# How difficult is it to make butter from goat's milk?



## mama2cntrykids (Jan 1, 2013)

I've heard (we don't have a dairy goat, yet) that it's difficult b/c the cream doesn't seperate like in cow's milk. So, how do you go about it then?


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## kiddoe (Oct 8, 2012)

I was just talking to my goat-to lady (my silly made up name for go to lady) tonight about this. She said she'd much rather get a jersey cow for butter making! LOL She said that buying a cream seperator (as well as a milking machine) would make things much easier but they are very expensive and are most economical when you have more than 10 goats. Cream from goats will seperate, however it takes two or three days and by that time, it starts tasting strong or "goaty" where-as cream from a cow will be seperated in as little as a few hours.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I let strained milk set undisturbed 24 hours in a wide mouthed quart or half gallon jar in the fridge...I skim the cream from the top and place it in a container in the freezer until I have at least a pint of cream, I thaw then put it in either my stand mixer with the paddle or my hand cranked dazey churn....or you can put it into a jar with a tight lid and shake it til butter forms 

The higher the butterfat in your does milk, the more cream you'll be able to skim.


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## mama2cntrykids (Jan 1, 2013)

liz said:


> I let strained milk set undisturbed 24 hours in a wide mouthed quart or half gallon jar in the fridge...I skim the cream from the top and place it in a container in the freezer until I have at least a pint of cream, I thaw then put it in either my stand mixer with the paddle or my hand cranked dazey churn....or you can put it into a jar with a tight lid and shake it til butter forms
> 
> The higher the butterfat in your does milk, the more cream you'll be able to skim.


Liz, does the milk start tasting "strong" when you leave it set for 24 hrs?


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## teejae (Jan 21, 2013)

I bought a separator from of all places the Ukrain! brand new on ebay...lol it cost $79. and $72 to get here! works well and I can put through 10 lts in one go and get about 500ml of cream.Its a manual one and I get a good workout,yes electric ones are expensive!
So I separate the cream and chill then with my faithful Bamix stick mixer beat it till it goes well past whiped cream and starts to seperate butter milk.Keep mixing till you can get more off,just poor it off and keep for scone making.I then put it all in a small bowl and with a wooden spoon push/squash it together to get out every last drop of buttermilk,a clearish fluid.To this you can add a bit of salt to taste.Goat butter looks a bit odd being very white and it can be frozen as can separated cream till you have enough for whatever,Teejae


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## kiddoe (Oct 8, 2012)

When I was raising my orphan buck, a friend of mine had a doe in milk , so she supplied me with some. By the time she got it to me, it had been sitting in the fridge between 2 and 4 days. Although I have NEVER tasted fresh goats milk (or any type of straight goat's milk for that matter), I noticed more of a "smell" when the milk had been expressed more than 3 days before as opposed to that day. It wasn't a "bad" or sour smell, just stronger. 

I'm kinda chicken to taste it! I like feta cheese, but only when eaten along with salad or hummus and roasted red peppers. I have had goat cottage cheese and I DIDN'T like it. I think that is why I have a fear of tasting anymore goat products. Maybe it wasn't made correctly or was spoiled. I just don't know...


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

I put milk I want for butter(right out of the goat) in a bottle completely full to the brim with milk then place it sideways in the frig undisturbed for a day or two. The cream sticks to the side and I can just pour the milk out quickly then drain the cream into a container to freeze until I get enough. I can get a decent amount quite quickly that way. An easy way to make butter is put the cream in a bowl with a hand mixer and mix until it "breaks" into butter. Buttermilk will start to leach off and leave you with a thicker butter that's when you know you got it.


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## Bluere11e (Jan 22, 2013)

kiddoe said:


> I was just talking to my goat-to lady (my silly made up name for go to lady) tonight about this. She said she'd much rather get a jersey cow for butter making! LOL She said that buying a cream seperator (as well as a milking machine) would make things much easier but they are very expensive and are most economical when you have more than 10 goats. Cream from goats will seperate, however it takes two or three days and by that time, it starts tasting strong or "goaty" where-as cream from a cow will be seperated in as little as a few hours.


I actually like the goaty flavor of goat butter. It sort of reminds me a little of blue cheese. A little tangy and funky. I prefer it so much that cow butter is bland to me. Lol


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## Jodi_berg (Oct 29, 2012)

I've only had goat cheese once and it was awful,I'm hoping that it was just bad cheese!


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

Easy easy! I skim the cream and save it in the freezer, and then shake it in a jar. It takes like 10-20 seconds for mine - not sure why. But I'm never able to make whipped cream out of it; it always turns right into butter. It's pure white, unlike cow butter, and very good as long as the milk was good. If you have no separator, it's really only worth it with high fat milk.
Xymenah, what an innovative idea! I can't skim all the cream without leaving lumps (which I like but not everybody does). Thanks for the tip!


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## aceofspades (Dec 26, 2012)

Jodi_berg said:


> I've only had goat cheese once and it was awful,I'm hoping that it was just bad cheese!


There are many different great cheeses that can be made with goats milk. My favorite is mozzarella.

The traditional goat cheeses you tried I agree is awful.


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## Bluere11e (Jan 22, 2013)

milkmaid said:


> Easy easy! I skim the cream and save it in the freezer, and then shake it in a jar. It takes like 10-20 seconds for mine - not sure why. But I'm never able to make whipped cream out of it; it always turns right into butter. It's pure white, unlike cow butter, and very good as long as the milk was good. If you have no separator, it's really only worth it with high fat milk.
> Xymenah, what an innovative idea! I can't skim all the cream without leaving lumps (which I like but not everybody does). Thanks for the tip!


Figured out a way to remove the "skimmed milk" and just leave the cream. Fill you jars wide mouth quart masons are the best about half full. Use a rubber band and a coffee filter to cover the top. Leave on the bottom shelf of the fridge for a day or so. Using a clean. Bleached and rinsed section of aquarium airhose tube, block the outside end with your finger and place the other end down into the bottom of the jar. It helps to use a few thick books to set the jar on on your counter so the jar you are going to siphon the skim milk into is much lower. Place the end your finger is holding and start a suction on the end to get the milk going into the airhose. Set that end into the empty mason jar and allow the skim to siphon into the lower empty jar. Watch carefully that you don't allow the cream to siphon in too.

Do this with a few quart jars and you should have about 8-10 ounces if cream. Put it all in one quart jar. Shake the living tar out of it for about 10 minutes. Back and forth. It helps if you have a few extra kids or a DH. Or DW to help you. Eventually you will hear a thunking. Pour off the whey. Using ice cold water, rinse your lump of butter. I do a few more shakes. Repeating pouring off and cold water rinses until its clear. About that time. You can put it in a bowl and using the flat side of a spoon mash the rest if the whey out and maybe rinse another time it two. 
I wasted a LOT of milk recently figuring out how to perfect this. Well. Not really wasting. 
For those of you that ate squeamish about using your mouth to start asuction. There is a tricky way to start using the hose already filled with water. You have to fill it with running water and use your finger on both ends to keep it in. Then. Keeping your finger on the end that will NOT be siphoning out the milk. Place the open end at the very bottom of the goat milk and cream jar have someone hold it as you hold the empty jar about a foot below the jar filled with cream and milk. Then take your finger off. The water will flow out starting the milk siphon. 
You could use your kitchen table for the milk jar and a chair for the siphon into. 
I know it's confusing. But maybe one day I will get someone to video so I can post it.


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