how to make butter

This week saw me tagging along with the Little Sister to kindergarten to teach her kindy mates how to make butter.

The class have been growing corn in their veggie patch so making butter to spread on homegrown steamed corn seemed like the perfect plan. The kids got really into it and we super proud of their efforts. The corn was delicious and its my understanding some of them (Little Sister) came back for thirds!

After the kids came home with their homemade butter a few Mums asked how we'd made it. So Ladies and Gentlemen, due to popular demand, I present....

how to make butter

you will need:

cream (the better the cream, the better the butter)
sea salt
a jar with a tight fitting lid

how to make butter:

1. Pour some cream into your jar, leaving enough room for shaking. We used 200ml jars on Monday and 80mls of cream was about right.
2. Add a pinch of sea salt.
3. Shake. We put dance music on and dance while we shake.
4. Keep shaking.
5. Yes, still.
6. More shaking.
7. Eventually, you'll feel the cream start to change consistency. Keep shaking.
8. The cream will clot together and change to a yellower colour. Cloudy liquid (butter milk) will start to seperate from the cream. Pour off the buttermilk (reserve it for scones or pikelets if you like). 
9. Put the lid back on and shake it again.
10. Add this stage you might like to add some iced water to the jar to help the butter come together.
11. Shake.
12. Shake. Pour off (and discard) any liquid. The more liquid you remove during the shaking process, the longer the butter will keep.
13. Shake.
14. Finished!

The final product in you jar should be a little ball of butter. Spread that golden goodness on anything you have to hand! Keep refrigerated and consume within a few days.

Truth time. The Little Sister and her kindy mates lost interest before their butter was finished, so their lovely kindy teachers and I shook twenty two jars of cream into butter.

We were still shaking jars long after the kids had morning tea and returned to play.

On Tuesday when I woke with a sore wrist I didn't link the two. Later in the day it became apparent, I had given myself RSI: repetitive shaking injury. Props to the inventor of the butter churn!

have you ever made your own butter?