School: Ladhar (C.), Bán-Tír (roll number 8665)

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1. How Butter Was Made in Olden Times

   

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   First, the milk was milked and strained through a hair-strainer into timber vessels called kellers. It was left thus for thirty-six hours to produce the cream. The product was then skimmed off with a wooden dish known as a skimmer. It was put into a timber cream-tub and left set for six or seven days. Next came the churning. The cream was poured into a standing churn. This churn was wide near the ground and getting narrow upwards. The cover was fitted down six or seven inches from the top with a hole in the centre. Then there was a stick with a cross at the lower end to beat the cream. This was called a churn staff. This was worked up and down through the hole in the cover by the hand. In this way some of the cream used to come up with the staff and remain in the top of the cover so when the butter was near being made this had to be washed down with milk or water.
   The churning was finished then at a slow pace. The butter was then collected by means of giving the staff a few turns around. It was then taken out and washed three or four times in pure spring water. Then it was taken in wooden pails to the "partner" where six or seven other partners would take their butter also. It was measured in wooden gallons or weighed by a stiller and washed in one wooden tub

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Cáit Ní Chonchúbhair

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Muingyroogeen, Co. Cork

   Informant

   John O Connor

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Muingyroogeen, Co. Cork