Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1920

Date Range To

1940

Materials

WOOD, METAL

No. Pieces

2

Description

UNPAINTED WOODEN MOLD IS IN TWO PARTS. .1 ONE PART IS THE SHAPE OF POUND OFBUTTER. .2 OTHER IS THE PRESS TO PUSH BUTTER OUT OF MOLD. PRESS HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED. THE TOP PIECE OF WOOD IS CRACKED THROUGH WHERE SCREWS ARE LOCATED. SOME MARKINGS ON BASE OF DRESS -- ILLEGIBLE.

Subjects

FOOD PROCESSING T&E

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

History

ONE SOURCE OF INCOME FOR DONOR & OTHER JAPANESE FAMILIES WAS THE MAKING OF BUTTER FROM EXCESS MILK PRODUCED ON THEIR FARMS. DONORS HUSBAND ONCE MANAGED THE BUDDHIST CHURCH AND THE CO-OP STORE IN RAYMOND. THE STORE ONCE FUNCTIONED TO RAISE BADLY NEEDED FUNDS FOR THE CHURCH AT ONE POINT. MRS. FLO SENDA (YOSH) IS DONORS DAUGHTER. SEE ATTACHED FAMILY HISTORY P19790275000-GA. COLLECTIONS TECH KEVIN MACLEAN INVITED THE DONOR’S DAUGHTER FLO SENDA TO THE GALT IN 2009 IN ORDER TO REVIEW EXISTING DOCUMENTATION RELATED TO HER MOTHER’S DONATION. HER COMMENTS WERE COMPILED BY MACLEAN AND SUBMITTED TO HER FOR VETTING IN ORDER TO ENSURE THEIR ACCURACY. ADDITIONALLY, SENDA’S BROTHER ROBERT (BOB) HIRONAKA REVIEWED THE COMMENTS. DONOR’S DAUGHTER MRS. FLO SENDA (NEE HIRONAKA) STATED IN 2009 THAT THE FAMILY OPERATED A MIXED FARM WHICH INCLUDED DAIRY CATTLE. SHE RECALLED THAT HER BROTHER JIM WAS GIVEN THE JOB OF MILKING THE COWS AND THAT SHE, HER SISTER AND BROTHER CHURNED BUTTER, ETC. IN A “COOL SPOT”. BUTTER AND ICE CREAM, SHE SAID, WERE MADE ON SUNDAY MORNINGS BEFORE CHURCH. SENDA, HER SISTER MISAE AND BROTHER ROBERT (BOB) DID THE WORK – ONE CHURNED THE BUTTER, ONE CHIPPED ICE AND ONE CHURNED THE ICE CREAM. THE FAMILY MADE A LIMITED AMOUNT OF EXCESS OF BUTTER WHICH, THEY SOLD TO FRIENDS. THEY ADDITIONALLY SOLD CREAM TO THE HANCOCK DAIRY IN RAYMOND. NARRATIVE BELOW SOLICITED FROM ROBERT HIRONAKA IN EARLY 2010 WHEN THIS ARTIFACT WAS EXHIBITED AS PART OF THE GALT’S TREASURES & CURIOSITIES DISPLAY. THE NARRATIVE BECAME THE BASIS FOR THE ARTIFACT’S LABEL COPY IN THE EXHIBIT. *** LIKE MOST FARMS, WE DID NOT HAVE ELECTRICITY UNTIL ABOUT 1950. TO KEEP THINGS COOL, OUR BASEMENT HAD A PANTRY RECESSED INTO THE WALL WITH CONCRETE SIDES AND BOTTOM. THE SCREEN DOORS WERE COVERED WITH FLOUR SACKS SO THAT HEAT FROM THE BASEMENT WOULD NOT WARM THE PANTRY. THE PANTRY WAS WHERE MILK AND OTHER PERISHABLES WERE STORED. COWS WERE HAND MILKED. THE MILK WAS STRAINED INTO PORCELAIN LINED PANS AND PLACED IN THE COOLER PANTRY IN THE BASEMENT. THE CREAM ROSE TO THE TOP AND WAS SKIMMED OFF INTO PORCELAIN CROCKS AND STORED IN THE COOLER PANTRY. THE SKIMMED MILK THAT STILL CONTAINED PLENTY OF CREAM FOR FLAVOUR WAS USED ON THE TABLE, FOR COOKING AND ANY EXCESS WAS FED TO THE CATS, DOGS AND PIGS. AFTER SEVERAL DAYS THERE WOULD BE ENOUGH CREAM TO MAKE BUTTER. THE CREAM WAS BROUGHT INTO THE KITCHEN AND ALLOWED TO WARM UP. A THERMOMETER WAS USED TO MEASURE THE CREAM TEMPERATURE. IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO FOLLOW THIS CLOSELY BECAUSE THE TEMPERATURE OF THE CREAM WAS CRITICAL TO MAKE BUTTER. IF IT WAS TOO COLD OR TOO WARM, THE CHURNING PROCESS TOOK MUCH LONGER. CHURNING OF THE CREAM TO MAKE BUTTER WAS DONE IN A WOODEN CHURN. AN EXTERNAL CRANK ROTATED PADDLES THAT WERE LIKE A WATER WHEEL AS SEEN IN OLD WATER MILLS. THE SPEED OF TURNING THE CRANK WAS CRITICAL TO MAKE GOOD BUTTER IN A MINIMUM OF TIME. TURNING TOO FAST ACTUALLY SLOWED THE FORMING OF BUTTER AND LOWERED THE QUALITY OF THE BUTTER. WHEN THE BUTTER FORMED, IT WAS REMOVED FROM THE CHURN AND PLACED ON A LARGE WOODEN CUTTING BOARD. A SPRINKLING ON SALT WAS ADDED TO THE BUTTER FOR TASTE. A SPECIAL PADDLE SHAPED LIKE A LARGE SPOON ABOUT 10CM WIDE WAS USED TO PRESS THE BUTTER MILK OUT OF THE BUTTER. BUTTER BEYOND THAT REQUIRED FOR HOME USE WAS MOLDED INTO BRICKS FOR SALE. THE MOLD FOR BUTTER TO BE SOLD WAS MADE OF WOOD. A RECTANGULAR BOX DESIGNED TO MAKE 1 POUND BRICKS OF BUTTER HAD A THIN BOARD WITH A HANDLE THAT SLID THROUGH A HOLE IN THE BOTTOM OF THE MOLD. THE THIN BOARD HAD A SCREW IN IT THAT COULD BE ADJUSTED TO VARY THE SIZE OF THE BRICK OF BUTTER. THE BRICKS OF BUTTER WERE SOLD TO THE LOCAL GROCERY STORE. THE BRICKS WERE WEIGHED. IF THE BRICKS WERE LESS THAN 1 POUND, THE SCREWS WERE TURNED IN TO ENLARGE THE SIZE OF THE BRICK OF BUTTER THE NEXT TIME OR IF THEY WERE OVERWEIGHT, THE SCREWS WERE TURNED OUT TO REDUCE THE SIZE OF THE BRICK OF BUTTER. SPECIAL WAX PAPER WAS USED TO WRAP THE BRICKS OF BUTTER. FARM MADE BUTTER WAS CALLED ‘DAIRY BUTTER’ WHILE BUTTER MADE AT A DAIRY PLANT WHERE MILK FROM MANY FARMS WAS BULKED AND THE CREAM SEPARATED AND MADE INTO BUTTER WAS CALLED CREAMERY BUTTER. ROBERT HIRONAKA 2009.12.13 ***

Catalogue Number

P19790271000

Acquisition Date

1978-12

Collection

Museum

Less detail