Cereal and butter

Until the end of the 19th century, people baked their own bread at home on farms and in their houses. The daily bread was rye bread. Wheat bread or wheat cakes, as it was called, was only served at parties and holidays. When the grain had been threshed with a flail and cleaned in a sieve, it was usually ground into flour at the miller's, but many farms also had a grain mill for grinding smaller portions. Baking rye bread was a large and time-consuming task that took two days.

Before the establishment of cooperative dairies in the late 19th century, farming families made their own butter. The freshly milked milk was strained into large flat wooden or clay dishes, which were placed on beams and shelves in the living room. Here the milk stood for 2-3 days to “set” the cream. When the cream had collected on the surface, it was skimmed off and stored in creamers until enough cream had been collected to fill the butter churn halfway. It was hard work to churn butter, and people often took turns working at the churn.

Museum exhibitions

Dialogue-based tour of the museum's exhibitions with a focus on farming life and self-sufficiency. We place particular emphasis on the usefulness of livestock and the importance of grain in the diet.

Activity

The students learn to thresh with a flail or stick, clean the grain in a sieve and grind it in a hand mill, and finally bake their own bread. We thresh the fine wheat so that it is possible to take home a beautiful and delicious loaf of bread.

The students churn butter in a masher and knead the butter in the butter trough.

 

For intermediate classes Emphasis is placed on the history of grain, grain as a means of prosperity and development; wars and peace, the origin of the ancient grains and their significance for the future. When baking, students can choose between several ancient grains and experience differences in taste, appearance and consistency.