School: St Mary's, Bridge-End

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1. Churning (continued)

   

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   churn it is ready then.

   How churned
   They churn it with a churn staff up and down and when it is almost finished it is churned around.

   Water poured in.
   They pour in hot water but they must be careful not to pour in too much.

   Kind of churn
   There is a churn the shape of a barrel but the other one that I have shown is more common. The barrel churn is churned with a handle.

   When they have plenty of butter on the milk they say they have "a good churning" Little old witches were supposed to go around long ago and to put a blight on the churning. Then no matter how long the woman of the house would churn she would get no butter. People were always afraid of this little witch coming. I don't think the people believe those things now.

   How butter is worked.
   The butter is lifted from the churn and put into a wooden basin. It is beaten with a wooden clapper [illustration] until all the water is out

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   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

   Annie Mac Laughlin

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Coshquin, Co. Derry