It has been nine years since we’ve read the Little House series aloud. I can’t believe it’s been that long! Bon Bon and Semisweet remember them. Brownie (11) remembers some of the books but the younger ones do not. I decided it was high time to read them again. It is the perfect beginning to another block of school.
When the cream was ready, Ma scalded the long wooden churn-dash, put it in the churn, and dropped the wooden churn-cover over it. The churn-cover had a little round hole in the middle, and Ma moved the dash up and down, up and down, through the hole.
At first the splashes of cream showed thick and smooth around the little hole. After a long time they began to look grainy.
It’s getting grainy!
Then Ma churned more slowly, and on the dash there began to appear tiny grains of yellow butter.
Getting thicker but not done yet!
When Ma took off the churn-cover, there was the butter in a golden lump, drowning in the buttermilk.
Look at the creamy yellow butter “drowning” in buttermilk.
Pouring off the buttermilk.
Then Ma took out the lump with a wooden paddle, into a wooden bowl, and washed it many times in cold water, turning it over and over a nd working it with the paddle until the water ran clear. After that she salted it.
Creamy thick butter washed clean, salted, and ready to mold.
Now came the best part of the churning. Ma molded the butter. On the loose bottom of the wooden butter-mold was carved the picture of a strawberry with two strawberry leaves.
One of our handmade butter molds. Purchased from Lehman’s.
With the paddle Ma packed butter tightly into the mold until it was full. Then she turned it upside-down over a plate, and pushed on the handle of the loose bottom.
The little, firm pat of golden butter came out, with the strawberry and its leaves molded on the top. Laura and Mary watched, breathless, one on each side of Ma, while the golden little butter pats, each with its strawberry on the top, dropped on to the plate as Ma put all the butter through the mold.
Our little pats of butter with bears and birds.
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What a great idea! We’re reading Little House in the Big Woods right now, too. I’m definitely going to have to try this with my girls. I know lots have done this, but we haven’t yet! 🙂
I love those books. I have thought about reading them to my grandkids this summer when I have more time with them.
I hadn’t heard of putting a button in the jar. I can see where that would help it process faster, makes sense.
A few years ago, my husband and I went up for Cove Fort Days. I made a couple of quart jars into mini churns with dashers. It was a lot of fun letting the kids make butter and then we flavored each batch differently for everyone to try on cut up flour tortillas. Lots of fun!! We still make it with those seasonings once in a while.
Actually, I like the seasonings even more when I make cream cheese.
I love making homemade butter with my kids. We need some of those little molds though!
Thanks for posting this.
Blessings
Jennifer Sikora
http://www.jennifersikora.com
My kids all want to make butter now! Maybe a summer activity! Maybe we can hit Perazzo dairy!
I vividly remember the Christmas I got those books. I devoured them, how fun was it to make your own butter?! What a fun thing to do!
I tried reading them to my boys but they never felt the magic 🙁 we did 20,000 leagues under the sea instead but I had a hard time feeling the magic there
I just started little house in the big woods with my girls and it does make bedtime fun
As for the butter – I love the mold! Did you post a source where to buy one? We are buying our butter from the cow share farmer but this looks fun and simple enough try!
My boys and I just read the butter section in that book a few days ago. They enjoyed your pictures. Thanks for posting and for the perfect timing!
My boys and I just read the butter section in that book a few days ago. They enjoyed your pictures. Thanks for posting and for the perfect timing!
I love this activity. I want to do it for our family reunion with the kiddos. I was going to try to relate making butter to a gospel principle. I like the process of working the cream and then you mold the butter. how much cream do you out in each jar does it matter? I think I will experiment this week.
I fill each jar about half full of cream. As far as relating it to the gospel you could also say something about having the dash (the button) in there to provide resistance (trials). The butter is created faster and is better when made with the dash. It takes longer and isn’t as good without it. We learn more and are better off after having gone through trials than if we didn’t have them at all.
Love this post!! I really must try this with the children. The wood moulds look wonderful, I wish we had things like that here in Oz, though it might be worth ordering some from the U.S.
Thanks for this – very inspirational!