School: Moneytown, Roundwood

On this page

1. Churning

   

   Share Share Post

   A churn is a vessel used for churning cream into butter. There are several sorts of churns but the kind my mother has is an (e) American end-over-end churn.

   My mother churns in this way-first of all when she milks the cows she puts the milk to set in shallow vessels. At the end of twenty-four hours she skims the cream off the milk and puts it in a crock. She collects the cream in this way until the crock is full, stirring it twice a day so that it will thicken evenly. When it is thick and sour it is fit to churn. She prepares the churn and puts the cream into it. Then she takes the temperature with a thermometer and the cream should be sixty-two degrees to churn, but if it is not that heat she puts lukewarm water into it to heat it. Then she churns it until small specks come on the glass in the lid. She then puts some more lukewarm water in and churns it until the glass becomes clear. That is a sign that the butter is formed on the milk. There is a plug near the bottom of the churn and she pulls it out and strains the butter-milk thro' it. She keeps the butter in the churn and puts a bucket of spring water in, puts on the lid and turns the churn a few times to wash the milk out of the butter. She does this twice then she gathers the butter together with two butter-spades and puts it on a smooth board. She then squeezes the

   (continues on next page)

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. agriculture (~2,659)
            1. butter and churns (~3,280)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Neans Ní Bhriain

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Aghowle Upper, Co. Wicklow

   Informant

   Mrs O' Brien

   Relation

   Parent

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Aghowle Upper, Co. Wicklow