Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-01-12
Keeping Butter in Brine.

friend ( mine + keeping butter through the
season IN the folloeing way The butter is made
in the usual way and the Rilk well washed out of
t. Then is put under strong brine pickle In
a large hogsbead with the intention OF re- packing
it in small tubs in the fall Is the method a
good one or wherein can IL be improvedf What
Is the risht way and strength 10 make brine
pickle for butter in that wayS-lW. H. {.
Naturally, butter is q very perishable
product, and, except where circumstances
compel it, keeping butter for any length
of time, for use or Cor sale, Is not to be
advised. The markets are calling more
and more for fresh butter, and, fortu.
nately for all, as | believe, winter dairy
ing and oalck sales are growing in popu-
larity and resulting in profit. The butter
crop, as a whole, however, is still very un-
evenly distributed through the year, by
far the greater production being during
the pasturing season, and with the mar
kets at their lowest for the year. While
this is true, great deal of butter must
be packed or in some way kept and car
ried over for sale or use some months af-
ter making.
Among the methods which have found
favor for preserving butter, is that of
picking" or keeping in brine. Some
have successfully practiced keeping but
ter in granular form, which has simply
been well washed from the churn and
never sailed. In this form it may be
kept in brine, and sailed and worked into
shape to suit the taste, whenever wanted
But while this will do for small quantities,
using glass Jars as for canned fruit, it has
seldom been found satisfactory when un-
dertaken on large scale. The more us
ual and better plan is to finish the butter,
getting it as free as possible from butter
milk sailed full ounce to the pound, and
left in large compact mass, or made in
to rolls of a pound or two each in weight.
| prefer the rolls, and would wrap each in
a well fitting piece of cheese cloth. Then
the Jumps or rolls are to be immersed in
brine, in a clean, sweet cask of any CON
venient size. The process resembles in
every respect the keeping of fat pork, in
"pickle.n The principles of preserving
the fats are the same in both cases; all
the little spaces in the mass or maearial
to be filled with brine as a preparation
and then all submerged in brine, exclud-
ing the air.
| The brine should be as strong as pos
sible, as much salt being used as the
water will hold in solution and should be
/ carefully prepared, that 1T may Keep
sweet and pure. 1t is much better TO do
this than to be obliged to change the
brine. If the brine before use is boiled
and clarified, slowly cooled to a temper
AZURE of BOO TO Coz, and then kept with
ont much charge, it will remain sweet a
long time. Even temperature through
out the season is very desirable, and can
usually be secured in a good ceilar.
Care must be taken that none of the
butter is exposed at the surface, aid if il
can be arranged so as to touch the sides
of the cask, so much the better.
good proportion of brine to butter il
desirable, and while the size of the cash
is ivnaterial, as long as all goes well,
pref& several small vessels to one large
one, as precaution against accident
which may cause impurity in the brine.