What Happened To My Butter??

We regularly make butter from our goat milk.

Our standard practice is to let the milk sit for a few days to let the cream rise to the top, then skim it off with a gravy ladle. It works great.

Since we don't get a lot of cream at a time, we freeze it until we need butter again.







Well, I made butter last Sunday and by Tuesday it had a strong, off flavor - more well known as a goaty flavor. Yuck! 

Sometimes when I thaw out the cream I don't get the butter made right away so the cream sits in the fridge. There have been times when this delay has caused the butter to turn rancid earlier than usual. But that wasn't the case this time.

The only thing I can come up with this time, is that some of this cream was saved in the summer when we were constantly overrun with milk. We are thinking maybe the cream sat in the milk longer than usual before we skimmed it, letting it age somewhat before it was ever frozen.

So - this butter turned rancid within a few days and is now going to be either dog food or chicken food. It's too stinky for us to eat. The day after this picture was taken I was making toast in the skillet. Frank came down the hall saying, "The whole house stinks! I'm not putting that stuff in my mouth!" But the butter will get used and eaten - by the chickens. Think of it as a barter. Butter for eggs. Not our original plan, but still useful, in the end.

Life's lessons never end. Even when you think you have the hang of something, it will throw you for a loop. Pondering and figuring are good for the mind. Practice these skills frequently. Don't be afraid to mess something up or fail completely. It will give you another opportunity to ponder and figure again. Think of it as a muscle. If you never do anything, really do anything to exercise your brain the only thing it will ever be able to do is react, which will not lead to new learning or even the ability to come up with solutions.

After TEOTWAWKI (the end of the world as we know it), you will need to have a sharp, keen sense to figure out what to do, when to do it and how it can be accomplished successfully. You will need to have strengthened your ability to calmly ponder and figure your way through, so that you might survive. If you haven't already done so, start practicing every day. If you already do, keep it up. It's kind of like prayer. The more you practice, the better you get. It may make all the difference in the world.

Until next time - Fern