Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-05-14
THE ART OF BUTTER MAKING

In the matter of making butter, the
private dairyman can learn a great deal
from his creamery brother. The latter
has made the subject of butter making
life study, and many of the things that
he has discovered can be applied TO adj
vantage on the farm. 1t is assumed that
the milk and cream will receive the best
of care previous to reaching the cream
vat.
High flavor or quick aroma of butter
is due to the breaking up of the milk
sugar, forming Tactic acid, and is pos
Siby the result of q series of germs that
get into the cream during the process of
ripening (Souring). If cream is churned
while sweet, considerable butter will be
lost in the buttermilk, and the butter
will lack flavor, no matter what the
cows are fed. If cream is ripened too
much, we shall get sour butter, or what
Professor Mckay calls ''rotten egg
flavor" Cream ready to be churned has
a smooth, granular appearance, with a
rather sharp, acid taste. When cream
reaches this condition, it should either
be churned ut once or cooled down to
about 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and
warmed to 5S degrees or 60 degrees
when churned. SO important is the
right amount of acid that our best but
ter makers have what is called an acid
test for determining the amount.
To hasten the ripening or to get the
right kind of Tactic acid germs, starters
are sometimes used to advantage. These
may consist either of buttermilk, sour
skim milk or especially prepared COM
mercial starters. Starters on the farm
can doubtless be best procured by using
milk or skim milk. Select good,
healthy cow, put her milk into a we'll
Scalded can, and keep at Il temperature
o. s. degrees to 80 degrees until it be-
comes clabbered. Then use about one
part of starter to nine parts of cream.
The cream may be kept at temperat-
ure anywhere from 60 degrees to 10 de-
grees Fahrenheit, if care be taken to
cool it down rs soon rs the right guam
tity of Tactic acid is developed.
If the local markets call for colored
butter, the coloring matter should be
put into the cream as soon as the latter
enters the churn. The ideal color for
butter is that produced naturally under
June conditions, where the cows have
an abundance of fresh green grass. AT
no time of year should we attempt to
give butter any higher color than this.
Cream should be churned at as low a
temperature as possible and have the
butter come in from one-half to one
hour. Warm cream and rapid churning
mean large quantity of butter lost in
the buttermilk, as well as soft butter,
which is very hard to handle after it
comes. The churn should be stopped
when the butter is in granular condi-
ton, about lip of an inch in diameter.
If churned more than this it will be inn
possible to get the butter evenly washed
and salted without spelling the grain.
When a piece of good butter is broken,
it should have the appearance of broken
cast iron, and not the salvy, greasy
looking article that we often see at the
store. When the butter granules have
reached the right size the buttermilk
should be drained off, and the butter
thoroughly washed with pure, clean
water, at temperature of 80 degrees to
go degrees Fahrenheit. This should be
continued until the water coming from
the butter ceases to have milky ap-
pearance.- ID. III. Otis.