Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-04-08
COlOring Butter.

improve the attractiveness of our winter
butter. We begin to use it in very small
quantities in the fall, as soon as the butter
begins to grow too light colored, and in
crease the quantity as needed during the
winter, and diminish it again toward
spring. Our own make has a very fair
shade without any coloring matter being
added. but looks a little better with it.
There is a very great difference in the col
or If butter from different COWS, and from
different breeds of cows. A few years
since we owned a valuable butter COW, one
which yielded large quantity of firm but
ter, but of very light shade. To i'm
prove the appearance of it we were adj
vised to use the juice of grated carrots put
into the cream before churning. We tried
it few times without being able to height
en- the color to any satisfactory extent We
have often seen carrot juice recommended
in the papers for coloring butter, but do
not think the color is of sufficient strength
to make it worth the trouble required to
CRATE and prepare them, when annotto is
so much stronger, and more simple to use,
while at the same time it is equ lily as
harmless rs carrot Juice
The Annotto tree or bush, OirG orel
lapa) is a native of tropical America, and
bears a prickley pod as large as Il horse
chestnut. The pods grow in clusters and
somewhat resemble the clusters of seed
on the well known castor oil bean plant.
Within the pods are many small seeds re-
semblng in size and shape the seeds of
buckwheat, and are surrounded by red
dish pulp. like the pulp of ripe tomato
When the pod ripens this pulp dries and
adheres to the seeds, coating them over
with a layer of coloring matter 1t is
sometimes said to be prepared SO that it
will dissolve in pure cold water. Some
three or four years ago we sent to New
York city for n single pound of annotto
of the grade called "basket of paste -
annotto 1t was the first we ever saw, and
| looked like II package of bright red putty.
This grade is said to be made of the seeds
and the covering coat of pulp all crushed
together, and is probably not us good rs
if the colOrng matter was separated,
| though of this we are not positive. We
dissolve the pound of paste after Il rule
| given by Mr.. y. A. Willard as follows -
= To one pound of best annotto add eight
ounces of concentrated potash, one and Il
quarter ounces saltpeter, six ounces sal
soda and five quarts boiling Water. The
annotto should be enclosed in cloth. and
as it dIssolves should be squeezed through
it into the liquid
! We have used from this one lot all we
have needed for butter from dairy of
eight COWS, making from twenty to forty
pounds per week, through the winter; have
given away several samples to friends for
| trial, and have still Il year 5 stock on hand.
| The cost for the materials WAS about two
dollars The labor and bother of dissolv-
ing it as much more. When we need a
new stock, we should prefer buying it al
ready prepared, as it would be but little
more work to dissolve a dozen pounds than
/ to dissolve one.
| The preparation, us we have it. smells
like I've, or like hulled corn cooked in I've,
and has a biting taste given it by the pot
ash in which the annotto is dissolved, but
the quantity used is so small that when
worked evenly into the butter, we find it
| impossible to detect any flavor from it
whatever. Our first impression was tnat
| the potash might net on the oil of the but
| ter and turn Il small quantity of it into
SOAP but we are inclined to think the aka
| line character of the solution is neutralized
| by the acidity of the buttermilk with which
1t probably acts Immediately, before any
unf;lvorable change can take place The
chemical action, If any, must be very slight,
! rs we use only about Il teaspoonful of the
liquid for four pounds of butter.
The pulp or colorirg matter of the an
MOTTO seed is used by the natives of Brazil
to flavor their food, rs we use salt or spices.
and is considered healthful rs it is pleasant,
and it is alsp claimed that pure annottoine
is preservative in its tendencies and inn
proves the quality of both butter and
cheese. The old rule used to be to put the
cOOring matter whatever it might be,
whether carrot juice or annotto, into the
cream before churnlng, and we followed
| thai course a year OF more, but found there
was Il better way. We now work and
wash the butter rs 1t comes from the churn,
and when perfectly free from buttermilk.
it is sailed with a half ounce of salt to the
pound, into which annottoine is mingled.
ut the rate of a teaspoonful to two ounces
of salt. The solution looks quite red in
the bottle, but when spread over the >alt in
the above proportion, changes it from
pearl white to Il saffron yellow and when
thoroughly worked into the butter, until it
is entirely free from streaks, gives it
lemon or straw color, rather than IN
orange Most of the celebrated butter
which finds its way to our markets. is col
ored Il great deal too highly. 1t sho,cs
through, is more than Il natural color, and
buyers are, therefore, prejudiced against it
at once Then there is butter which is
very poor, having nothing but its artificial
color to recommend it, and its inferiority
is Liable to be attributed to the annoto with
which it is colOred.
1t would be desirable to have butter
naturally colored, so it would need no ar
tificial color, but if one must use annotto
at ALL it would be better to begin carefully,
using less, rather than more than enough
at first, and increasing the quantity, till
just the right quantity is obtained.
We have seen in the city market, butter
classed us gilt-edge which was so highly
colored with annottO, thae the wrappers
surrounding the cakes We're considerably
stained by it, but being good and having II
good reputation besides. it has sold when Il
new customer bringing the same grade
would find hard work to secure Il market.
We have also carried our own butter to
market, when both dealer and consumer
believed i had only the natural color.-N.
E. Farmer.