Making butter (in a blender!)

 Add this one to the list of things I never thought I'd do...!  But it was very easy, and I'm thinking that this will probaby turn out to be a bi-weekly thing.  Or maybe I'll do it every week to get up a freezer stash for winter baking... 

Here's how to do it:

Step 1: Use a turkey baster or ladle to remove the cream from the top of the milk.  Put into separate container and leave out on the counter for about 12 hrs.  This allows the cream to sour slightly and will give the butter a more "buttery" flavor.

Step 2: Pour cream into the blender and mix on medium for several minutes.  You will notice the consistency start to change and become thicker.  The little curds of butter will rise to the top when you stop the blender.

Step 3: Use a spoon to scoop out the butter curds and place them into a separate bowl.  Using the spoon, squeeze all the buttermilk out of the butter. 

Step 4: Rinse with cold water, then work the water out of the butter. Rinse until the water runs clear.  

Below is a comparison shot.  My butter is on the left, Meijer organic butter is on the right.  I'm guessing that the beta carotene from the cows eating grass accounts for the brighter yellow color in my butter.

I used about 16 oz of cream and ended up with around half to two-thirds cup of butter.  Now I've got to figure out what to do with my buttermilk...  Pancakes anyone?