Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1858-12-31
Agricultural.
MY EXPERIENCE WITH WINTER
BUTTER.

BUTTER
Winter butter carries TO most minds the
idea of white, bitter, unsavory article. as
different from that made in June as two things
bearing the same name can be. There arc
reasons for this--reasons in the management
of cows and cream--but am only intending
to give you a bit of my experience in churn-
ing. The first winter that kept a COW had
a days Job at churning-l remember it well,
for there was considerable amusement. as well
rs vexations about it--and found out what
the great trouble was--ihe cream ,rds too cold
Since then, when have anything to do with
churning-and that when usually comes
twice or more a week. try to have the cream
Just cdrm enough. Then the butter comes in
from fifteen to forty minutes, and in good
condition, too, If rightly managed.
To get the cream Just warm enough,
various methods are practiced The best
way, to my notion, is to set the cream-pot in
warm room, and stir it occasionally If in
a hurry, set it in vessel of warm water and
stir it until it comes TO the proper tempera-
ture Do not melt the cream if you do il
will never make butter. 1t only needs to be
warmed slightly--just so that it feels a little
warm to the finger. Sometimes when | find,
after churning awhile, that the cream is still
too cold. set the churn near the fire, leaving
it with occasional stirs for time, or more
frequently, if in hurry, pour little hot
water in the churn, keeping the dash going
all the while, so that none of the cream gets
scalded This operates like a charm-"my
Dutchman. who yields the dasher of late,
tells me lit is goot, AS it often brings the
butter in three minutes.
When the cream ''froths up, or thickens
up until it will float the dasher, you may be
sure it is too cold You may churn if you
like. but 1.-THE mischief is in it, and the but
ter will refuse to appear until the cream
warns. Possibly you may warm 1t by churn-
ing. but it is great saving of time, patience
and elbow grease" to warm it some other
way.
In the days churning before referred to,
the cream "frothed up badly. We put in
warm water-we set the churn in tub OF
hot water--we tried it with thermometer,
and found it too warm, and cooled it down
with snow, and churned and churned, and
all to no avail. Finally, setting the churn in
hot water. we concluded to 'boil it out and
then, with few minutes churning, it came
The buttermilk fairly steamed with heat, as
we opened the churn to take out the butter
and was about blood-warm, or so it seemed
and the butter soft and white enough. No
wonder, after all the experiments tried upon
it, and all the beatings it had receiyed-but
we learned a lesson by which we have escaped
all such trials since that day. We get oul
cream just parm enough at first, trying it with
the finger (which is better than any thermom-
oter,) and churn moderately on commencing
brip . Es
churning to a close.
If one has good cream in the winter, they
can make good butter. To get the first ont
must have good, well-fed and comtortabt,
kept cows an even temperature to raise thu
cream and churn often, before it gets bite
or rancid There is more in managing thu
cream properly than most people think Their
ESPECIALLY those who keep but few cows
and give no great attention to tho subject.
would renew my expression of the hope tina
our darymen will favor you with freqnen
communications of their experience. --Coun
try Gentleman