| This article is called, variously, a butter paddle or a ladle. I have used the name, butter paddle, because it was used moreso to "paddle" the butter than to "ladle" it. The butter paddle was designed with a slight curve or cup shape. After milk had been churned, and the butter started to form, the housewife would scoop it out of the churn with one of these tools. She would pile the forming butter onto a large board or the table top, and using two of these tools, one in each hand, she would turn the butter over on itself and press it continuously in order to squeeze the buttermilk out. She would also add an amount of salt to the mixture, and as she worked the butter, she would be mixing the salt through it. Sometimes other herbs were added to the mixture to flavor the butter. |
