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Aunt Sarah strained fresh, sweet milk into small, brown earthenware
crocks kept for this purpose, scrupulously clean. The crocks were kept
in the spring-house or cellar in summer (in cold weather the milk
should be kept in a warmer place to allow cream to form on the top of
the milk). When the cream was thick and sour she skimmed the cream
from off the top of milk every day, stirring the cream well together
every time she added fresh cream to that on hand. Aunt Sarah churned
twice a week; sour cream should not be kept a longer time than one
week. The churn was scalded with boiling water, then rinsed with cold
water; this prevented the butter adhering to the churn. The cream
should be at a temperature of 60 degrees when put in the churn, but
this would be almost too cold in Winter. In very hot weather the
temperature of the cream should be 56 degrees. Aunt Sarah tested the
cream with a small dairy tube thermometer. She churned steadily and
usually had butter "come" in about 25 minutes, but should the cream he
too cold or too warm it would be necessary to churn a longer time. If
the cream is too warm, stand vessel containing cream on ice; if too
cold, stand in a warm place near the range. When the sour cream had
been churned a certain length of time and granules of butter had
formed, she drained off the buttermilk and poured water over the
granules of butter. Water should be two degrees colder than the
buttermilk. After churning a few minutes the lump of butter was
removed from the churn, placed in a bowl, washed thoroughly several
times in very cold water, until no buttermilk remained. The butter was
worked thoroughly, with a wooden paddle, until all buttermilk had been
extracted. One small tablespoonful of salt was added to each pound of
butter. She worked the butter well, to incorporate the salt, and
molded it into shape. Aunt Sarah did not knead the butter, but
smoothed it down, then lifted it up from the large, flat, wooden bowl
in which it was molded. When the butter was to be molded into _small
shapes_, she scalded the small wooden molds, then dipped them into
cold water before using; this prevented the butter adhering to the
molds. Before commencing to churn butter, Aunt Sarah was particular to
have her hands scrupulously clean. All the utensils used were washed
in hot water, then rinsed in cold water, both hands and utensils. She
frequently wrapped small pats of freshly-churned butter in small
squares of cle