Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-06-16
Washing and Sailing Butter.

We extract the following from a
prize essay read before the Vermont
Dairyman's Association:
Washing butter must be recon.
mended as the easiest and surest
way to remove buttermilk. To wash
it clean without injuring 1t, you
should stop churning as soon as the
butter has come, and the buttermilk
will separate readily. It is then in a
loose, open mass, the particles being
not much larger than wheat, and at
this stage draw off the buttermilk
into clean pail, so that if any par
ticles of butter escape, they may be
skinned off and put back again.
Then prepare pail of water, at the
right temperature you wish to keep
the butter, which is about 60 degrees
in winter, and colder in summer, and
dash it over the butter with a dipper,
without moving either butter OF
churn, letting the waiter run all
through the butter and out of the
churn; then stop up the churn, put in
fresh water enough to cover the but
ter, tempered as before, then give the
churn half a dozen motions, dashing
the whole mass together, and draw
off the water. This washing Is gen
orally sufficient, but if it does not
appear to be free from buttermilk
repeat it. 1t is now ready to be tax.
Ell out for sailing; one ounce of salt
per pound should be used, if 1t is in.
tended to be hacked. and one-hali
ounce per pound if it is to be used
Immediately in city market.
AS to salt, we have tried various
kinds, but this year have used the
"Onondaga Factory Filled" and
think it is as good, if not better than
any other kind we eyer used.
After little practice, you will
know by the amount Of cream very
nearly how much butter there will
be when churned, consequently you
can sift the right amount Of salt fol
the churning. Then prepare the but
ter tray, by wetting it first with hot
water, then with cold. Take the
butter from the churn with ladies'
place thin layer of butter in the
bottom of the tray, sprinkle salt evenly
over it, then layer of butter and q
sprinkling of salt, continuing thus
until it is all in the tray, with little
salt on top, and now press the whole
together with a label. Wiring out 9
linen towel in salt water, and spread
over it, to keep the air from it. Let
it stand two or three hours, as may
be, for the salt to act upon it; then
lay it on the butter worker, press i,
little, turn it and press it again.
Let it stand again few hours, when
it may be worked, and Jumped OF
packed, the whole being done IN the
same day in cold weather. The
chemical action of salt on butter is
to liberate the buttermilk, which con
tains the caseine, and to harden the
grain, hence our object i'll letting
it stand awhile before completing
the process of working. Handling
butter in this way, the grain will moi
be bruised in the least. Do not tai
to notice the care taken not to injur(
the grain of the butter before it is
sailed. After it is sailed the grain
becomes somewhat hardened, and
will therefore bear judicious work
ing without injury.
If butter comes soft and white
and the buttermilk will not separate
from it, what shall be done with it
is a question often asked. Take il
out of the churn the best way you
can, salt it, using nearly twice as
much salt as you would had it come
in good condition; then set it away
in cool place till next morning
when it should be turned over a few
times, handle lightly, and set away
as before. Continue to do so until
the third or fourth morning, when II
can be worked, and you will have
very good butter, with fair color
ready for packing Or Jumping. The
salt must have time to separate the
buttermilk from the butter; it cannot
be hurried out by working. There
are various butter workers in the
market, but a good one that can be
recommended is box, shaped like
cutting machine, with fluted lever
This lever will not slip on the but
ter. Never allow the hands to come
III contact with the butter during the
whole process, but use wooden ladies
ut all times.