next the butter is taken out of the buttermilk (nothing like what they call "buttermilk" in the store), and it's kneaded in cold water, or "washed". You pour off the water when it looks milky and add more cold water; keep doing this until the water is fairly clear when you pour it off.

I seldom use a butter mold, but I did tonight just to remember the dear old neighbor lady who gave me this one. I don't know what I do wrong, but I can never get the fancy imprint that's supposed to be on top of the butter.

So, we've made our first "Bonnie-butter".

I was spreading some on a cracker, and Cliff said from the living room, "What are you doing?"

"I'm sampling some real butter; do you want to taste it?"

We've both put our stamp of approval on it. Maybe we'll have waffles tomorrow.

It was exciting to do all this, after so many years. Memories.