Making your own butter, like grandma used to, isn't hard at all. You just need good ingredients and a little bit of time.

For the most delicious butter, start with high-quality cream. Most communities have local dairies nearby. To find a dairy near you, check the state-by-state listings found on EatWild.com.

Eatwild.com is a super website. It's our source for safe, healthy, natural, and nutritious grass-fed beef, lamb, goats, bison, poultry, pork, dairy, and other wild edibles - providing direct links to local farms that sell these products. It also provides comprehensive, accurate information about the benefits of raising animals on pasture.

You simply click on your state or country and a comprehensive list (along with contact information, shipping information, etc.) pops up. For instance, I clicked on my state and found 11 farms that produce grass-fed meats and dairy as well as a listing of stores that also sell grass-fed products. It's a cool site.

But back to butter-making: Why bother? On eatwild.com the benefits are explained: Compared with commercial products, homemade offers you more "good" fats, and fewer "bad" fats. It's richer in antioxidants; including vitamins E, beta-carotene, and vitamin C. Furthermore, when using a high-quality cream, your butter will not contain traces of added hormones, antibiotics or other drugs.

So now whip your cream - whether you use an old-fashioned butter churn, your Kitchenaid, or a hand mixer, it won't matter (except in terms of time, should you use a butter churn).

As you mix, the cream will transform into whipped cream. But don't stop there unless you have plans for a dessert. Keep going, and you'll see that the fluffy cream begins to get a bit yellow and grainy. Keep going and the butterfat will eventually separate out of the cream.

Drain off the liquid and use this low-fat buttermilk in your next baked goods, smoothie or on a bowl of oatmeal. This buttermilk will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. Continue mixing and draining until you no longer see trails of white buttermilk seeping out of your butter. Add some cold water and beat a little bit more until all the water weeps out.

Add salt if you like, to taste, and refrigerate. And there you are - homemade butter. It will stay good refrigerated for about a week.

You can get fancy by shaping it into molds, small balls, combing it, or even piping it onto the tops of muffins, also.

The old-fashioned butter crock has made a timely comeback and is what a lot of folks use for storing their butter.

Finally, for more information on making your own butter go to MotherEarthLiving.com.

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Sources:
www.seattletimes.com
www.eatwild.com
www.filtsai.com
www.guardian.co.uk
www.science-sparks.com
www.lehmans.com