CHAPTER XII 



FINISHING AND MARKETING BUTTER 



WHEN the churning process is complete, it still 

 remains to separate the buttermilk from the granules 

 of butter, and to bring the whole into a solid, uni- 

 form mass, suitable for consumption and properly 

 flavored with salt. These operations may be per- 

 formed in a variety of ways. Formerly it was the 

 custom to continue the churning until the butter 

 was in a measurably solid mass, when it was re- 

 moved from the churn and the buttermilk expelled 

 by pressure, at the same time that the salt was 

 incorporated with the butter. Now the buttermilk 

 is uniformly removed from the butter by washing 

 with water in the churn, and in many instances 

 the salt is incorporated with it during the whole 

 or part of this operation ; but the more common 

 practice is to wash the butter in the churn and to 

 work out the surplus moisture and incorporate the 

 salt upon a separate instrument, called a butter 

 worker. 



Washing the butter. The churning should be 

 stopped as soon as the buttermilk is clear and wa- 

 tery. If the churning has been done at the right 

 temperature and the cream properly ripened, this con- 



(220) 



