DAIRY DIARY: SOUR CREAM PART II

If you want to make sour cream at home, it is not difficult. All you need is a double boiler, a dairy thermometer, a quart glass canning jar with a sterile cover, one quart of heavy, sweet cream and about 3 tablespoons of cultured starter. You could try omitting the starter, but sour wild bacteria may make the resulting product taste bad. Starter for sour cream can be found at cheese- making supply sources, just be sure the acid level is at least 1% for a crisp clean taste. Always pasteurize the cream before adding the starter.

· Put cold water in the bottom of a double boiler. Pour cream in the top; let the bottom touch the water in the lower vessel. Bring the temperature slowly to about 160 degrees Fahrenheit and maintain for ½ hour.
· Cool the cream as quickly as possible by setting the upper pot in ice-water. Have a second pot of ice-water ready and put the pot in that as soon as the first ice melts.
· Pour half the cream into the sterilized canning jar and add the starter. Mix thoroughly and add the remaining cream to within ¾” of the top. Affix cover and shake vigorously only until mixed. Too much shaking will make butter.
· Put jar in warm (70-80 degrees Fahrenheit), draft free place for about 20 hours. You can wrap a towel around the jar to insulate it.
· Lastly and very important, chill the jar for at least 12 hours.

There you have it. Next time I will talk about tantalizing ways to enjoy sour cream.