With the cost of literally everything having gone up, I’ve been trying to make more things from scratch because it tends to be cheaper.
This isn’t something new for my husband and I. Since we moved in together, we regularly make homemade pasta instead of buying boxes of it, we make jars of pickled jalapeños, and almost all baking is done from scratch because I enjoy it. We even started buying blocks of cheese and shredding it ourselves to save on shredded cheese.
But one thing I noticed has gone through the roof in cost is butter. If you don’t bake a lot, you might not notice how much a store-brand box of unsalted butter is, but it’s a regular purchase for me.
I looked it up because I was curious how much the average price per pound had jumped, and according to the federal reserve, the cost from December of 2021 to now has jumped about a dollar. That adds up when you’re buying a lot of it.
And like anyone else who scrolls through tiktok, I’ve seen so many people who make their own butter and say how easy it is. Just throw some heavy whipping cream into the bowl of a stand mixer and let it go until you have butter and butter milk, rinse the butter, and store it. Sounds easy, and I love an excuse to use my stand mixer.
But I also had the worry of how long it would last in the fridge. One thing with store-bought products is they usually have a much longer shelf-life, versus homemade products. I once tried making dog treats from scratch, but they molded after about a week, so it was cheaper to just buy them and have shelf-stable things for my dogs.
So I Googled it, like I do when I have a question about most things. The first result said 2-3 weeks, but up to 9 months in the freezer.
The second result said six weeks.
And third said up to three months.
Which sounds about right for a Google search. It gives you answers, but it’s anyone’s guess which answer is the right one.
This might be a trial and error situation, so when I have some free time I’ll have to make butter and store it to see about how long it lasts.
And figure out what to use buttermilk for, other than baking.