September 9, 2009

Churning Goat's Cream into Butter

The Corgyncombe Dairy
A pat of Corgyncombe Butter stamped with a swan print.
But that's getting the butter before the cream...

At The Corgyncombe Dairy, a bowl full of dairy goat Carmella Lucille's cream.

Diane's butter churn that is a reproduction of a churn Tasha Tudor had.
Diane's husband planted cosmos in the vegetable garden at Diane's request, for cut flowers to be arranged in bouquets.


Cream is churned in the dasher churn by moving the dasher up and down. The repeated agitation of the cream causes the fat part (the butter) of the cream to separate from the buttermilk. The buttermilk is saved for baking.


The butter is then put in the wooden butter bowl, washed with cold water and worked with the wooden butter paddle to remove all of the remaining buttermilk from the butter. Diane uses her grandmum's wooden butter ware for making butter.


Butter rolled into a ball to press into a butter pat.


The butter is pressed into pretty butter prints. Printed butter is lovely to use at the table. Years ago farm wives would print their butter and take it to the country store for trading. If the housewife was known for superior butter, people would seek out the butter with her print. During the Depression, Diane's grandparents on both sides churned butter and traded it at the same general store. Diane's father's side had a wheat pattern butter print and Diane's mother's side had a star pattern butter print. The Corgyncombe Courant wonders who made the best butter!


Tasha Tudor added to a nice long four page letter to Diane, a P.S. about how she enjoyed Diane's article about butter making. Tasha commented about how white goat's butter was and she said "I use it in all my cooking! Delectable!"


In "The Tasha Tudor Cookbook", on page 63, there is an illustration of a girl churning with a young boy and four cats watching. At the beginning of the "Desserts and Beverages" chapter, on page 67, is an illustration of the original churn that Diane's reproduction churn was based on. Right beside the churn is a sweet little corgi peeking up on the table edge at some cookies. In the illustration on page 88 there is a girl churning with two corgis and a cat close by.

In "Mother Goose", illustrated by Tasha Tudor, on page 19, there is a lady named Mary churning in the dairy, with milk pans set on the shelves for the cream to rise to the top and then to be skimmed off. This has always been a favorite of The Corgyncombe Courant.

In "Seasons of Delight", written and illustrated by Tasha Tudor, on the Winter page there is a fun illustration of Tasha Tudor churning butter with a dasher that you can make move up and down. There is a corgi and cat at her feet.



Little Tasha commences churning. In the background, in "Seasons of Delight" Tasha Tudor has illustrated herself churning butter. The doll was named after Tasha because The Corgyncombe Courant was reminded of the portraits of Tasha Tudor when she was a girl painted by her mother Rosamond Tudor.


In the book "The Tale of Samuel Whiskers" or "The Roly-Poly Pudding" by Beatrix Potter, there are illustrations of the goings on in the dairy whilst the mischievous, missing kittens were being sought. Whilst Tabitha Twitchit was looking for her missing son Tom Kitten, another one of her kittens, Mittens, had hidden in an empty jar near the milk pans in the dairy. When Tabitha finally found her, Mittens exclaimed to her mother that she had seen a huge and terrible rat who swiped away a rolling pin and a pat of butter. Another kitten, Moppet, reported that she had spied a woman rat who had pilfered some dough from Tabitha's dough pan. Upon hearing the news of the stolen items, and remembering a roly-poly sound in the attic under the floor, they feared that perhaps a roly-poly pudding, with Tom as the main ingredient, was in the make...



Photographed several years ago, Lydia Rebecca Sly Corgi watches the butter making process in hopes of a taste! Lydia reminds The Corgyncombe Courant of the sweet little corgi peeking up on the table edge at some cookies on page 67 of "The Tasha Tudor Cookbook".



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9 comments:

Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson said...

Dear Matty,

We hope you enjoy your cream separator when it comes. We're not surprised that there was no ice cream left. The same thing happens around here. Tasha's receipt is so good! Glad you had an enjoyable holiday weekend.

Diane and Sarah

Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson said...

Dear Jane,

I just love making butter prints. I look forward to cosmos in the same place for years to come. I'll have to tell my husband not to go crazy with the hoe! :-)

Diane

Paula said...

Dearest Diane,

I enjoyed seeing your goat's cream churned into butter and the beautiful stamps you use. The impression upon the butter is truly a work of art! Your butter churn is beautiful as are the lovely pink cosmos. How sweet of your dear husband to plant them for your bouquets. It is such a blessing that you are using your grandmother's wooden butter ware to make butter. I would love to know which butter was better, too! I love the hand written note to you from Tasha. I can certainly see why she loved your article about butter making. Your photos are all so very beautiful and look just like Tasha's illustrations. Pearl and I especially love the one of pretty Lydia the Corgi watching and hoping for a taste of butter. Thank you and Sarah for all you share! I am truly blessed by you!

Love your friends,
Paula and Pearl

Paula said...

Dearest Diane and Sarah,

I cannot begin to express how touched I was by the sweet words you left on my Rose Cottage by the Lake journal. You have brought tears to my eyes and joy to my heart. I have struggled so with my online journal, often being very discouraged with my posts and wondering if I should continue. I am blessed to have such loving, sweet and generous ladies (you and your daughter included) to leave me such kind and encouraging words that has enabled me to continue. I was so blessed that you enjoyed my older posts, the one with Annie having a tea party was a favorite of mine. :) How kind of you to comment on my nature journal. It took me years to draw something that looked like a bird! I have much to learn, but I do enjoy keeping a nature journal. The Lord has blessed us with so many beautiful song birds living here on the lake. I was thankful to have flowers from my own garden for my May day celebration. I am glad you enjoyed seeing all of those posts, and especially the photos of our sweet Pearl. Thank you for you kind words about the things I make for my home and my dresses and aprons. You have blessed and encouraged me so very much!

Thank you for sharing about your beautiful childhood Bible, that is just like mine, with those same wonderful illustrations. The little cross is still intact, and the zipper works roughly, but the ends are pulled out like yours. I have read that Bible for so many years, it is a real keepsake, as I know that yours is, too. How wonderful that your grandmother gave you and your cousins those Bibles and flashlights. I loved hearing how you would sit on the stairs reading through your Bible, looking at the illustrations with your flashlight. I feel so blessed that you shared that memory with me, and had your Bible open in your lap while writing.

Your blog and website are a delight and blessing to me! So very inspiring, charming and filled with old-fashioned ways that I dearly love and admire. I love your beautiful writings and gorgeous photos! I love all that you share. Your home and garden are so very beautiful! I love all of your vignettes, featuring such warm beauty from the past that inspires me so very much! It is a delight to see your beautiful daughter enjoy the old-fashioned ways as much as you do, and seeing all of your beloved animals always puts a smile on my face! You are such a gracious and sweet lady. I am so thankful to have 'met' you and your daughter Sarah through our blogs. May the Lord bless you both!

With warmest regards,
Your friend and kindred spirit,
Paula and Pearl

Loretta said...

Wow. What a gorgeous blogspot! I found this by randomly clicking on the Follower links on "Rookery Ramblings" which I decided to check out from reading the newsletter. Your blog is absolutely delightful! I will add it to my favourites. What is the doll that you've used in this post? She is darling. I love dolls.

Marqueta (Mar-kee-ta) G. said...

Dear Ladies,

Oh, what a treasure you have here with your blog! My girls and I miss Tasha Tudor (even though we never met her) so much, but we feel like we know her a little better now, through you.

We very much want to have our own Nubians and Corgies (er, corgyn) someday, too, when we live farther away from our busy county highway!

Love,

Marqueta

Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson said...

Dear Loretta,

Thank you for your kind comments on our blog. The little doll with the churn, that we named Tasha, is a "Little Star" reproduction Bleuette size doll.

We love dolls, too!

Diane and daughter Sarah

Diane Shepard Johnson and Sarah E. Johnson said...

Dear Marqueta,

We are so glad you and your children enjoy our blog.

We see that your children enjoy delightful tea parties, too!

Nubians and corgyn are a delight to keep.

Diane and daughter Sarah

Paula said...

Dearest Diane, Sarah, and Corgyn,

Thank you so much for your visit, and for your very kind birthday wishes and sweet words! Yes, I love old books, too!

Pearl sends a hug and so do I!

With love from your kindred spirit,
Paula and Pearl

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