School: Crosserlough
- Location:
- Crosserlough, Co. Cavan
- Teacher: L. Reilly
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0993, Page 359
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- XML School: Crosserlough
- XML Page 359
- XML “Churning”
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- Churning was one of the most important works of the farmer's dwelling up to the invention of creameries.
It was done by hand in the beginning, then by crude machines and later by machines drawn by horses.
Buttermaking was a very important part of the work done by the farmer's wife.
The butter was a necessary food and much money was made by the sale of butter that was not needed by the household.
Every farmer who could afford to keep a cow or two up to the farmer who perhaps could afford to keep twenty cows engaged in buttermaking.
The churning was done in a big wooden vessel called a churn.
The new milk taken from the cows was strained and left in wide crocks or wooden tubs to set.
Then it was put into the churn and an instrument called a dash was inserted into the milk.
The dash is made of an ash handle about the length of a shovel handle and it has a circular head of wood on it.(continues on next page)
