Re: Making butter and such

[Guest guest]

Hi, Chrissie! I can't answer all your questions, but I can answer some.

The buttermilk left over after buttermaking is =delicious= if you

drink it right away. It sours very quickly, though. Some people

like the soured tasted, some don't. You can also use it to make

kefir, but again it develops very quickly so keep an eye on it,

depending on how much souring you want.

My milk comes with a cream line, so I pour off as much of it as I can

into a wide mouth jar, then let it sit for about twelve hours and dip

the cream off with a ladle.

Your old fashioned buttermaker will work great. Just don't fill it

more than about half full, because you need room for the cream to

turn into whipped cream before the butter comes.

You don't need butter molds -- I just put my butter onto saran wrap,

form it into a log, and roll it tight then freeze or chill depending

on how long I want to keep it.

The most important thing is to wash and wash and wash the butter

until the water is absolutely clear. Any buttermilk left in the

butter will sour quickly, turning your butter rancid.

>

> Please excuse any question I have that may have already been

> answered J. I am attempting my very first try at butter and need

> some guidance. I just purchased an extra couple of gallons of raw

> cow milk to try my hand at some things.

>

>

>

> What type of container is better or best for setting the milk out

> for the cream to rise to the top? Pie pan, bucket?

>

>

>

> What is good for getting the cream off the top? Spoon, strainer?

>

>

>

> Also wondering what a good way to churn, for a first-timer, would

> be. I have an old fashioned churner (ceramic pot with lid and

> pole), but am open to other methods.

>

>

>

> Do I have to have butter molds? Can I just put it in a bowl or

> something?

>

>

>

> After I separate the cream and make butter, can we drink the

> remaining milk, make cheese or what? Give it to the dog, pigs? I’d

> rather not waste it, but haven’t a clue where to go after butter!

>

>

[Guest guest]

Chrissie

> What type of container is better or best for setting the milk out

for the

> cream to rise to the top? glass jug, something with a lid.

>

> What is good for getting the cream off the top? Ladle or turkey

baster (we use this for smaller openings)

>

> Also wondering what a good way to churn, for a first-timer, would

be. Canning jar...filled only about 1/3 to 1/2 full. Won't leak

and most people have them around. *Easier to start out small,

understand the process, then work up to larger amounts.* Let warm

to room temp and shake like crazy...singing fast beat song helps

with this part. Once the butter has formed (there are videos on

youtube) rinse it a couple times (in my opinion, if you rinse it

more than 3 times you're letting out the flavor...my first few times

I rinsed until the water ran clear and had very very very bland

butter in the end), let the water out and refridgerate.

> Do I have to have butter molds? Nope

Can I just put it in a bowl or something? Yep, you can put it in

anything

>

> After I separate the cream and make butter, can we drink the

remaining milk? Absolutely, goes great with cornbread and pepper

make cheese or what? Not sure, but I don't think so

Give it to the dog, pigs? They'd love it

I'd rather not waste it, but haven't a clue where to go after butter!

You can use it in place of regular milk in any cooked recipe

(my family loves the sausage gravy replacement)

Good luck

[Guest guest]

I make butter a lot around here. I use the food processor because it cuts down on a lot of time (a very precious commodity). Once the food processor seperates the butter from the milk then the butter is washed, over and over until the water runs clean. this keeps it from becoming rancid quickly. then after then washing I salt it. For regular butter just enough salt for the taste, but we also do flavored butters, such as honey,or basil and garlic,or rosemary and onion, or cinnamon and sugar. Then I take the buttermilk to make bread and biscuits. When I make the biscuits, I set them on the tray like I'm going to bake them but put in the freezer instead. Once frozen, I can put them in zipper bags to use whenever.To get the cream off the top of the milk, I put the milk in a tea pitcher with a very wide opening, put in the fridge for a couple hours, then scoop off with a measuring cup. If I already have lots of

butter, I'll freeze the cream in ice cube trays. Once frozen, the cubes can be put in a zipper bag for later use (you can do this with buttermilk too). Each cube is appox 1 oz of cream or milk. I use the cubes for making whipped cream, gravies, and soap. I make a really good lavender cream soap and buttermilk, oatmeal and honey soap. LOLTerri >> Please excuse any question I have that may have already been > answered J. I am attempting my very first try at butter and need > some guidance. I just purchased an extra couple of gallons of raw > cow milk to try my hand at some things.>>>> What type of container is better or best for setting the milk out > for the cream to rise to

the top? Pie pan, bucket?>>>> What is good for getting the cream off the top? Spoon, strainer?>>>> Also wondering what a good way to churn, for a first-timer, would > be. I have an old fashioned churner (ceramic pot with lid and > pole), but am open to other methods.>>>> Do I have to have butter molds? Can I just put it in a bowl or > something?>>>> After I separate the cream and make butter, can we drink the > remaining milk, make cheese or what? Give it to the dog, pigs? I’d > rather not waste it, but haven’t a clue where to go after butter! __________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Chrissie, Several people have already shared their excellent views, but I figured that I would share how we do things here.After milking we store our milk in one gallon glass jars, after the cream has risen we skim it off with a soup ladle, then take the remaining milk and store it in a one gallon tea jar with a spigot for easy serving. This is especially helpful in a household with children as it is a "no mess" method for children to help themselves to milk. We allow the cream to sit at least 12 hours (our house is made of concrete and is quite cool) but butter is easiest to make if the cream is room temperature.There are many methods for actually "churning" the butter. We started by using the mason jars and shaking it. This is labor intensive if you are making large amounts of butter, but a fine method for the average family, and really fun and educational for children to do. Because we make a lot of butter, not just for us but for others as well, we have turned an ice cream pail and my electric mixer into a butter churn by punching a hole in the center of the ice cream pail lid and making a paddle by modifying a mixer beater. I tried simply using two beaters but that did not work well.After the butter is made, I pour is over a gravy strainer to separate all of the butter out of the buttermilk, and store the buttermilk in a mason jar for later use by drinking, baking (buttermilk biscuits, pancakes or buttermilk pie <excellent stuff! ). The butter I rinse thoroughly with water and stirring well until the water runs clear. After rinsing I stir in salt, approximately 1/2 tsp per pound to help the butter keep longer without going rancid.If you do not mind keeping your butter in the refrigerator, instead of having it on the counter so that it is always soft, you do not have to concern yourself with the thorough rinsing or the salt if you do not want to.For butter molds, I use 8oz sour cream containers. These are really handy for us. You simply pack the butter into it, chill, then you take a butter knife and run it around the edge of the container, turn the container upside down and pop the butter out. You can then freeze the butter for long term storage. This way you can make butter when you have time, and have it on hand for when it is ready.Reba

[Guest guest]

>

> Do you find it stores well?

>

So far it stores just fine. Mine will store in the fridge without

any problems for about a week, then it starts developing a stronger

soured flavor. Something I recently learned from telling this story

to the man I get my milk from is that: You can rinse that stronger

flavor out of your butter again with a little milk, then rinse with

water once again. *Someone tell me if this can cause me to die

cause I've done it once so far and it's worked. Anyways,

after " having to " throw out a 2 week old tub of butter, my husband

made me a butter mold (I didn't have a suitable plastic container on

hand). I then started cutting the butter with dental floss to store

more manageable portions in the freezer (wrapped in freezer paper

and in freezer bages). I try not to set any butter out unless I'm

sure I'm going to use it that day. That's how I ended up washing

the more soured flavor out of that butter again.

[Guest guest]

Hi, Theresa,

I was nervous about making butter at first, too. Don't know why, it's very

easy. There are

just two of us, and our butter consumption varies greatly. I just use about a

cup of cream in

the blender each time. It takes less than 10 minutes from start to finish,

including rinsing

and salting. That amount fills a small ramekin, which I cover with cling-wrap

and leave on

the counter, plus just the right amount of buttermilk to use in pancakes. That

lasts anywhere

from two to seven days with no problem. If we need more, it takes no time at

all to make

another batch. The only mistake I made was the first time. I used too small of

a container

and the butter didn't have room to come. Other than remembering to put the

cover on the

blender, it's pretty fool-proof.

>

> Hi Reba..Good information. So...as I understand it. It will only go rancid if

left out on the

counter, if you leave some liquid in the butter? And, if you leave some liquid

in it, there is

more flavor? One more....About how much butter do you get out of one gallon of

cows milk?

I have two gallons waiting for me to get up the nerve to try making butter from

it.

>

> Thanks loads.....Theresa

[Guest guest]

Hi, a,

I keep these things simple!

Plop about a cup of cold cream in the blender (if it's new, it will make 'sweet'

butter, if it's

aged, it will be 'cultured " , and we'll eat either one and anything in between)

Turn the blender on. In about two minutes, I'll hear thumping. That's the

butter

separated from the buttermilk. I don't know if you can over-blend it...I go a

little longer,

just to make sure I am getting all the fat into the butterball. It looks just

like butter, you'd

recognize it anywhere! Do...not...open...the...lid....while....blending!!!!

I pour the whole contents into a wire mesh strainer over a big measuring cup.

The clear

liquid in the cup is the buttermilk. (No, it looks nothing like the store-bought

stuff. Since I

started making butter, I have no idea how they make the stuff in the carton look

like that!)

The most complicated part is lifting up the strainer to dump the butter into a

clean bowl. I

pour a little spring water (bottled) over it and squish it between two serving

spoons. Pour

off the slightly cloudy liquid into the buttermilk. Repeat again, and that's

about the extent

of my patience. ( I use the bottled water because our tap water reeks of

chlorine)

I mix a few shakes of salt into the butter ball and squish with the spoons,

then put it into

the ramekin and smooth it over. Cover with cling wrap and leave on the counter.

Butter-making experts will no doubt find a lot of faults with this procedure,

but it works

for me, it's quick and easy, and we can buy a quart of cream and use it as we

need it. If

you are making a big batch, my understanding is you have to be a lot more

careful about

washing, because the water mixed in with the butter is what makes it go rancid.

This

amount is so small, it doesn't have time to go bad.

>

> and Theresa,

>

> I want so bad to make some butter and while I have yet to try it, this

" washing " of butter

has me cracking up. I realize this is a must to keep it from spoiling, but

since I have never

done it or watched someone else do it, I can only imagine myself with a stick of

store

bought butter under the faucet making a huge mess. Can you describe what the

butter

would look like at the point at which it was time to " wash " it? Thanks so funny

to me,

wash butter! Shows ya how much I know huh! So is it this big ol' ball of

butter all slimed

up or what? Sorry ;o)

>

> a