Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-11-18
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.


Cream or milk from well-fed COWS,
set below a temperature of sixty de-
grees Fahr., churned, and worked at a
temperature not exceeding sixty-six or
sixty-seven degrees, ought to make
good butter, which, if not overworked
and carefully salted, will keep good
for months, if properly packed. Ex-
posed to the air, no butter will keep
long. A very little over-working will
surely spoil any butter. This is more
common fault than most people will
believe. Much stress is laid on work.
ing out the buttermilk. Good butter s
said to be well worked, and so every
beginner is likely to lay great stress on
the working and overdo it. On this &C.
count it is well to wash the butter when
it comes from the churn. Churning
may also be overdone, and the result
is much the same as when the butter is
over-worked, that is it becomes greasy.
When butter, 'comes'' it appears. in
minute granules, these gradually ag-
glomerate, and become grains of the
size of mustard seed, then as big as
wheat grains, and finally masses from
the size of hickory nuts and upward.
After butter passes the gradual form
say as large as grains of wheat-it can
not be thoroughly washed, and when it
forms large masses in the churn, 1t is
churned too much. When in the mus
tard s9ed stage, the butter should be
chilled by the addition of some cold
spring water. or ice water. Then the
buttermilk should be drawn off, and
cold water added in the churn, the
dasher being slowly moved a while;
then the water is to be drawn off, and
more added, using each time about as
much as there was buttermilk. It is
best to strain the water, to keep out
specks. After this the butter may be
taken from the churn by the ladle, and
by pouring the water, which will p rob-
ably have small. floating grains upon
it, through hair-sieve or thin muslin
strainer, stretched over hoop. This
catches all the butter. When
well drained and slightly
compacted into a lump,
though still granular. it may be
weighed, an ounce to an Ounee and a
fourth of fine salt added to the pound,
which is to be worked through the
mass with as little working as possible;
set the butter in cool place, and leave
it from one to several hours. The most
of the buttermilk will have been washed
out. the salt will find what is left, and
the water adhering to the grains.
After standing, it may be worked SO as
10 get it into solid mass, pouring off
the brine. For the best result, the but
ter should decrease in weight, or barely
hold its own after sailing, and should
retain half an ounce to one ounce of
salt to the pound, according to the taste
of the family or customers.
Sweet butter is made in precisely
the same way, without adding any
salt; and with due respect to those who
are 40 very fond of it as to think salted
butter hardly fit to eat, we assert that
no way is known to bring out the full
flavor of butter, as perceived both by
the sense of smell and of taste, like
S1lCluH. u1IC ~ I'D ~ uOuOG VI uO SA"Cs
no amount of salt will keep poor ii. e.,
over-churned or overworked butter), a
proper quantity does not prevent those
fermentations in the drops of butter
milk and water, which must be retained
| in the butter, and that would quickly
cause first, a destruction of good flavor;
second. doubtful flavor: aud finally,
undisguised rancidity. If sweet butter
is desired for the table, or for custom
ers, it may easily be kept in the follow
ing way: Wash three times in the
churn, the last time in pure, cold brine,
that will float pared potato; use only
brine enough to cover the butter.
After standing an hour, remove the
butter to stone crock, not drawn to-
gether at the top; lay a dining plate
upon it, right side up. Cover with
brine to the edge of the plate, and if it
floats, lay well-washed stone IN it.
cover with a cloth, and set in cold
place. When needed, take from crock
as much as is required, wash with cold
water, and work into Jumps or prints.
If worked without washing out the
brine, it will have more flavor, and be
much more acceptable to most palates.
-Anertcan AgT1culturists.