Butter is Made from Heavy Cream?

So I guess my first step towards this new life was making butter.   A few weeks ago I had to buy some Heavy Cream for a recipe I was making and had a lot left over.  I felt really bad if it were to go to waste or be thrown out, so I started looking for other recipes to use it in.  Then my husband said why don't you make butter? I think my answer was, "Huh, that is what butter is made of?".

I really had no idea of what butter was made of or how to make it.  I grew up in a city in Southern California and so had no clue of "farm life" or making things from scratch.  I felt really stupid, that I am 26 years old, and didn't know what butter was made from.  But I set out to educate myself and to make butter.

To my surprise it is VERY easy!  Why doesn't everyone make butter?  I just threw the heavy cream in my KitchenAid and beat it on high speed for about 15 minutes until butter was formed and buttermilk was the by-product.  While it was beating, I saw it turn into Whip Cream before it became butter.   You should have seen the look on my face when I realized that I can make whip cream.  You think I would have figured it out long time ago with the name, WHIP CREAM (duh, it's actually whipped cream) but I never knew.  I feel so enlightened now! 

And I am so excited for Christmas this year, we have our families coming to our house and I plan on making whip cream for their hot cocoa and desserts, and butter for serving with dinner.  The butter was good, but came out pretty hard.  I am going to have to look for a way to soften it.  I didn't put any salt in with the heavy cream, I wonder if that will help soften the butter, or is homemade butter naturally harder than the store bought stuff?  hmm, something to look into.

As to why everyone doesn't make it, heavy cream is way more expensive than store bought butter (especially since we coupon, i can get tub butter for as low as .49 cents).  As of right now I don't have a cheap way to get farm fresh milk or cream, so I have to buy cream from the store (perhaps down the road that will change?).  I am glad that I know how to make butter, and it was WAY FUN, but for now we still plan on buying it from the store.