Food

Dyersville Commercial
Dyersville, Dubuque, Iowa
Thursday, July 23, 1874

GOLDEN BUTTER
A "farmer's wife" in the Cincinnati Gazette, describes her process as
follows: "Although I am not very old, I have had very good success in
butter-making, always having nice yellow butter from the time the grass
comes until mid-winter. I skim the milk as soon as sour in summer and
winter. Then I let the cream stand until it becomes so solid that it will
not stick to the finger. I stir the cream every time I add more to the jar,
and several times through the day. I use tin pans. They are far better than
the crocks, I think, unless one has a spring house. I wash my pans
thoroughly through two waters. If I have many, and my milke become clabber,
I was them through three waters, having a cloth exclusively for that
purpose; I never use the cloth that I wash my table dishes with to wash milk
pans. Then I have boiling water [plenty of it] and scald my pans, letting
them stand a few minutes to scald. I now take them one at a time and rinse
them around several times in the hot drying them off with a clean flax
towel. Lastly, I heat either by the stove or in the sun. Both cream jar and
churn I treat in the same manner. In regard to the being golden; if the
cream is of the right temperature, which should be 60 degrees in summer, and
67 degrees in winter, the butter will be golden. Carrots are good to feed
cows on in the latter part of the winter to promote good colour. If there is
no ice-house in which to put the cream, let it be put in a tin pail with a
cover to it and hang it in the well in the evening before churning. In this
way choice yellow butter can be made as one would wish to hope."

Daily Times
Davenport, Scott, Iowa
Aug 8, 1890

To Keep Milk Without Ice

One of the most trying experiences in the lot of the housekeepers is to keep
the milk pure. This, of course, relates to the great number to whom ice is a
luxury, and, therefore, unobtainable. Owing to the scarcity, or alleged
scarcity of that necessary article, this summer, with small allowances at
fancy prices, the number who must worry along without this muchly-desired
article, has greatly increased. And with it their trials and tribulations
rose in corresponding scale. However, even without the aid of this natural
cooler, there are some troubles which can be guarded against, and one of
them is sour or changed milk. This domestic calamity need not necessarily
occur if a little attention is paid to the treatment of milk.
Milk can be kept perfectly pure and fresh by the housekeepers canning it as
they do fruits. Let them use the same kind of glass jars as with fruits.
These should first be thoroughly washed, then boiled or baked in the oven
for half an hour or longer. This should be done before the milk arrives. As
soon as it comes, put it into the jars and lightly screw down the lids.
Place them in a steamer over cold water, which should be heated gradually.
Keep the jars steaming for not less than an hour, then screw the lids down
and make them air-tight. If this process is rightly conducted, the milk in
the jars ought to keep unchanged for at least a week. It is also freed from
all disease germs, as a carrier of which it is notorious.
This may seem to be considerable trouble, but in the nutritious effects of
the milk obtained and in the killing off of the germs supposed to lurk in
it is a prevention to sickness worth the trouble.