A Bit Cranky!

Sometimes, I am befuddled at just how many things that I take for granted others should know. Take for instance, some of the items in the Little Bayou House. Just how many youngsters today would have an inkling of the use of a butter churn? I can remember using this churn as a kid back in the day on the farm. To me..it was a thing of interest..of great fun..but then again I think I was conned into doing it by the older siblings. Perhaps it was a bit of the old "Tom Sawyer" ruse.."Why just look how fun this is!"...I was hooked and could not wait to sit and turn the handle. The others would be out the door before you could say "Jack Robinson". (By the way..just who is Jack Robinson and why was he is such a hurry?) I churned..butter was made..and I still thought I was all fired important for turning that crank handle! Ahh..the thought processes of a child!

The butter churn now sits on the shelf in the dining room. This is the three-quart style with metal paddles. Inside there is a pamphlet with complete instructions of how to make butter! The pamphlet informs that you should never fill the bottle part of the churn more than one half full and that sweet cream should be used to make the butter. This cream should be set out to "ripen" before churning and should be at about 55 degrees thus requiring you to use one of their handy-dandy thermometers. This thermometer could be bought for a mere seventy-five cents if you ordered it from them! The cream-once it reached 55 degrees and ripened for several hours-was ready to be churned. The handle of the churn should be turned at a steady rate of about "ninety revolutions per minute". Hmmm..I am not sure that I turned that thing at a steady rate of ninety revolutions per minute..probably more of a unsteady rate of whatever my tired little arm could muster. Still the butter was made! The pamphlet goes on to say that the churning should continue until the "butter granules reach the size of grains of wheat". Now I ask you...just who now-a-days knows the size of a grain of wheat? No one except those wheat farmers! Perhaps the wheat farmers make the butter, too! I am impressed with the idea that they can grow enough wheat to supply us all with flour and bread and would be equally impressed with their presumed butter-making skills! But anyway..back to our pamphlet. As soon as the butter granules are the right size...STOP! You might over-churn! Over-churning would make it impossible to wash the milk out of your butter! Hmmm..alrighty now! The next step of the pamphlet tells out to strain and wash the butter until the water runs clear. Oh..the water must be 2 to 4 degrees cooler than the temperature of the butter. 2 to 4 degrees..did I read that correctly? Yep...2 to 4 degrees..that sure seems nitpicky to me but who am I to question the butter-making experts! After washing, comes the salting..one tablespoon of salt is to be moistened and added to each pound of butter. This should be worked in with another utensil that you could order from the company..a butter ladle or butter worker! No wooden spoon would ever suffice in this all important job! The butter ladle sure looked similar to a deep wooden spoon to me but again..who am I to question the authorities??

I am pondering the idea of making some fresh home-churned butter. (If I attempt this, it will be definitely recorded as future post on the blog!) I know I would have to use "store-bought" cream as I do not have access to a cow, but it might be interesting to relive this childhood memory. I wonder if turning that crank will still seem as much fun as it did back in the day....or I wonder if I can make it seem to be and con some unsuspecting person into churning it for me?? hehe Now, there is a thought!