[Sca-cooks] Re: Making butter

[rcmann4 at earthlink.net]

On 20 May 01,, Stefan li Rous wrote:

> There are several descriptions given in this file in the FOOD section
> of the Florilegium for making butter:
> butter-msg        (99K)  4/13/01    Period butter. Making butter. Butter churns.
>
> I don't think any of these descriptions talk about washing the butter
> blobs.

Here is an excerpt from Markham's _The English Housewife_ on
the subject of making butter.  As the first edition was published in
1615, it is post-period, but I don't think butter-making techniques
changed all that much.

"after your butter is churned, or churned and gathered well together
in your churn, you shall then open your churn, and with both your
hands gather it well together, and take it from the buttermilk, and
put it into a very clean bowl of wood, or pancheon of earth
sweetened for the purpose, and if you intend to spend the butter
sweet and fresh, you shall have your bowl or pancheon filled with
very clean water, and therein with your hand you shall work the
butter, turning and tossing it to and fro till you have by that labour
beaten and washed out all the buttermilk, and brought the butter to
a firm substance of itself, without any other moisture"


Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)
mka Robin Carroll-Mann
now at a new address: rcmann4 at earthlink.net