Making Homemade Butter from Raw Cream

I have been making homemade butter from raw cream for more than a year now.  And I've actually had this post sitting in my drafts for that long.  I'm not sure why I never posted it... I think I just forgot about it.  I thought I had posted it, actually.  I didn't realize I hadn't until recently when a friend asked about making homemade butter.  I went to direct them to my blog post... and couldn't find it anywhere.  So... here is my post on how to make homemade butter... finally! 

Making Homemade Butter from Raw Cream

Begin by skimming the cream from the tops of your jars of real, grassfed milk.  I use half-gallon mason jars to store my milk and purchased a small stainless steel gravy ladle to skim the cream.  The fresher your cream, the sweeter your butter will be.  But it is not harmful at all to use cultured (or soured) cream… your end result will just be cultured butter, which is filled with healthy probiotics and has sort of a sweet and sour taste to it.  

I make both cultured butter and sweet cream butter.  I like them both quite a lot.  Kevin prefers the sweet cream butter and I do like the fact that I can also always use the buttermilk from the sweet cream butter for baking or in smoothies (or for soaking grains when I used to make things with whole grains).  You can use the buttermilk from the cultured butter at times, but if it smells stinky at all, you need to throw it away.  This is quite a common occurrence when making cultured cream/butter in the warmer months, especially, since the cultured cream can get quite ripe.  So I do tend to make sweet cream butter most often.

I tend to make butter every other weekend since I get my milk on Fridays... although I do skip it at times and only make it once a month if I've found too many other uses for the cream.  It all works out, though, because I always have a decent stash of homemade butter in the freezer.  I’ll skim the cream from each jar of milk during the first week and place it into another half-gallon jar.  Then when I get my milk in the second week, I skim the cream and add it to the half-gallon jar I have reserved last week’s cream in.  I usually end up with 2 to 2 1/2 quarts of raw cream if I don't use the cream for other things during the weeks.  Each quart of cream will yield about a pound of butter. 

When you are ready to make your butter, you will want to use chilled cream.  Pour the cream into your stand mixer bowl with a wire whisk attachment on your mixer.  Turn your mixer to a medium to medium-high speed and just let the mixer do the work. 

Go unload your dishwasher, call your grandma, throw a load in the washing machine… while your mixer does all the work for you.  Your butter should be done in about 10 minutes or so.  (You can also use a food processor to make butter, but you don’t want to use anything that will warm the cream as it churns (some blenders will do this).)  

I want to also note that you should not try to make too much butter at once.  The cream will expand and turn into whipped cream through the process of making butter, so you want to make sure you have plenty of room in your mixer bowl for this to occur.  Once the butter and buttermilk start separating, it can also get kind of messy if you have too much (and sometimes even if you have too little) in the bowl as the butter splashes around in the buttermilk.  (Note:  I normally make much larger batches of butter than are pictured here... on this particular week when I took pictures, I had used most of my cream for the two-week period in coffee and other items... so I didn't have much cream to make butter with.)   

Once your butter has formed and the solids have separated from the buttermilk, pour everything through a strainer.  The liquid milky stuff is buttermilk.  It won’t look like the buttermilk you buy in the store – it won’t be thick – but you can use it as you would buttermilk… in baking, in smoothies, for soaking grains, etc.  I often will freeze mine if I don’t have a use for it that week.  

Transfer your butter to a clean bowl.  Now it’s time to wash your butter.  Sounds kind of funny, doesn’t it?  Well, you need to wash it to make sure you extract all of the buttermilk.  This will make your butter last much longer. 

To wash the butter, you will need to add cold water to the butter.  Don’t add too much so your not splashing all over the place, but add enough to wash.  Use a wooden spoon to press and fold the butter.  This will extract the buttermilk.  Pour the water off (don’t save this stuff).  And add more cold water to repeat the pressing and folding.  You will need to repeat this step until your water remains totally clear.  At that point, you’ve removed all of the buttermilk from the butter.  Remember – the cleaner the butter, the longer it will last.  

Pour off the clear water.  Press and fold your butter a few more times to extract any remaining water.  Pour that off.  Now you can mix in salt, if you want.  I don’t, as I find it more convenient to add salt when I use the butter.  

If you have a butter mold, transfer your butter to the mold.  I don’t have a mold, so I just plop the butter onto a sheet of parchment paper or natural wax paper and shape it into a rectangular cube.  I usually use natural wax paper now... even though that is not what is pictured here... but these pictures were taken more than a year ago.  Then I fold up the sides to seal it and place it in the refrigerator or freezer.  I freeze most of the butter I make fresh for later use, but if I know I’ll be baking or needing a lot of butter during the week, I’ll keep the fresh stuff in the fridge.  It will keep for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator. 

Nothing beats homemade, fresh butter.  And it’s honestly a very simple, very low-effort, economical thing to make!  People always laugh at me when I tell them I make my own butter because they think it’s going to be some super labor intensive task (think back to the butter churn days).  They are always surprised to hear how effortless it really is with the use of modern technology (a.k.a. my stand mixer).  So, if you don’t already make your own butter – I challenge you to try it some time.  I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it really is!  

** NOTE:  If you do not have access to real milk, you can follow this same process using the cream you skim from non-homogenized, pasteurized milk, or from a carton of good, quality heavy cream.  


This post is linked to: 
Fat Tuesday @ Real Food Forager
Traditional Tuesdays @ Delicious Obsessions
Real Food Wednesday @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Dairy Kefir

I've been making dairy kefir for quite some time now, but realized that I never have posted about it.  So here goes!  Dairy kefir is made by adding dairy kefir grains to milk. You can use almost any kind of milk - raw cow's milk, raw goat's milk, pasteurized milk (but not ultra-high temperature pasteurized), homogenized milk, and I've even seen blogs on using coconut milk to make kefir. It is generally recommended to use whole fat milk, rather than low-fat or skim milk.

 The dairy kefir grains, like water kefir grains, are a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. But don't be confused with the two types of kefir grains... they are different in the way they look and the way they eat sugars. Dairy kefir grains look kind of like cauliflower. They're sort of a pale yellow/whitish color and clump together. Dairy kefir grains feed off of the lactose/milk sugar. The resulting kefir is low in lactose, while rich with beneficial bacteria and yeast. It also contains high levels of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Kefir is often compared to yogurt because they have similar tastes. While yogurt does contain some beneficial bacteria, kefir is much better for you. It contains five times more beneficial organisms than yogurt and includes beneficial yeasts as well as bacteria, while yogurt only contains beneficial bacteria. These beneficial bacteria and yeasts are good for digestion and help to keep your gut healthy. They also help your body protect itself against viruses, disease, and parasites.

Dairy kefir has many uses. You may drink or eat it plain; use it in smoothies; use it as your acid medium to soak grains/nuts/seeds; or use it to make ice cream, popsicles, salad dressing, cheese, and so much more, I'm sure. So far, I have really only used mine plain, flavored it with pureed fruit, in smoothies, in salad dressing, and for soaking grains. I have wanted to expand my uses of kefir, but just haven't gotten around to it yet. Hopefully I will soon.

Dairy Kefir

2 tablespoons of kefir grains
1 quart of milk

If your kefir grains are dehydrated when you get them, you should follow the directions that come with them to get them hydrated.

It will take your kefir grains some time to become acclimated to your house and your milk. This could take anywhere from a couple of days to a month, according to some sources. You may want to start with only one cup of milk for the first few batches to get your grains acclimated and not waste much milk. Once your grains are fully acclimated, you can use the full quart of milk to make kefir. Make sure you're not using too many grains for the amount of milk you are culturing. You only need about 2 tablespoons for a quart. If you have more, your chances of it separating into curds and whey are higher and the yeast will be in overabundance in the resulting kefir... which does not taste the best.

I started out with some kefir grains from my sister-in-law and had decent luck with them.  Although I never really got a nice, thick kefir out of them.  Unfortunately, those grains died over the holidays when I stopped making kefir due to just plain being too busy.  Just before New Years, I got some more grains from my dairy farmer.  These have been awesome since they were cultured in the same raw milk that I am using.  My kefir is now nice, thick, and creamy.  This isn't the most appetizing picture, but it shows how thick my kefir now gets after 18 hours.  The cream that has risen to the top is extra-thick.  You can also see the kefir grains, which rise to the top as they culture.

To make kefir, pour milk into a wide-mouth quart sized jar. Add the dairy kefir grains and stir gently with a wooden or plastic spoon (don't use metal as it does not react well with the grains). Cover with a cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter, and secure with a rubber band... or just loosely place a jar lid on the jar.  Leave at room temperature away from other cultures to prevent cross-contamination. Ideal room temperatures are between 65 - 80 degrees. It will take longer to culture/ferment with cooler temperatures (like in the winter) and faster with warmer temperatures (like in the summer). If you have your kefir near a heat source (the stove, oven, crockpot, etc.), keep in mind that it will culture more quickly. 

You may culture the kefir until you are satisfied with the thickness and taste. You may want to try tasting it after 12 hours, then 24 hours, 36 hours, and 48 hours. It will get more thick and more sour over time. If you let it go too long, you will see the kefir separate into curds and whey. You might also see some yellow liquid surrounding the kefir grains, this is the beginning of this separation into curds and whey. Its fine to let the kefir culture to this point, if that is what you like or what you want. We tend to like our kefir after about 18 hours in the summer. I'm finding I have to let it culture a little longer in the winter if I leave it on the counter... usually to between 24 and 36 hours now.  But I generally just turn my oven light on and place my jar in the oven with the light on.  Its done after about 18 hours. 

After about 8 or 10 hours, gently stir the culturing kefir.  You will see the grains floating on top - the bumpy stuff. Stirring after the milk has partially cultured will help achieve a smooth consistency.

When you've decided the taste and thickness are right for your family, remove the grains with a wooden or plastic spoon, or use a plastic strainer... remember don't use metal! Transfer the kefir grains to a new batch of milk, or store in the refrigerator until you need them again. Do not rinse the grains - you really only want to rinse the grains if you fear cross-contamination, or are switching to a different type of milk.

Cover the finished kefir and refrigerate.
Dairy kefir grains may be stored in the refrigerator in a small amount of milk. This will keep for one or two weeks.

This post is posted as part of the Tuesday Twister at GNOWFGLINS and Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

Traditional Ricotta Cheese

I really try to get the most out of everything when it comes to cooking and food.  So when I saw a recipe on the Fias Co Farm site for making ricotta cheese out of the whey that is leftover when you make a lactic acid or rennet precipitated cheese, I was all about trying it.  So the last few times I've made my soft cheese, I've done just that.  This is extremely easy.  The downside is that you really don't get a lot of ricotta out of a quart of whey.  But this is too simple of a process not to still make the ricotta... plus the resulting ricotta tastes awesome!  I've just been adding it to a container that I've been keeping in my freezer until I get enough to use in a recipe.  I've finally got enough to use and cannot wait to try it next week in a recipe! 

Traditional Ricotta Cheese (made from whey)

You will need:
whey leftover from making a lactic acid or rennet precipitated cheese
vinegar, optional
stainless steel saucepan
thermometer
colander
large bowl or pot into which the colander fits
2 pieces of 90-count cheesecloth or butter muslin

Pour the whey into a saucepan and heat to 200 degrees.  Once you reach this temperature, you should see very tiny white particles (the albumin protein) floating in the whey.  You may add a little vinegar at this point if you'd like (1/4 cup per 2 gallons of whey).  It's up to you, some people do and some people don't.  I've done it both ways and have not really noticed much of a difference.  Adding the vinegar supposedly makes the texture of the ricotta a little more grainy, but I really haven't noticed it.

Line a colander with very fine cheesecloth/butter muslin.  I fold mine in quarters so I have 8 layers (between the 2 pieces) of cloth.  You really need a really fine cloth because the cheese will pass right through if you don't.  Place the colander over a big bowl or pot so you can save the whey for soups or baking bread.  Carefully pour the hot whey through the cheesecloth lined colander.

Tie the ends of the cheesecloth together and hang the ricotta to drain for 2-4 hours.

When it has finished draining, put the ricotta in a bowl and add salt to taste.  Ricotta will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge, or you can freeze it until you have enough to use in a recipe. 

This post is participating in Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

Soft Cheese (like Chevre/Goat Cheese)

I've been dabbling in the world of cheese making for the last month or so now. I have tried a couple different cheeses, first of which was soft cheese. I followed Wardeh from GNOWFGLINS' instructions in her guest post on Edible Aria, as well as some guidance received via email and facebook. Wardeh has been a tremendous resource to me - in more areas than cheese-making, but I especially appreciate her guidance with cheese. I'm not sure I'd have tackled the cheeses I have so far, nor plan to do the cheeses that I want to try very soon, if it was not for her. So, thank you, Wardeh!

Soft cheese would be called chevre or goat cheese if I used goat's milk, but since I use raw cow's milk, its just soft cheese. It is one of the easiest cheeses to make... hence why I chose to start with it. :) You don't need any fancy molds or presses. Just your ingredients, a jar, some cheesecloth, a large bowl, and a way to hang the cheese. I've now made soft cheese three times and will be making it again this weekend. Its great to use plain (spread on toast, sourdough english muffins, sweet muffins, as fruit dip, etc.), mixed with herbs for a delicious spread on crackers or veggies, as sour cream, salad dressing, or in dishes. We've really enjoyed the results when using it in cooked dishes. Its such a nice, mild, creamy cheese.

The recipe I follow makes about 3 cups of soft cheese. It will keep for about a week in the fridge and it freezes well. Depending on my meal plan for the week, I will keep 1-2 cups of it fresh in the fridge and freeze the remainder for use the following week or whenever. Here is what I do... it may sound like a long process, but the active time is very minimal and does not take much skill at all.

Soft Cheese

1/2 gallon of raw goat or raw cow milk
1/8 teaspoon all-purpose mesophilic culture (MA or MM)
1/4 cup clean, filtered water
double strength organic liquid vegetable rennet
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

You will also need:
cloth napkin and rubber band
stainless steel or other non-reactive colander
stainless steel pot or other non-reactive large bowl into which the colander fits
2 pieces of 90-count cheesecloth or butter muslin

DAY ONE:

On day one, pour the milk into a half-gallon mason jar. Then, sprinkle the mesophilic culture on top of the milk and stir with a wooden spoon (do not use metal).

In a separate jar or cup, put the 1/4 cup of water. Add one drop of the double-strength liquid rennet and stir well. Take one tablespoon of this solution and add it to the jar of milk. Stir the milk well with your wooden spoon. (If you are using regular strength liquid rennet, mix one drop with the water, but add 2 tablespoons of the solution to the milk and stir well... I just use the double strength since that's what I bought after seeing what Wardeh uses... maybe someday I'll try the regular strength.) If you think you will be making more soft cheese within a week or two, keep the rennet solution in the refrigerator. Otherwise just throw it away.

Cover the jar of milk with a cloth napkin and secure with a rubber band. Let sit out at room temperature to culture for 24 hours.

DAY TWO:

Once the milk has cultured for 24 hours, it should resemble the consistency of a thick yogurt. Put your colander inside your pot or bowl. Layer the two pieces of cheesecloth or butter muslin in the colander. Gently pour the cultured milk into the cheesecloth. Tie up the cheesecloth, making a sort of bag to enclose the curds. You can just leave this in the colander as is, or hang it above the colander/bowl setup. I hang mine after I've let it drip in the colander for about an hour. Leave this at room temperature for 24 hours, during which time the whey will drip out and the curds will thicken.

DAY THREE:

Untie the cheesecloth and check the consistency of the cheese. It should be thick, but spreadable and not dry. You may let it hang longer if you wish the cheese to thicken more.

Once your cheese has reached your desired thickness, transfer to a clean bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt. Stir. Adjust amount of salt to taste. Pop the cheese into the refrigerator to chill. You may freeze some if you don't think you'll use it within a week or two.

Make sure you save the whey that has collected in the pot/bowl. Keep this in the refrigerator for up to 6 months to use in lacto-fermentation or add to soups. 

I end up with a quart of whey, plus three cups of cheese from this recipe.


This post is shared as part of the GNOWFGLINS Tuesday Twister.

Homemade Yogurt

Ok, I've had this post saved in my drafts for much too long now.  So even though I'm still updating it and adding pictures along the way, I figured I'd just go ahead and post it.  Be sure to check back for updates as I post them every now and then.

I've been making my own homemade yogurt for a few months now.  I've tried quite a few different ways of making yogurt and mostly follow the method described on Kitchen Stewardship.  I've posted about my flop using the crockpot.  I'm not going to go into detailed posts about other ways I've tried, rather I'll tell you the way that works best for me and maybe mention a few things I've tried along the way.  I'm sure I'll also try some different things along the way, so I'll come back to this post and update if/when I do.

Making homemade yogurt may seem daunting, but it is actually so very easy to do.  Everyone should try it.  It may sound like it takes a long time to make it, but very little of that time is active time and you don't have to be home for most of it. You can expect about 15 minutes of active time and you'll need to plan a time when you're home for about an hour and a half to two hours.  We eat a lot of yogurt in our house.  We all love it.  Carson and I love it plain or with a slight honey or vanilla flavor.  Kevin likes to stir homemade jam into his.  And we all love it with fresh fruit and granola.  And I love knowing that its so good for us, feeding our guts with healthy probiotics!

Making the Switch to Raw Milk

We finally made the switch to raw milk last month and I cannot tell you how excited I was about it (and still am)! I had done a lot of research into it a little more than a year ago, after my first taste of raw milk at the Grand Blanc farmers' market (much of this post was actually written back then and has been sitting in my blog drafts until we actually made the switch). It is seriously the best tasting milk ever... so creamy and smooth and sweet... like milk is supposed to taste! I wish it would not have taken me more than a year to finally sign the papers to buy a couple cow shares. But life got in the way, as it often does, and other things took priority. Then I had my gall bladder attack in July and my entire focus on eating switched back to where it was a year ago, focusing in on the Nourishing Traditions and WAPF way of eating... only this time I have been more proactive at actually making the bigger changes.