The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1915-04-08
Methods of Making
Butter of Quality
BY LYNNE P. TOWNSEND.


~ UR Pilgrim forefathers were prone
to believe that troubles with the
churning were caused by witches.
but now We know that such troubles are
caused, for the most part, by our own mis-
management. 1t requires some skill and
a great amount of care to produce a
high-grade butter, the kind that main
tains its fine flavor when spread on hot
griddle cakes or fresh baking powder
biscuits. 1t is this kind of butter that
brings the best returns and pays the
highest profit and all extra work and
care is more than paid for.
Butter of good quality cannot be made
from cream produced or kept under un-
sanitary conditions. If the natural sweet,
rich flavor Of the cream is once lost it
can never be restored and the finished
butter will be lacking in quality. And 1t
Is an easy matter to permit deterioration.
Just a little laxity here or there and
the damage is done. Pure, rich cream
can only be produced by well managed
healthy COWS. The mixers must be
clearly and the utensils sterilized. The
stable must be clean and airy and the
milk room cool and sweet.
After the cream Is produced it must be
carefully handled until ready for the
churn. 1t is just at this point that many
butter makers fall down. The proper
management of the cream is so important,
and apparently so little understood that
It Is no wonder we have a final product
so lacking in uniformity and so often in
ferior in quality.
Cooling the Cream.
As soon as the separating is done the
cream should be cooled to a degree equal
ing that of previous skimmings which
have been set aside for churning. Under
no circumstance ought the fresh cream
be added to the old until it has been
cooled to the same temperature.
At As degrees there is little II any bac-
terial development and if the cream can
be kept at this point, no trouble will re-
suit from the development OF harmful
bacteria, provided, of course, that 1t has
been properly handled up to this time.
Twenty-four hours before time to
churn, the cream should be allowed to
gradually warm up to about 65 to 70 de-
Erees at which point the bacteria of fer
ment will multiply with great rapidity.
1t Is a good plan to aid the r~ipening
process by using a starter" on the cream,
especially If it has remained sweet while
accommodating. The starter employed may
be either a small amount of we'll soured
cream, skim milk or buttermilk or a COM
mercial culture in tablet form can be
used. When the starter is applied the
cream must be thoroughly stirred to in
sure uniform ripening.
The proper temperature of cream at
churning varies with circumstances, 60
degrees being nearly correct under ideal
conditions. This being the case, the
cream should be cooled to about 60 de-
grees, prior to being placed in the churn.
This allows for a slight rise in tempera-
ture, due to handling and the increased
warmth caused by the friction of one
particle of cream on another and on the
sides and paddles of the churn during the
operation. Under these conditions well
kept cream of a good quality should
granulate into butter in from 10 minutes
to one-half hour. The amount OF cream
to be churned at one time should not ex-
coed one-half the cubical contents Of the
churn.
Churn Troubles.
The principal troubles with churning
are these-failure OF the butter to come