Butter Making at Home

Windfield, Co. Galway

We have a churn at home. It is 2 ½ feet high and 2 feet wide at bottom and 1 ½ at the top. The sides are rounded. It is three years old and has a churn dash, a lid, and a (clabine clabeen. The clabeen is used for keeping the milk from splashing up. Butter is made twice a week in Summer and once in Winter. My mother does the churning. If any strangers come in while the butter is being made they take the churn as it is said they would take the butter from the owner if they did not help at the work. In Summer, it only takes about a half an hour to do the churning but in Winter it takes about an hour. In Winter, hot water is poured into the churn to break the milk and when the churning is finished cold water is used to clean the churn. Buttermilk is used for making bread.

Collector: Packie Crehan, Rushestown, Co. Galway

Informant: Unknown

Place: Windfield, Co. Galway

Footnote: Duchas, http://www.duchas.ie

This page was added on 12/05/2017.

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