School: Clochar na Trócaire (Scoil Naomh Seosaimh) (roll number 13770)

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1. Churning (continued)

   

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   242 and four times in Summer. My mother always does the churning. It is customary for strangers who come in during churning to give a hand even for a moment. It is an old saying that if they don't, they are supposed to take the butter with them. The churning generally takes three quarters of an hour. When butter collects in large quantities the work is done. In Winter boiling water is poured in and in Summer lukewarm water. This is done to bring the cream to a certain temperature. The butter is gathered together by moving the dash slowely round the top of the milk. It is then lifted out with a wooden butter cup on to a wooden dish made for the purpose. It is then washed with spring water using two butter spades until every drop of buttermilk is left it. This done it is salted and washed again. Now it is ready for use. It was an old saying that if you sprinkle May flowers round the cow-house on the first of May that by a stranger not taking the churn on coming in, the butter would not be lost on you during the year.

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   Topics

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

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Úna Ní Raghnall

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Drumdoo, Co. Leitrim