Making Butter

Churning butter was a weekly chore, and some times more, for every farmer's wife sixty to seventy years ago. It all depended upon the number of cows she had to milk twice every day. Many farms had their springhouse. This was ususally a high stone walled building into which a stream of water was piped from a near by spring. A long and narrow trough was also made so that the water could continuously flow in and out. The trough would usually hold about six to eight inches of fresh cool water. In this the farmer's wife would keep perhaps a dozen or more crocks of a gallon or two gallon capacity. Here she kept the daily supply of milk. After allowing the milk to stand for about a day the cream would come to the top. She would then skim the cream from each crock and deposit the cream into separate containers. The skimmed milk was always fed to the pigs and cats. After gathering three or four gallons of cream she would allow it to age for a few days. Then the contents would be poured into a churn, which was similar to a small keg. Inside the churn was a series of paddles which could be turned by means of a crank on the outside.

The churn was usually built into a stand. Churning the cream was a chore for the daughters. Sometimes younger boys would be assigned this job when they were not helping their father with the farm work. After churning the cream for about a half hour, the cream began to change into large lumps of yellow butter. The lumps were then placed in a large wooden hollowed dish called a butter bowl. The butter had to be kneaded constantly until all the milk was removed. Small amounts of salt were added from time to time and worked into the butter. The maker, from years of experience, seemed to know the exact amount of salt needed. She, from time to time, would place small amounts in her mouth to determine the exact taste.

After she had removed the excess liquid, she then packed the finished product in a clean crock for her family's future use. When the crock was full, she sometimes spread a little salt and water on the top and placed the crock in a special location in one end of the water trough. The cool running water would keep it fresh for several months.

All crocks with her butter, milk and cream had to be covered with plates or if she did not have extra plates she would use large circular boards. Stones similar to the weight and size of a brick had to be placed on the top of the lids or plates. This was particularly necessary to keep out the dirt and dust as well as rodents, especially if the wife did not have a spring house and had to keep the crocks in the cellar.

Most farm homes, even though they had heavy walls and were well built, always seemed to have a few rodents. Thus it was necessary to keep a few cats around the house as well as the barn.

Later a newer method of treating the daily supply of milk came to the farm. A machine called a 'separator' was soon found on every farm. Two popular makes were the 'Sharpless and the DeLaval'. These machines were about four feet tall. On top was a large metal bowl into which the buckets of milk were emptied. A spout and spigot on the bowl allowed the milk to flow into a cylinder filled with metal discs. A large crank on the side of the machine had to be turned so that the cog wheels inside would cause the cylinder to rotate rapidly. This rapid spinning motion separated the cream from the milk. Two long metal spouts came from the bottom of the cylinder. From one came the cream, the other the skimmed milk. Usually the cream was caught in a crock, the milk was run into a bucket and then carried out to feed the pigs. The cream crock was carefully inserted into the water trough and covered.

At each milking time one could find the cats patiently waiting for their pan to be filled with fresh milk.

After each use, the separator had to be dismantled and washed in cold water to clean out the milk, then each part had to be immersed in very hot water for a few minutes. Unless this was done after each use the milk would soon become tainted or contaminated.

Generally the farmer's wife had an extra supply of butter. If the country huckster did not buy the butter on his weekly rounds, she could take the butter to the country store and trade it for sugar, spices and other household needs.

Many wives took personal pride in their butter making. Some used a wooden mold which usually made a pound in weight. On the top of the butter mold would be cut artistic designs which would be imprinted in the butter. She always kept a supply of butter paper in which to wrap her butter. This paper was specially treated so that the oil would not spread to other items around it.

Today very little butter is made on the farm. The farmer's wife buys her butter at the food market. Dairy farms sell their milk to companies who haul it away in large tank trucks.

Gone from the old farms are the spring houses and water troughs, the cream and milk crocks, the old churn, the butter molds and butter bowls. With the exception of the spring house and trough, one might find the other five items once in a while put up for sale at an old farm home or perhaps at an antique shop. In either case, they are rare and are real collectors items.