The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-03-06
HOW TO RIPEN CREAM

From my experience while travelling
through the country visiting a number of
farm daires and witnessing the different
modes of handling milk, cream and but
ter, l am convinced that the ripening or
souring OF cream properly is the least I'M
derstood of all the different parts of the
process OF butter making, says an expert.
In some diaries visited I found cream
that had been taken from the pan or
creamer in good condition. and poured at
each Swimming into a churn or other
wooden dish, that according to appear
ances had been in use for that and many
other purposes since the early settlement
OF the country, and doubtless was satu-
rated with the germs of fermentation and
decay from years of accumulation.
The cream had not been properly mixed
together at each addition and the tenn
perature of the milk-room had been above
70 degrees; consequently the ripening pro-
cess had gone on rapidly and vet unevenly
In the bottom of the vessel the casein re-
naming in the cheese had changed to
particles of curd from the action of the
Tactic acid and from the sugar of the milk
Under the above conditions, while the
cream at the top of the vessel Cor the last
that had been added had not vet become
feet separation OF the butter fat from the
residue by the process of churning.
The above is but one of the many inn
perfect modes OF saving and rpening
cream practiced by people that call them
selves good butter-makers, who go on
blindly or carelessly in this or some sim
liar way, never taking into consideration
the loss in quantity sustained by churn-
ing overripe with underripe cream or the
loss in quality by either allowing whole,
or even part OF churning (thus affect
ing the whole) to become so ripe or soured
to such an extent that the sugar of the
milk is completely changed to acid, rob-
bling the butter produced of the sweetness
it should contain and substituting there
for the germs of fermentation and ulti-
mate decay.
| have also found people who advocate
and practice the opposite extreme of
churning the cream sweet or before any
perceptib,e chemical change has taken
place in it, This practice l also regard as
erroneous. Although the butter produced
should contain its proportion Of sugar In
its natural form and be very nice and
sweet for immediate use, yet for that very
reason-namely that the sugar is still III
the butter and liable to change when ex-
posed to the atmosphere-its keeping
qualities are not considered as good as
butter made from cream that has become
slightly acid before churning, so that all
traces of acidity may be washed and
worked out.
Again, sweet cream will not allow all
the butter fat to separate and form into
granules as readily and perfectly as
cream that has been sufficiently ripened
or had the adhesive nature OF the casein
changed or neutralized by partial forma-
ton of acid from the sugar of the milk.
thus allowing the butter globules to come
directly together and form into granules
more readily by the process of churning
if done at the proper temperature.
Having pointed out some OF the bad
methods practiced, l wish, in as short
space as possible, to describe what con-
slider to be the proper mode OF handling
and ripening cream-namely, a medium
between the two extremes above de-
scribed.
be either tin or earthenware, well glazed;
should always be kept clean and sweet,
and should be kept where the surrounding
temperatures below 40 degrees if posi-
BILE, thus not allowing the ripening to go
on until sufficient quantity of cream has
been saved for churning. Then place the
cream can in temperature of from 60 to
IS degrees in the summer season and from
IS to 20 in winter, stirring often, until
the cream thickens a = little and
acquires pleasant or slightly acid taste,
mingled with natural sweetness of the
cream, being careful not to, allow the tenn
perature to rise or the acid to form suffi-
GENTLY to dapper or curdle the casein of
the milk in the cream. When it has ar
rived at the above condition, which can
soon be ascertained by a little care and
experience, it is ready for churning, which
should be done at as low q temperature as
the butter will form at Sg
Sometimes the butter makers cannot
conveniently control the temperature of
the cream while being saved. In such
case it is necessary to thoroughly stir and
mix the cream together three or four
times day until a sufficient quantity is
saved, being careful to keep the tempera-
ture low and not add any sweet cream
within the las fv enty four hours of the
time If churuirg s a.
In I winter season, when cows have
been led largely on dry feed lacking in
sugar, especialig 4 they have been milk
in, for . number OIL. nnonths, the milk
produced IS also liable to lack in sugar,
thai imro tant cement in bringing about
thu idneni 4 Of the cream, in which case
it Is fec3Ninende1 to add al'ttle starter
to enc cFean CIV hours before churn ,
ing.