What, NO Buttermilk?!

[BakerAunt]

We were welcomed back from Florida yesterday with about 2 inches of snow on the ground. While we were eating dinner last night, it began to snow, and 4-5 inches have now been added. We drove to the one grocery store in this small town this morning. Among other items, I was looking for buttermilk, which they sometimes have and sometimes do not. Today there was none, so I asked the man stocking the shelves. He said that the store manager stopped ordering it two weeks ago. I told him that I always use it in my baking. He said that he would pass it on to management. I checked CVS on the off chance that they might carry it, but they do not.

Is buttermilk really such a bizarre ingredient? I assume that I can still get it at one of the four grocery stores in the larger town where we go to stock up, but we only do that every three weeks or so, and we will not be going until the roads are clear.

The store also did not have a suitable yogurt replacement for buttermilk, so my usual workaround of using plain yogurt with some milk is not an option right now. I still have about 2 cups left in the half gallon I bought before we left, but not having more will put a crimp in my baking.

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[RiversideLen]

BA, you're in Indiana, right? Does Peapod deliver to your area? (I know they deliver to some areas in Indiana, my driver told me he goes there) They always have buttermilk. Another option might be Amazon Fresh. They also might have other items that are hard to find in your small town.

[Mike Nolan]

I grew up in a small town in NW Illinois. It had 2 grocery stores back then, today there are none. It's about 15 miles to the nearest grocery store now. There's a gas station/convenience store that appears to have expanded its grocery inventory somewhat, but not much beyond a few staples.

You might look into making your own buttermilk starter, then all you need to do is add milk periodically. I was looking to see if there was a thread on that brought over from the old BC, but didn't find it, maybe Swirth will see this note and can find it.

[GinaG]

Hiiii, Mike! GinaG here, how are you?

I do remember this. When you have a bit of buttermilk left over, you add milk to it, shake it up and put in the refrigerator until the next time you need buttermilk.

I cannot remember if you have to leave it at room temperature for any length of time, but maybe someone else can weigh in.

Gina

[Mike Nolan]

I still couldn't find the old BC thread, but here's a link to an article on how to make a
buttermilk plant

As I recall the other thread, you did leave it out for a while after adding more milk to refresh it, but I don't remember how long.

[S_Wirth]

I did not save the old threads the lady posted in on the old BC but do recall how to do it. I looked online this afternoon and found a great article with proper proportions that is just how she did it:

How to Make Buttermilk

MrsCindy used this a lot in her baking. I never tried it as I'd rather buy it in the store to be certain it is what I'm used to.

[Mike Nolan]

My mother used to get buttermilk (the real stuff, not 'cultured') delivered by the milkman. She'd drink it as well as use it in cooking.

I've got a book on buttermilk cooking that starts out with instructions to make your own butter, buttermilk and creme fraiche. I tried it once, but I think I did something wrong, maybe I didn't have the right stuff to culture the cream with first. (I used kefir.) The buttermilk reminded me of the stuff my mother got, but the butter was kind of weird, not at all like a European cultured butter.

Nice to see you posting, GinaG!

[S_Wirth]

I grew up on a dairy farm and we made our own butter and had true buttermilk from that process. It looked like cloudy water with bits of butter floating along. Not tasty looking. I so appreciate the cultured buttermilk from the grocery stores.

We made our own cottage cheese, too.

Our butter was so good and I cannot stand butter sold in stores today. I cannot figure it but my husband says it is what the cows are fed. Could be. As a child, I ate butter at many homes thru the years and it was all good just like ours at home. Most everyone had a cow or two for milk and butter.

[Joan Simpson]

I did make the buttermilk from adding whole milk to a cup or two of buttermilk and leave it setting on counter several hours if your kitchen is cool 4-6 hours then refrigerate.I used this for several months just keep adding to it.It will thicken up just like buttermilk.

[Italiancook]

Swirth, I understand your aversion to modern butter. I grew up on an orchard and have never found any grocery store fruit that tastes like the "real thing" I remember from childhood.

[S_Wirth]

Italiancook...we have a small orchard of red and golden delicious apples, three kinds of pears, blue plums, red plums, peaches, cherries and probably some I'm forgetting. I can certainly agree on the home grown fruits taste and quality. I quit buying apples a couple of years ago in the stores as they have no taste and never ripen no matter how long we wait. We liked to get some varieties we don't grow but it was a waste of money.

[Mike Nolan]

Many apples and other fruits are picked when they're shippable, not when they're ripe. Their taste just never develops much further.

Storage apples are seldom great.

[wonky]

Gina, Mike and all who responded to the buttermilk question. I had remembered also on the BC, that we had that discussion re: making your own buttermilk. As I started reading this thread I can see others also remembered it. Just this small discussion made me yearn for the BC. Mike, you started this site, and those of us here are very grateful.

Gina...I was just thinking of you a few days ago, and was going to ask here if anyone had heard from you. I am thrilled to see you post here, feels like old times. How are you dear lady? I (we) have missed you, and so glad you are here. I have thought of you many times actually, especially with the reports of the terrible fires, and mudslides that Californians have had to endure. Hopefully you escaped the carnage, and are well. Hope you will post often, as you always had such good comments on the BC.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks to all who posted about how to make your own buttermilk. I was surprised that the woman in the article to which S. Wirth kindly posted the link, uses whole milk. I wonder if it would work with my 1% milk? I may try stretching out the buttermilk with the 1% milk to tide me over until I can get to a store that sells it. I also recall that Mrs. Cindy used this method for buttermilk. I never tried it because buttermilk was always so readily available, and I use it a lot. It would cost about the same to make or buy buttermilk, so I always just bought it.

GinaG--You have been missed! I was thinking about you recently when we were discussing almond paste and put in the link to your recipe--which I'm going to try one of these days!

[skeptic7]

Here is the link to the best directions for cultured buttermilk. I now keep a quart jar of buttermilk always in the refrigerator and when it gets low I make more. I keep the buttermilk in a warm spot like the top of a refrigerator for 12 -24 hours until sufficiently thick. I use fat free milk . Since I learned to make liquid buttermilk I use it all the time, before I just used powdered buttermilk.

Making Buttermilk, Illustrated

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