Make your own: Butter

While we've been making our own yogurt and cheese for some time, and even tried our hand at homemade icecream (with our handcrank icecream maker) last summer, butter was something I had not ventured to try yet.  This week we realized how easy it is...as long as you have a lot of patience as well.  Give yourself about an hour, and a few helpers, while you shake the jar to create butter.  Here's how we made our own delicious creamy smooth butter:

What you will need
500 ml of fresh organic milk (raw if you can)
1 litre clean glass mason jar with lid
3 clean marbles
container to hold your finished butter

1) Pour milk into jar.  Add marbles and tighten the lid.
2) Start to shake the jar vigorously up and down.  The marbles will rattle around, but will become quiet as the  whey separates and the milk turns into butter.  Be patient!  It takes a while, but the butter will come.  Some books tell you to sing a little butter-making song while you agitate the jar, which helps to keep kids interested in participating. 
3) Pour off a little of the whey to help speed up the process of thickening, and when your butter is desired thickness spoon it into a plate or container and remove the marbles.  You can paddle the butter to smooth out the lumps and press out whey. 
4) After butter is stored in the fridge for half an hour it will be very firm.  Enjoy!