If you haven’t already, you should learn how to make butter. It’s so simple that I believe everyone needs to make homemade butter at least once.

To experience the best of what homemade butter can be, I only bother making it if I’ve got some extra raw cream from grass-fed cows on hand. Otherwise, I buy Organic Valley’s Pasture Butter. It’s a rich, yellow butter from grass-fed cows. It’s just not raw. (For online sources of butter from grass-fed cows, check out Where to Find Butter from Grass-Fed Cows.)

I also like to experiment with my butter. You can make homemade butter from sour or sweet cream, with or without salt, and with or without various herbs and spices. However you do it, the same general method is used.

How to Make Butter: Homemade Butter Tutorial

How To Make Butter: The Players

Any amount of cream

sea salt (optional)

How To Make Butter: The How-To

Begin by pouring your cream into a blender or food processor. Here I’m using slightly soured raw cream. It’s too far gone to be happy in coffee, but it’s not quite solid enough to be served up as sour cream.

Blend your cream, and be sure to have someone do the all-important job of keeping the lid on. (My four year old was eager to volunteer.)

After five or more minutes, the homemade butter will start to separate into butter and buttermilk. When you notice that happening, stop the blender and let the cream sit for a minute or two as the butter rises to the top.

Pour the buttermilk into another container, using a spoon to press as much buttermilk out of the butter as possible.

You could call your homemade butter done at this point, but if you want it to last for more than a few days you need to wash the butter. Pour ice cold water into the blender and blend for another thirty seconds.

After you’ve washed the butter, pour off the water. Use a spoon or a spatula to squeeze out the last dregs of the buttermilk. What’s left is yummy homemade butter. I mix in sea salt with a spoon.

Now your homemade butter is ready to spread on a delicious slice of sourdough bread made with sprouted grains, or melt over steamed vegetables!

And — wonder of wonders — you know how to make butter!

(top photo credit)