To keep things as easy and visually fun as possible here on the homestead, I started a YouTube channel (which you can find HERE). I'll be posting a variety of videos, from relevant how-to videos to random life on the farm.
Today. It's relevant. It's all about the butter making, baby.
You can read my post about how to make fresh butter HERE. But if you're interested in the video version, check it out below!
Allison
Who do you think you are, Shaye Elliott, with your fancy video editing and butter-making-skills?!! Surely that much ingenuity and homesteading goodness shouldn’t be hoarded in one person! I’ll work on not being bitter. In the meantime, I’m going to go look for a cow so I can get cream too. Raw milk is only slightly illegal in Arizona.
Shaye Elliott
Aww, Allison. Bless you π
Aura
Great video! Your instructions were very clear and the video really made it all understandable! Thank you. The balance between the music and your voice was not quite right as your soft voice was hard to hear over the tunes…but maybe that’s just my “old ears”! LOL Anyway, thank you for a clear and instructive video!
Ashlee
We would be friends, Shaye, I know it! My girls and I just enjoyed watching all three of your videos. Your family is so likeable! π
PS Our lives were totally changed when I learned of the Nourishing Traditions Cookbook from your blog.
PPS I have your cookbook too and I’ve used it so much that it’s falling apart. π We loooove the granola, sourdough crackers, several of your bread recipes…. *Happy sigh* Thanks for doing what you do.
Shaye Elliott
Glad you’re here Ashlee! And more videos to come! π
Melissa
Great video. (And for the record, I could hear your voice perfectly well over the music–just so you don’t worry about that.) π
I have had terrible luck making butter from the raw, grass-fed milk we buy from a local farm, but I’m hoping your slightly different technique will yield better results. I have tried implementing two pieces of advice I originally didn’t know about, which is to let the cream age a few days in the fridge (rather than making butter when it’s straight from the cow), and to let it come down to room temperature after it comes out of the fridge, before whipping. Neither of these pieces of advice made an ounce of difference, and I just ended up blending the poop out of my cream for a long time to no avail, and eventually just using it in my coffee when it never solidified! The only method I have ever tried is in the blender, so I’m hoping your gentler mixer method is the ticket. From your own experiences, what are your thoughts on the two pieces of advice I received (letting cream get old for a few days, and letting it come down to room temp before making butter)?
Shaye Elliott
Both very much help the butter. I like to use the milk that’s been in the fridge for a few days – the cream is much more set.
Melissa
Okay, so I just hopped over to your written post (from last November) on how to make butter, and it answered a few of my questions from the previous comment. Basically, if I’m culturing it on the counter for 8 hours before whipping, then it’s already at room temp, AND it’s already aged a bit. Plus, if you’re saying that cultured cream whips faster than uncultured cream, then my blending it for 15 minutes the last few times just probably wasn’t enough. (I was genuinely worried about burning out the motor on my blender by having it on so long.) I am really optimistic that I’ll FINALLY get it right this time, if I use a mixer instead, and follow the steps in your tutorial! π
Cori
I loved the video!! π We’re working toward being self sufficient and this video definitely helps! Now all we need is a cow so be can have raw milk π I want my jersey π
Laura
Watching your videos with my daughters who are 2 and 4. The 4 yr old asked who you are to which I replied, ” That is Miss Shaye. She is my friend, she just doesn’t know it”. The 4 year old, ” I want Georgia to be my friend too”. The 2 yr old, “Georgia daddy nice”.
Love the videos!
Shaye Elliott
SO CUTE!
Jeanne
This may be a stupid question, but do you have to use raw milk? I have a hard time finding that.
Shaye Elliott
Yes, I use raw. It must at least be non-homogenized to work.
Margaret Anne @ Natural Chow
Okay so I made butter a few weeks ago, but gave up. I tried Shaye, I really did! I did everything I was supposed to do, but when I tried to “knead out” the excess buttermilk…there was none. AND it was really soft. Like, too soft to knead. The butter was FANTASTIC, don’t get me wrong, but I may need to do a little more research on this whole butter thing before I make another batch. Thanks for sharing this!
Shaye Elliott
It sounds like you didn’t mix it for long enough or that the cream you used wasn’t heavy enough. What did you use, Margaret?
Amber
Just starting out with raw milk, it’s soooo amazing. I have a question about the leftover buttermilk. I don’t have any animals I can give it to at this time, but I do use it occasionally in my cooking. Can buttermilk be frozen for later use?
Shaye Elliott
Yep!