Why should making butter be that special? People have been making butter for thousands of years, since the domestication of livestock. Truly, making butter and cheese are ancient arts, but we’re losing those skills, especially in the U.S. Personally, I’ve met one person who regularly makes cheese; she has her own goats and lives in Montana. I can’t say that I have ever had a conversation with someone about the butter they made last week, or ever. The last time I made butter was the third grade; it was part of our Pioneer Days history lesson.
Until Wednesday afternoon. Using “Making Cheese, Butter & Yogurt” a Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin by Ricki Carroll (the Cheese Queen), I turned a pint of store-bought cream into fresh butter. Though I have a churn, for this small amount I followed Ricki’s instructions to use a quart jar. After letting the cream ripen for a few hours, I poured it into the jar and shook it for 5 – 10 minutes. Then I spoon the solids out into a bowl and poured the buttermilk into a smaller jar. I poured some water over the butter and started pressing it against the bowl with the back of spoon, pouring off the water and adding more as needed until the water ran clear. Then I popped it into a covered bowl and placed it in the refrigerator overnight. The whole process was less than 20 minutes.
The next day, we had fresh butter with freshly baked bread, what a treat! And I used the butter and buttermilk for biscuits. Now, if I could just get fresh cream…..anyone got any suggestions?
