harmless coloring matter. The amount of coloring matter necessary to use varies with the season but usually 8 to 12 drops of harmless vegetable coloring to every pound of butter will be sufficient in the winter time. This coloring matter may be bought at most drug stores.
Churning.—When the cream is ready for churning, rinse the churn with scalding water to cleanse it thoroughly and to swell the pores in the wood. Following this, cool the churn with cold water to prevent the raising of the temperature of the cream when put into the churn. The cream should be poured through a strainer into the churn to remove lumps or hard white specks of cream which may have dried to the sides of the can. Gas will form in the churn during the first few minutes of churning which must be let out by removing the cork at the bottom of the churn. It may be necessary to repeat this operation several times. After the churn has been in operation about 20 minutes, the cream becomes thick and shortly after, very small, mealy granules begin to form. At this point the cream begins to break away from the glass in the top of the churn lid. When this stage is reached, after every four or five revolutions the lid should be removed and the size of the granules observed. When these have reached the size of large wheat grains, the churning operation has been completed. At this point the glass in the top appears clear which indicates that the granules slide off instead of sticking to the top. It usually takes at least 25 minutes to churn good butter. If it takes longer, the temperature of the next cream churned should be raised a few degrees.
Washing the Butter.—When churning is completed draw the buttermilk off through a strainer to catch small particles of butter. The butter is washed to remove the buttermilk, to improve the flavor, and to keep better. Buttermilk is washed out of the butter and not worked out. The temperature of the wash water should be the same as that of the buttermilk and is determined by the use of a thermometer. This temperature depends upon the condition of the butter; if the butter is too soft the water must be colder, and vice versa. In washing butter, water is added and the churn given two or three revolutions so as to turn the butter;
