What caused the butter to taste bitter in the winter.
In many 18th century works the Ash tree shoots and leaves eaten “at
Michaelmas time makes the Butter bitter when eaten by the Cattel.” [1708, 1777]
The barrel churn must be turned “gentle, slow, and steady, for this
soft motion on the spindle is equal to a very sharp beating in the downright
way. … the butter comes quick, and very fine. It is hard, sweet tasted, and
will keep; whereas the single article of too violent turning, will make the
same cream yield a soft, bitter butter, that will not keep.” [1758]
“Setting Milk hard makes the Butter bitter. Setting hard is, letting
the Milk stand too long without Skimming, whereby the Cream gets a very thick
Head.” [1744]
“It is the alternate freezing and thawing which makes cream and butter
bitter.” [1862]
In cold weather cream turns bitter, but not from leaves.… At the fall of the leaf and in cold weather cream will turn from sweet to bitter, and the reason is generally said to be, because the cattle eat the leaves of trees; but my friend will not allow that, because ‘twill be so in low grounds where there are no trees, as well as uplands where there are… The best way to prevent this bitterness, he says, is by setting the milk a less time and churning oftner; but this will produce but a small quantity, and ‘tis best to sell and spend it new, and not to pack it in firkins, for it will not sell in London, but the traders are forc’d to ship it off; where, by its illness, it disparages our country, and does our trade great damage." [1727]
A $5 prize was given in 1880 for the true cause. “First. Healthy cows that have calved not to exceed two months. Second. Plenty of sweet, fine hay, corn meal, stalks, roots, and good water, with regular times for feeding and watering. Third. Clean and comfortable stables. Last and not least. Utmost cleanliness in milking, and in the care of all dishes, utensils, churns and rooms in which milk, cream or butter is placed.” [1880]
In cold weather cream turns bitter, but not from leaves.… At the fall of the leaf and in cold weather cream will turn from sweet to bitter, and the reason is generally said to be, because the cattle eat the leaves of trees; but my friend will not allow that, because ‘twill be so in low grounds where there are no trees, as well as uplands where there are… The best way to prevent this bitterness, he says, is by setting the milk a less time and churning oftner; but this will produce but a small quantity, and ‘tis best to sell and spend it new, and not to pack it in firkins, for it will not sell in London, but the traders are forc’d to ship it off; where, by its illness, it disparages our country, and does our trade great damage." [1727]
A $5 prize was given in 1880 for the true cause. “First. Healthy cows that have calved not to exceed two months. Second. Plenty of sweet, fine hay, corn meal, stalks, roots, and good water, with regular times for feeding and watering. Third. Clean and comfortable stables. Last and not least. Utmost cleanliness in milking, and in the care of all dishes, utensils, churns and rooms in which milk, cream or butter is placed.” [1880]
Suggestions. Several ideas were
given in 1870.
“Make it sour before it can get bitter.
In our region [Lancaster, PA], the milk is sometimes kept in a cupboard,
in the living room, or perhaps upon a table, nicely covered with a white cloth,
or on the mantelpiece. This will make much better butter for you than your
bitter milk. I have sold butter, in a
city, at 65 cents, the milk for which stood in the broad kitchen window…
Have standing a vessel of sour milk, or buttermilk, not bitter sour
milk. When you strain your milk, add to
each pot or pan, intended for butter, a little of this sour milk - a skimmer
full, perhaps. Your milk will be sour,
and see what beautiful cream will rise.
I have seen milk managed in this way kept in the winter in a
spring-house with unglazed windows.
I have further heard of setting milk pots upon the stove, and bringing
the milk to a scald before setting it away.
This extra heat may cause the milk to sour, and prevent that awful
bitterness, of which I speak feelingly.
But make your milk sour before it is bitter, unless indeed you can make
all the cream rise before it is either sour or bitter.
The evening before churning, if you have a coal stove, bring up your
cream pot, or pots, and set them near the stove. Do not try to churn cold cream unless your
time hangs heavily on your hands, or your name is Job. If you have a thermometer, you can vary your
cream to 60 degrees, or perhaps 65, by stiring in warm water.
When the milk is brought in and strained, set the pans, one at a time,
ever a kettle half full of boiling water, and let them remain until the milk is
thoroughly scalded; this is to be repeated the next day, and the milk then set
aside in the pantry adjoining the sitting-room or kitchen, and kept comfortably
warm until fit to skim; the cream is to be kept in a loosely covered jar, in
the same temperature, and well stirred every time fresh cream is added, and
churned at least once a week; the butter will be as sweet, and almost as rich
as in June or October.” [1870]
Sources
1708 Mortimer, John. The Whole
Art of Husbandry. London: 1708
1727 Houghton, John. Husbandry and Trade Improv'd. Rev… by Richard Bradley. London: 1727
1744 Ellis, William. The Modern Husbandman. v3 London: 1744
1727 Houghton, John. Husbandry and Trade Improv'd. Rev… by Richard Bradley. London: 1727
1744 Ellis, William. The Modern Husbandman. v3 London: 1744
1758 Hale, Thomas. A Compleat Body of Husbandry. London: 1758
1777 The Complete Farmer: Or, A
General Dictionary of Husbandry. London:
1777
1862 The Country
Gentleman. Albany, NJ: Jan 30, 1862
1870 American Agriculturist for
the Farm, Garden, and Household.
NY: Feb & Mar 1870
1880 Annual Report of the
Wisconsin Dairymen's Association. WI: 1880
©2020 Patricia Bixler Reber
Researching Food History HOME
Here's a guess: Letting milk or cream sour gives lactic acid bacteria the upper hand in colonizing the milk. In converting the available lactose to lactic acid, they lower the pH of the milk enough to make it inhospitable to many other microorganisms. But temperature also plays an important role. Thoroughly chilled fresh milk or cream, if not allowed to go sour, can provide ideal conditions for the growth of "psychrophilic" or "psychrotrophic" strains of bacteria. One of their biggest effects is to make milk horribly bitter.
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