The Making of the Butter Churn

Grasshopper is a complete history buff. I always find myself wondering if I am pushing her too much when we should be concentrating on the 3 R's right now. I recently got my answer when she picked out a history book over a dozen other books I had chosen for her. The book was about kitchens in colonial times, and I thought it was a little dry. But as we were reading, the butter-making activity caught her eye--you know, the one where you put cream in a jar with marbles and shake it until it becomes butter? As I was envisioning myself putting that activity together for her, she exclaimed, "Mom, I don't want to do that. I want to make a butter churn!" I laughed, hoping she would get the hint that this was a fantasy and not something this activity-phobic mom could even imagine doing. "No, mom. I really want to do it!" was the reply. And my standard response to any type of activity requiring creativity is, "Well, you better ask your dad."

So there began the making of the butter churn. I am so blessed to have a dh who can think of ways to make Grasshopper's ideas a reality. Here is what they did:

Materials

Round potato masher

Frosting container w/ plastic lid (or other similarly sized can w/ a plastic lid)

Water-resistant tape

Instructions

Cut on the radius of the lid's circle from the outside to the center.

Cut out a hole in the center just large enough for the potato masher to be inserted.

Put the cream in the container.

Insert the potato masher through the hole in the lid.

Put the potato masher inside the container and put the lid on the container.

Seal the cut in the lid with the tape.

Churn the butter by moving the potato masher up and down until it turns to butter. (It took us about 20 minutes. I suspect it would take less time if you start with the cream at room temperature.)