Making Butter

If you asked me 5 years ago if I would consider making my own butter, I would have looked at you like you'd grown a 3rd eye. Even a year ago I probably would have scoffed at you. Why would I want to make my own butter when I could buy it at the store?

When the activity came up for making butter, I still thought it was silly. After all, my dad had once told me that if you shake one of those little containers of creamer that it would turn into butter. I hate to admit it, but I shook and shook that thing and nothing ever happened.

Then I got the idea that I could use my Kitchenaid mixer to make butter. Why not? I did some googling and found that other people have done it before. I bought my cream and tried it. I felt a little like Laura Ingalls when Pa brought home the sewing machine and she thought of running the sheets through it instead of hand sewing them together with little tiny stitches. I'm sure my great-grandma rolled over in her grave, but that butter I made came out just like any other butter with a lot less work.

As a society, we need to know where our food comes from. I read an article in our local newspaper the other day that mentioned that kids think that apples come from the store, not a tree. I thought butter came from the store. Not really, but it doesn't hurt to take time to think about where things come from.

by a-chan 

From a churn to a mixer, what a difference a century makes!

picture by Hatsfineandfancy