Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1910-03-08
Ripenlng Cream.


The difficulties and problems involved
in the handling of cream for making
butter are so numerous and complex j.
is little wonder there is lack OF un'-
formity in the product.
The trouble may be due to some ont
or more of the following causes: I'm
proper handling of the milk before 1t il
skinned; using the utensils as pals
strainers and cans, for other purposes
and not cleaning them thoroughly be
fore they are again used as receptacle
for milk or cream; allowing the cream
to stand in a warm, illveptilated room
where it becomes tainted and acquires
an Off flavor or becomes too sour.
1t is out of the question to make the
best grade of butter out of cream that
has an Off-havor or is in any way tainted
Do not think because there is small
amount Of cream it is not necessary t.
churn more than once week, but aim
to churn at least twice week.
On a number of farms where butter
is made the churning days are Tuesday,
Friday, and market day, Saturday. Ii
is not essential TO follow this rule, but in
order to secure a uniform grade OF but
ter it is necessary TO churn at least every
third or fourth day.
The cold cream, when warmed by
additional lots of fresh, warm cream,
will sour quickly, and during the col,
lecting period it should be kept as cold
as possible with we'll water. Each new
lot Of cream should be cooled TO that
temperature before it is mixed with that
previously saved.
The following suggestion has been
tried and found to work well: For
holding the cream have regular can
fitted with a cover through which the
handle of the stirrer may project.
The second can should be smaller,
but of sufficient size to hold all the
cream of one skimming. Cool the
cream in this can before pouring 1t into
the large can, and il is good plan to
leave the cream in this until the follow
ing milking time; but the cooling should
begin as soon as the separating is COM
pleted, in order to check souring.
Stir the cream occasionally while it is
cooling. Twenty-four hours before the
time for churning, the cream can should
be placed where the cream will warm TO
from 80 to 65 degrees, in summer, and
20 to IS degrees in winter.
Add starter, using from one to two
and half gallons for every ten gallons
of cream.
In case the cream has not been kept
cold enough to remain sweet, it will not
be necessary to warm it for souring.
After the starter is added the cream
should be thoroughly stirred every hour
until it has taken on a sufficient amount
of acid for churnipg. This can be de-
termined by an acid test or by the gen.
eral appearance. Ii should be smooth
and glossy with clean acid flavor and
aroma. Under favorable conditions,
this development of acid is brought
about in from six to eight hours.
The cream should then be cooled to
churniug temperature and held for at
least two hours in winter and from four
TO six hours in summer; otherwise, the
butter will come soft and mushy with
correspondiugly increased loss in the
buttermilk.
The following method has been used
with success: At the beginning of col
lecting period or when the first amount
of cream is placed in the cream can, a
small amount of starter is added to II,
usually one-fourth of the amount OF
cream; in this case the development OF
acid is going on slowly during the time
the cream is collected.-Journai of Agri-
culture.