June is Dairy month! Let's make some butter!

Nothing makes a summer day better than a big old ice cream cone! So this summer, our hats are off to those fabulous dairy farmers who make it possible to enjoy all those yummy treats like ice cream,  yogurt, butter, pudding, cottage cheese...this list goes on! In honor of Dairy Month, all month long we're going to be posting about cool dairy learning and activities...except for the last week of the month. That week we'll be posting about turkeys, because my good friend Katie over at On the Banks of Squaw Creek reminded me that June is turkey month, too!

Our first kid-friendly, dairy learning opportunity of the month is butterific! No really...it's making butter! The idea for this activity came from one of our super bloggy friends (who also happens to be a former employee here at OARDC) the Farmgirl over at Farmgirl Follies. She's a super-mom, blogging rockstar, so be sure to check her out!

The supply list is simple: 2 cups of heavy whipping cream and a food processor. You'll also need a cheesecloth, bowl and sieve (or you can make do with a colander, coffee filter and bowl.) Optional are honey and cinnamon.  Just add the cream to your food processor and turn it on.

First, the cream will start to thicken:

Then, after about 5-6 minutes, chunks of creamy butter will appear. The liquid whey will remain at the bottom of the food processor. You'll hear a distinctly different sound from your food processor when this happens.

Now for the fun part: The Farmgirl is an super-duper, always prepared crafty domestic goddess of an over-achiever. I'm not. She used a cheesecloth and sieve to separate the butter and whey. For instructions and pictures on that, check out her super-fab blog. I made do with a colander and coffee filter to separate the butter from the whey.

Now your butter is done. Easy peasy, right? But this  is where the Farmgirl shows her genius: with optional ingredients of honey (about a tablespoon)...

And some cinnamon...

The end result? Super yum!

Now your kids will have had a good time, you have somethign fab for supper, and the kids know a little bit more about where their food comes from1

Just one last thing: to continue the dairy month celebration, we're going to be sharing one other cool dairy site a week that you should check out. This week, we suggest Two Maids a Milking.  These dairy girls will delight your taste buds with great recipes and let you know all about daily life on a working dairy farm. Enjoy!