The farmer takes a wife…and shows her how to make butter!

Well I have put it off for some time now. I don’t usually think of myself as a procrastinator, but I hate to admit that in regards to certain things I “prioritize “ other “needs” first. Like the “need” to check my Facebook feed multiple times per day, (why is it so addictive?) I always have this gnawing feeling like there is something better I could be doing to redeem my time. So after much debating I have decided I am ready for a challenge, change, and ready to do what I keep saying I should do but I just don’t! I am going to start blogging about my life as a young farm wife.  My hope is that first it honors the Lord, second is a blessing to others and thirdly challenges me in new ways!  

As an all or nothing personality type these kinds of moods send me into a flurry of activity (insert: can two dozen pints pears, make yogurt and butter and buttermilk while trying to take care of my two little children, start a new workout, make wholesome meals, pay the bills and keep my house from getting a new wallpaper job with shiny stickers.)  Then later in the evening, sore, tired and elbow deep in dirty dishes I find myself realizing why I really need to paste on my forehead, “Everything in Moderation.” Gradual changes seem to last longer. Which is how I gradually changed our household over to natural vs. chemical. I am still working at it, but the changes we have made stuck and are now habit for our family.

One of the new things I learned about when I first met my farmer husband was raw milk.  Who knew that milk separated? Or that it could taste so good!  Milk became a fun experiment, we would try new things, like making cheese, yogurt and butter…things I never knew were so easy to make at home.  We started with butter, and we started by shaking it by hand…not so easy. Then Josh (my farmer) had a better idea, how about we put it in the blender? Really easy. Not to mention if you are using raw milk from grass fed cows the extra nutrition and money saved from buying butter separately are an extra bonus! 

You start by letting your milk set in a wide mouth jar or other container. We used those plastic ice-cream containers so you have a nice way to get at all the cream. Now I get my milk in gallon glass jars but it was easier in the ice-cream buckets! I generally like to let mine sit a whole day in the refrigerator. 

Then skimming off the layer of cream. When you get your milk out you should be able to see a distinct cream line. Now all you do is get a ladle or measuring cup and carefully take off only the cream layer, placing your cream into the blender.  Let it set till it comes to room temperature.  

Next is the easiest part, put the lid on, turn the blender on low and play barnyard bingo with your kids! (Or whatever other muti-tasking you prefer) I can hear a change in sound when mine is done and has reached the “butter” stage.
However if you do want to cut it off early and have whipped cream
instead that is perfectly OK too. When you get to the point where you see milky liquid and little yellow clumps you have butter!

Now carefully pour out the buttermilk into a container and save for pancakes or soaking bread flour.

Next you “rinse” the butter. Fill the blender with cold water and run it with the butter to get all the remaining buttermilk out. This is possibly the most tedious part, as you should do it till the water runs clear, it takes me about 5 times to get there. 

Then once you get your butter clean you have the option of salting your butter. I put the salt on the butter then one last rinse of water to mix it up; the amount of salt is really up to you.

Then after I drain it off  I scoop out my butter and put it into a silicone mold. This one works great as each of the sunflowers is equal to a stick of butter.  Refrigerate and voilà! Beautiful, nutritious, homemade butter made the modern farmwife way!

Have you ever made butter?
Let me know in the comments how you do it or if you never did if you are going
to give it a try. To health and new beginnings,

The Farmers in the Dell