School: Dhuish

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1. Churning

   

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   Churning

   We have a churn at home. It is small and wide and the widest part of the churn is at the bottom. We have it about two years. There is a mark on the end of it and that is the number of gallons. We churn once a week in the winter and twice a week in the summer. It is covered with a wooden lid and has a dash going through it. This is worked by pulling the dash up and down. Some churns are worked by hand and some are worked by foot. Strangers help in churning because it is an old custom. The old people thought that when the stranger would go that he would take the butter with him.
   There are many ways of making butter and this is the way we do it. When the cream is thick and a little sour it is ready for churning. Then the milk is heated to a temperature between 59 and 60 degrees. You start churning by pulling the dash up and down and keep om churning for about twenty minutes with little specks of butter appear. You continue churning on until the specks of butter are the size of shot. Then it is rinsed down with cold water. The lid is taken off and the butter is taken from the milk. The butter is taken off with a scoop for the purpose, then it is rinsed twice with cold water. It is salted and pressed tightly with butter spades to take out the water and then it is put in rolls. The buttermilk is used for feeding calves and pigs. It is very useful for making bread.

   Anna Freeman
   Crossmakeelan

   

   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

   Anna Freeman

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Crossmakeelan, Co. Cavan