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School: An Chathair Gharbh (roll number 13896)

Location:
Cahergarriff, Co. Cork
Teacher:
Criostóir Ó Dubhghaill
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0277, Page 398

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0277, Page 398

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  1. XML School: An Chathair Gharbh
  2. XML Page 398
  3. XML “In the Penal Times”
  4. XML “Churning”

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  2. Churning

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    First the milk is skimmed into clean pans and left set for twenty-four hours. Then it is skimmed into a clean cream tub. In cold weather the cream is blown off the milk by letting the milk fall to one side of the pan and the cream slip into the cream tub.
    In warm weather the milk thickens and the cream must be skimmed off neatly and this is generally done with a scallop shell. The churn must be scalded with boiling water before the cream is put in. Then the cover is put on. There is a hole in the canter of the cover for the cover staff to work up and down. It takes a long time to make a churn in cold weather and there must be two people to make the churn. In summer time churn must be made twice a week.
    In olden times churning was a very responsible job and no one would be allowed to skim the milk or take the butter from the churn but the woman of the house. When the cream is turning into butter the churn staff is rolled around the churn from side to side to gather the butter into lump's. Then the butter is removed from the churn into the cream tub and washed in spring water before salting and after salting. Then it is made into neat rolls and taken to the butter market
    (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
    Úna Ní Néill
    Gender
    Female
    Age
    14
    Address
    Gour, Co. Cork
    Informant
    Cáit Ní Néill
    Gender
    Female
    Age
    86