Making | Butter | Cheese | Ice Cream | Dairy Processing | Small Farm Dairy | Hobby Farm

Even if you have one dairy cow and live on a hobby farm you can still purchase the old time dairy processing equipment to make homemade dairy products.

Make your own fresh butter, and save the buttermilk for other recipes.

Make your own cheese from easy simple recipes including, hard cheeses, cottage cheeses,cream cheese, and cheese spreads.

Even make your own fresh yogurts and smoothies.

For those who want to escape the life of fighting traffic and lines to live in the country or just a hobby farm there is still dairy processing equipment being made for the small dairy producer.

The art and craft of making fresh butter, ice cream and dairy products still uses much of the same processes as were used in the early centuries of our country.

The equipment and tools have changed a bit but the same methods are still being used.

For the small homestead or homestead butter is mostly made in a modern glass or Stainless Steel butter churns, while the old wooden churns and antique Daisy churns are used to decorate the country kitchens.

Larger size dairy farms use Stainless Steel churns with electric motors.

Ice cream is still being made the old fashioned way in a wooden tub by either a hand crank or electric motor. Making ice cream the old fashioned way ensures you know what is in it.

Ice cream manufactures are not required to list all of their ingredients, consequently many of the ingredients being used in even the most popular ice cream contains synthetic from start to finish.

How to make butter: collect cream until you have enough to fill a churn 1/3 full. Set the cream out until it reaches 62 degrees. Wash the churn in hot and then rinse cold water to prevent the butter from sticking to the paddles.

Pour in the cream and churn, in about 10 minutes you should begin to have butter. Continue to churn until it forms into big clumps.

Remove and place into a bowl working and rinsing with cold water until the water is clear. The initial rinsing will be pure butter milk and should be saved for your buttermilk recipes.

Place the butter on a cutting board and work until all the water has been removed. Add salt to taste.

If you are just not into making butter many are finding new home adventures in making homemade cheese. It can be fun and interesting, especially with so many different varieties to try.

How to make easy cheese: Heat 2 gallons of milk to 180 degrees. Remove from heat and add 3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. Stir until it separates.

Pour curds into a colander lined with a cheesecloth and set on pail. Mix 2-1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 cup powder cheese if you want to have yellow cheese.

Either use a cheese press or use a #10 can with both ends cut out. Place the hot curds into the press or can.

If using a can fill a quart jar with water and place on top of the curds to add pressure. The curds will need to be hot so they will press together.

Cream can be separated with a table top separator in either a hand crank or electric model .

Even the Stainless Steel seamless buckets and milk jugs are still being made for the small self-sufficient homestead or hobby farmer.

You can find many books on dairy processing, some of the Internet information may not be as reliable in processing dairy products safely.

It’s probably safer to stick with state agriculture or university web sites to verify and or stick with a good long standing book especially if you are new at attempting to make different dairy products.

The processing equipment shown in this Hub comes from the Amish self sustaining communities who still process dairy the old fashioned way for family use.

If they don’t have dairy cows they will purchase or barter items they product with Amish who are dairy farming.

Pictures and products are courtesy of Cottage Craft Works .com Recipes are from the Amish/ Mennonite Keepers of the Home Healthy Choices Cookbook also carried by Cottage Craft Works.