Gramma's Homemade Butter

Gramma used to be able to purchase fresh butter from the ladies who lived in near by farms. When the Great Depression hit, butter was no longer available to her, as it was so expensive.

So, Gramma had to buy ‘oleo’, which was a white, greasy, unpleasant substitute developed in 1870, but was never very popular. Why would one want to eat margaric acid when one could have creamy fresh butter? But the Depression changed everything for everyone.

Feeding eight children and a hardworking husband was not easy in those days. Gramma made her own bread and many other foods. She had previously even churned butter in an old Daisy glass butter churn like this:

She’d put fresh cream in the container and turn the handle, singing this chant:

"Come butter, Come butter, Come!
Peter - standing at the Gate!
Waiting for a Buttercake!
Come Butter Come”

After the Great Depression came ‘round, fresh cream was no longer affordable. So, Gramma had to purchase oleomargarine.

Some times it was taxed, and had Revenue stamps on the package, like this:

There had to be a way to make this awful tasting oleo taste better, she thought. At least they provided a small packet of yellow dye that she would break open and knead into the oleo to make it ‘look like’ butter.

Gramma developed a way,  after many trials and errors.  

Here is what she came up with:

GRAMMA’S HOMEMADE “BUTTER”

Take 1 pound of the cheapest oleo you can find and let it soften in room temperature.

Do likewise with 4 oz. of cream cheese.

Cream these together.

Now, work in 1 small can of evaporated milk, mixing until the moisture is worked out. You can use a spoon, or your hands for mixing this. Now, you can omit the cream cheese and add a pinch of salt to the mixture, but it won’t be quite as tasty, Gramma said.

The cream cheese butter keeps well in the refrigerator, but it can also be frozen, so you can make up a big batch and store some for later.

                                         Now, here’s Gramma’s REAL secret….

Before her family got home, she’d put newspaper out on the floor, get out the churn. She’d put some of the ‘butter’ in the churn, mess up her hair, flop down in the chair (from fatigue, of coure), and tell everyone how hard she’d worked all day long to make up their butter for their supper!

Now, everyone knew Gramma hadn’t ‘worked’ that butter, but no one said a word, as they had the best homemade bread and ‘butter’ for dinner that night, with navy beans cooked in ham hocks poured over the top!

Somehow, Gramma always made her family feel as though they had plenty in those days of empty cupboards and even emptier pockets.