I'm just sitting here waiting for the butter to turn, so thought I'd post quick. I've been making some of our butter for a while now, from raw cream from our local diary. For some reason I don't like the butter they make there. I know a lot of folks who use it, so I think it's purely personal. Any way, to me it has a sour taste that I don't like. Therefore, buying the cream and making it myself is working for us. The bonus is that I have buttermilk to use after I've make the butter. :) I usually buy a quart of cream from which I get a pound of butter and a pint of buttermilk.
How it works:
I pour the cold cream into my Kitchenaid, put on the whisk and the pouring sheild, then crank it up to speed 5. I then just go about my business nearby until I hear the sloshing sound of the buttermilk with the butter floating in it (about 10 minutes), going back once and scraping down the cream while it's "churning". When the butter turns, I strain the buttermilk off into a pint jar, and then it's time to wash the butter.
If you don't wash it well it gets a sour taste from the buttermilk that's left in it. To wash it, I use a flat paddle like spoon to knead the butter as I run ice cold water over it. I do this in the Kitchenaid bowl. When the water runs clear, the butter is rinsed well. I then salt it with about 1/2 t. salt, kneading it in well, shape it into a long rectangle, and slice it into about 5 smaller pieces. I like it in small pieces so that I can have one out and soft and use it up before it goes bad.
So far, the butter I make gets used mostly for toast and other "table" use. I wish I could afford to make all of our butter, but for now I'm not. Perhaps when I'm getting milk from the goats I can buy more cream for making butter.
November 25 - The goats ALL seem happy and healthy today, so I'm thrilled with that. I did their weekly wormer today, and trimmed hooves. I think the girls are all ready to go meet the bucks next week.
We've found that we've had a strange thing happen with our last batch of bunnies. Two of them seem to have a problem with their eyes. They aren't opening them as soon as they should. We're actually questioning whether or not one of them has eyes at all. What a strange thing to have happen! They don't seem bothered by the fact that they're essentially blind. They're hopping and exploring just like their sighted brothers and sisters, and perfectly chubby, just as they should be. However, they're only just over two weeks old. I question what will happen when they get closer to weaning age. Will they be able to find food and water? If they can and they continue to keep up with the others, there's no reason for us to kill them I guess. In the many, many batches of baby bunnies I've raised in my life this is the first time I've ever seen something like this happen.
Thanks for your description of churning the butter. I have tried it with my kichenaide bt didn't have it up to "5". Maybe that was the problem. I have some raw cream -- I'm off to try it again.
ReplyDeleteI know not much about bunnies, but, I am thinking about getting some. I'll be interested to hear what becomes of your blind bunnies.....
dr momi- I hope your butter turns out well today. You'll have to let me know.
ReplyDeleteSurprise! One of the bunnies opened its eyes today. Usually they open their eyes around ten days, 14 at the latest. Today they're 17 days old, and one of them is yet to open them. It's so strange to see it hopping around the hutch without opening its eyes. I'm wondering if it might be that they spent so much more time huddled under the hay and fur than usual since it's been winter in earnest here that they're just "growing up" slower?
Hey Patty,
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by to check out my "mantel"...I love decorating for Christmas, especially now we have a wee one in the house again, and never fear you will be sick of my photos of it by the time I am done hehe.
Loved reading how you make butter, I have not gotten that brave yet...Sorry about the bunnies, I hope they are just delayed in opening them peepers...poor little things.
BTW I would love to be able to email you directly after you comment on my blog but alas you have your email set to the "no-reply" option....So please know that I am not ignoring your comments I just don't always have the bandwidth available to open blogs and reply.
Blessings Kelsie
When we feel like splurging (it's $7 for a little cake of it), we love goat's milk butter so I hope you are able to get some of that soon, it's delicious!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the butter tutorial! :) I am hoping we will be making our own within the next year!
ReplyDeletesorry about the bunnies,but I could wish for a creamery around here,right now Jerry is into buttermilk like crazy,he says it soothes his tummy,but even tho it can get spendy,I will get him whatever he wants to eat
ReplyDeleteHey Kelsie- No problem about the comments. Maybe if I figure out how, I'll set it so you can email a reply.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure I won't get sick of your photos. You're a really great photographer. :)
Erin- I'd love to make goat milk butter, but it's not easy. The cream in goat milk is naturally homogenized, so I would have to have a cream separator. If I let the milk sit for about 4 days, I might get a cream line, but then I don't know if I'd use the milk since it wouldn't be very fresh. Perhaps I could coordinate baking something that uses a lot of milk with butter making. I guess I'll have to see how much milk I have for experimenting with. :) I do have the perfect goat variety for cream though. The Nigerians have the highest butter fat content of all dairy goats.
Mama Tea- I am so excited for you, and I sure hope you are making butter soon. :) I could just burst waiting to see all that you're up to soon, so I can't imagine how you must feel right now.
Judy- All bunny eyes but one are now opened, so we have a little one eyed hopper who's as happy and healthy as the others.
I'm glad Jerry's finding something soothing, even if it does get expensive. Hugs and prayers for both of you from our family.