Comments on: Butter Lamb for Easter

By: Norma-Jeanne

Norma-Jeanne — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:20:36 +0000

Thank you Andrea, Mandy & Katrina. Being an American-Ukrainian, I remember this tradition as well. Your posts brought back many memories of my Grandfather showing me and my cousins exactly what Katrina described. I hadn’t thought about it in years. Guess I need to get to work if I’m gonna have the Butter Lamb ready for church blessing tomorrow. Many blessings for Easter, Khrystos Voskres.

By: Katrina

Katrina — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:17:01 +0000

My mom found a article in the Sunset Magazine back in the 70’s on how to make a traditional Polish butter lamb and we have made it every year.. starting off with my dad when we were younger but being passed on to the kids as we got older. You take two cold sticks of butter, cut one in half and place that piece on the end of the other stick so as to look like the head on a lamb that is settled down. Place a toothpick through the head and body for security. You carve out a neck, round a head- and can use your fingers to smooth out the face a bit, then cut two small legs like they are sticking out in front of the lamb. Round the back butt area and form hind legs close to the body and try to form a belly. The lamb wool is pushed through a small wire strainer and taken off the utensil with a toothpick or knife and placed gently around the lamb leaving only a small area for the face. If the butter starts to get too soft then refridg for a short time. You will need peppercorns for the eyes, carroway seed for the nose- they are together in the center of the nose then each side is tilted upward towards the direction of each ear. I don’t know if that makes sense but hope so. Red thread is used for the mouth, coffee beans or raisans for the front feet, and two tips of chives for the ears. You can gently put a couple toothpicks on the upper body to keep the saran wrap from hitting the butter itself but it should be covered completely as other food smells get into the butter itself if not covered. I don’t know the year the article came out but I hope you try it as it has always been our family tradition. Happy Easter!! Katrina

By: Andrea

Andrea — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:36:02 +0000

Mandy, I’ve seen the molds online but I’ve never seen a hand-carved butter lamb. I bet making one would bring back some wonderful memories for you!

By: Mandy

Mandy — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 23:40:59 +0000

My Polish Nana used to carve her own butter lambs at Easter with cloves for eyes. We’d pack them in our Easter baskets and have them blessed at church along with homemade hot-crossed buns and dyed eggs. They weren’t perfect replicas of lambs, but I sure wish I could make a replica of hers.