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By MARTHA NORRISStaff WriterWILLISTONCora Wimberly hasnever fooled Mother Nature.For 38 years she’s been spreading her talent for making butter among her family and friends, using a skill she learned while growing up on an Aiken Countyfarm.“I never liked margarine or store-bought butter,” Mrs. Wimberly said, explaining why she prefers to churn her own. “I still give my friends butter. Sometimes that’s my Christmas present.”When she was a young girl, one of her chores was milking the family’s cow. Her mother then churned the cream into butter and later passed along the skill — and the crock — to her daughter, Mrs.Wimberly.Now she and her husband, Ezekiel,farmmilking responsibilitiescows, they also raise hogs and chickens, besides tending a large garden.“We don’t have to buy groceries very much,” Mrs. Wimberly said.The family always has been almost entirely self-sufficient, a necessity while ALL BUTTERED UP: Cora and Ezekiel Wimberly share the responsibilitiesttrAi*A roioinrt fViAii* fnnr nhilHron HprStaff Photo By Phil Jonesthey were raising their four children. Her husband farmed part-time besides ting the grounds of the Grace estate the Pickens House.in making home-churned butterhe milks the cow and she churns theturnbutter. The couple has enjoyed fresh butter for 38 years — ever since they’ve been married.ers,Salary then wasn’t anything for teach-Wimberly said. ‘‘We couldnWhencould count on a thick slicehave schooled them if we hadn’t been butter-rich cake waiting for them in theself-sufficient,” she added.with a pitcher of milkrefrigerator.“My children never have had much ‘bought’ milk, and neither have my grandchildren,” Mrs. Wimberly said.%“They drink it like it’s water.”The coupfarm, evenchildrenations because, Mrs. Wimberly explained, they “just couldn’t make it in farming” these days.Their mother’s homemade cakes andremainWimberly churns fourpospounds of I skimmed enough cream from the milk contributed by their faithful jersey cow,“Red.”As the cream is churned, the milk will separate from the butter, forming buttermilk, which is indeed “the richest buttermilk you want to drink” after it’s beendrained off, Mrs. Wimberly said.The butter at first is crumbly but be-smootherwarmminutes, but duringmay take up to an hour and a half, Mrs. Wimberly said.AfterMrs. Wimberlyoughly to prevent souring caused by leftover milk. The rich, yellow butter is ready to be used for baking or seasoning once it’s been pressed into half-poundmolds.Although she took early retirement in 1981 and has stayed as busy as ever, Mrs. Wimberly says she intends to keep on churning her own butter for as long asshe’s able.“I just love it,” she said. “I love doing it and sharing it with others. When the Lord blesses you, you just pass it on.”*»
Newspaper Details
Aiken Standard
Aiken, South Carolina, US
Wed, Jun 17, 1987
Page 25
Full Page
Clipped by
Library O.
USA 27 Oct 2021
Other Publications Near Aiken, South Carolina
Aiken Daily Mail
Aiken County Rambler
Aiken County Register
Aiken County Journal
Aiken Standard
