# Simplest method for making goat butter?



## Cactus_Acres (Sep 24, 2013)

Next year we should hopefully, knock on wood, have multiple girls in milk. With that much milk, I want to get into making butter, as we go through the store bought stuff pretty readily. 

I would like to keep it simple, with as few gadgets as necessary, but if cream needs separating, so be it. 

What stuff would I need to make butter? I am okay with manual stuff instead of powered equipment, if I am getting better quality/longer lasting equipment that way. Seems like too many things with motors are dying out on me here, actually (like my hand mixer for doing soap).


----------



## hallsthirdacrefarm (Mar 30, 2011)

I skim cream off milk after a day and save it in the freezer...when i get a few quarts i just toss it in the food processor...its pretty simple!


----------



## hallsthirdacrefarm (Mar 30, 2011)

I get about a cup of cream off 2 to 3 gallons of milk this way...stays fresh in the freezer a long time


----------



## kc8lsk (Jan 10, 2014)

separate cream place in quart jar and shake


----------



## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

shake shake shake, shake it off


----------



## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

Sorry I had to


----------



## LoriH (Jan 12, 2014)

hallsthirdacrefarm said:


> I skim cream off milk after a day and save it in the freezer...when i get a few quarts i just toss it in the food processor...its pretty simple!


What do you use to skim the cream off?? I am so excited because I had been told I couldn't make goat butter.


----------



## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Put the cream into a gallon jar, tie to a child's rocking chair, step on the back rocker repeatedly, and make butter while watching movies. Slosh,slosh,slosh.


----------



## kc8lsk (Jan 10, 2014)

You can use a spoon, cream seperator, my favorite was a tea jug let the milk sit in it for a couple of days and then drain the milk out of the bottom leaving the cream in the jar.


----------



## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I use wide mouth jars and just skim the cream off the top with a spoon. Then I use the kitchen aid to whisk it up. YUM. I make butter all the time, and then I actually make cheese with my leftover lower fat milk (we're not milk drinkers).


----------



## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

I have a cheap manual UK cream seperator, works great.


----------



## nannysrus (Jun 21, 2014)

LoriH said:


> What do you use to skim the cream off?? I am so excited because I had been told I couldn't make goat butter.


I was told the same thing!!! "You need a cow to make butter" that's what everyone has always told me.

Samantha

"5 minutes of fresh air is equivalent to 5 mg Valium"


----------



## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

Goat cream makes awesome butter! It is just harder to get the cream. After I seperate mine I just use my kitchenaid mixer.


----------



## ariella42 (May 22, 2014)

I definitely want to try this in the spring when everyone freshens. One question - does skimming the cream affect using the remaining milk in cheese or soap? Obviously, you lose a lot of the fat content, but in terms of the actual process and end product, does it have a large impact?


----------



## tatumhills (Feb 8, 2014)

Do you use raw milk to make your cream? I was under the impression it was risky to consume raw milk older than 1 day.

www.tatumhills.weebly.com 
www.facebook.com/tatumhillsfarm
One Saanen and her beautiful baby boy!


----------



## ariella42 (May 22, 2014)

We drink our raw milk a week or so later. I know some people keep theirs longer, but we don't have the greatest fridge, so it starts losing some of its sweetness around the week mark for us. We've never had any ill effects. It just depends on milk handling and how cold you can keep the milk.


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

My raw milk is good for about 2 weeks. Read up on drinking raw milk and decide what is best for your family.


----------



## CritterCarnival (Sep 18, 2013)

I keep my raw milk on the bottom shelf of the fridge where it's the coldest. Kept very cold, our milk will stay fresh and sweet for a couple of weeks.

For getting the most cream to rise, I put a few inches of milk in a wide shallow bowl with a lid and let it set undisturbed in the fridge for a few days. The cream rises to a thick layer that is very easy to collect. 

I shake mine by hand in a pint size canning jar, it takes a little while and at first it seems like it's never going to work. But then all of a sudden it changes and voila, butter!! 

For cooking I don't salt, but if I'm making butter for eating fresh I add a tiny pinch of salt before I start shaking it up.


----------



## tatumhills (Feb 8, 2014)

Thanks everyone! Can someone please share their milking hygiene routine? Only been milking for a week. Using clean preserving jars. I pour boiling water on them before use the stick them at the back of the fridge right away.

www.tatumhills.weebly.com 
www.facebook.com/tatumhillsfarm
One Saanen and her beautiful baby boy!


----------



## Wild Hearts Ranch (Dec 26, 2011)

I've gone to using baby wipes instead of soapy water for cleaning teats, because it's less irritating on their skin and I don't have to carry water out, wash rags, etc.


----------



## ariella42 (May 22, 2014)

You might want to try to cool the milk faster. The fastest way to cool it is actually using an ice bath. I got too lazy to do that with my milk towards the end of my doe's lactation, so I just stuck it in the freezer until it was 40 degrees or less. However, that may have contributed to it not keeping quite as long as some people's. 

For cleaning teats, I use anti-bacterial hand wipes. I usually use two wipes - one to clean off the obvious stuff and go over the entire udder, and one to make sure the teat and orifice really clean. After milking, I use Fight-Bac spray on her teats to help prevent mastitis.


----------



## dreamacresfarm2 (May 10, 2014)

I also use wipes but be sure and get the alcohol free ones. Then discard the first 2 to 3 squirts of milk into a paper cup. This cleans the orifice of any dirt or bacteria and allows you to check for any blood, strings, or clumps. Milk, dip teats into teat dip(different kinds even dilute bleach water works) apply bag balm or other ointment on dry teats to prevent chapping. I wash my jars with hot soap and water, then soak in boiling water with teaspoon of bleach added/ air dry upside down on clean cloth. I put my jars in the freezer before I milk so they are ice cold with I put the milk in. Then pop the filled jar into the freezer until it is chilled to 34 degrees. mine are good in the fridge for 1 1/2 to 2 weeks( kept on coldest shelf) If I have extra it freezes well in a zip lock baggie laying flat. That way you can stack them and they take less room. Frozen milk is the best for making soap.


----------



## harleybarley (Sep 15, 2014)

If you want maximum hygiene, look at http://rawmilkinstitute.net/ and bring up individual farms. Look for their hygiene standards (each farm has one). Those detail how the farm makes their milk safe enough to sell as raw milk.

I wash with a milking sponge if it's visibly dirty, dip with iodine (recommended by top raw milk experts), clean with teat wipes, dry with a white paper towel and check the towel to make sure the teat is clean (if the towel is dirty, re-clean and re-dry). Discard the first couple squirts. Use a vacuum milker to collect milk in a closed system, or else milk in a clean milkroom or clean and fly-free corner of the barn. I use fight-bac after milking. I strain the milk into clean jars. Chill as quickly as possible - an ice water bath is ideal.

If the goat kicks or if her foot gets on the milking bucket or her teat, sanitation is lost. If you don't feel like starting over, dump the milk or feed to your farm animals.

Some does poop on the milk stand. Having a holding pen outside the milk room encourages them to go before milking.

Shave the udder and areas "above the bucket" to reduce hair in the milk and to make it easier to clean the goat (hair is hard to clean outside of a shower).

Personally, I test the goat before drinking her milk raw. Testing costs less than a hospital visit.


----------



## AncientBlue (Dec 21, 2014)

I noticed that some say to use a cream separator. I thought that sounds like a good idea so I went to look for one. WOW are they expensive! Does anyone have a suggestion for one that isn't $$$$$$$.


----------



## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

I got mine on Ebay, manual hand crank UK model for like 80 dollars. I'm sure the huge super expensive ones probably work better but this one works fine for me.


----------



## AncientBlue (Dec 21, 2014)

$80 would be fine. I'm seeing closer to $200 - $250 which seems ridiculous. Thanks for the help.


----------



## ariella42 (May 22, 2014)

I think I saw one on Amazon for about $100 a while ago, too. Just do a search.


----------



## justamerefarm (Sep 2, 2014)

Has anyone tried using the paddle blade on a stand mixer? Would that work?


----------



## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

I use a stand mixer.


----------



## justamerefarm (Sep 2, 2014)

How much milk do you need to make butter. How much butter do you get from a gallon of milk?


----------



## justamerefarm (Sep 2, 2014)

Do you need to make the milk extra cold?


----------

