When it comes to the Ohio State Fair, there is good news and bad news. The good news is, that the fair is happening at the Exposition Center on 17th Avenue. The bad news is that the fair is only open to exhibitors and their families. Once again, the butter cow brigade will not be able to view a state fair favorite. But once again, ADA Mideast is giving fans of the butter cow a chance to create their own masterpiece and a chance to win a Yeti cooler. 

The contest opened July 19 and runs through August 8. During that time, budding butter sculptors are encouraged to follow American Dairy Association Mideast on social media, submit a photo of their butter cow sculpture on ADA Mideast’s Facebook page or share the image with the hashtag #BuildYourButterCow on ADA Mideast’s Twitter or Instagram. For more information or detailed instructions on creating your butter cow, visit ADA Mideast’s website at www.drink-milk.com

The winning DIY sculpture will be announced on August 9 and will receive a YETI cooler as a prize.

 Supplies include a 12 by 6 inch wooden board for a base, at least two pounds of butter, latex gloves and wire to create the frame, along with crafting tools to fine tune the butter cow.   

And once the butter cow has been photographed and her picture submitted to the challenge, the butter can be recycled into a tasty infused butter spread from a recipe from ADA Mideast’s recipe collection.

The ADA-Mideast website offers several recipes. Shape the butter back into a stick using parchment or wax paper, wrap it up and refrigerate overnight.

Herb-Infused Butter

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh chives, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, finely minced

1 teaspoon olive oil (optional)

Cilantro, Lime & Chile Salt Butter

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon lime zest

Chile salt: 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt and pinch of Chile of your choice

Basil, Black Pepper & Garlic Butter

1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon coarse black pepper 

Butter with Thyme

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Mint Butter

1/4 pound butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice (add slowly)

Sweet Cinnamon Butter

2 cups butter, room temperature

3/4 cup honey

3 teaspoons cinnamon

Homemade Butter

Want to make your herb-infused butter the old-fashioned way? All you need is heavy whipping cream, a jar with a lid and 20 minutes.

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Canning jar with a lid and ring

Herbs of your choice, finely chopped

Instructions: Pour cream and herbs into a jar and screw on the lid. Shake jar until butter forms a soft ball, typically 15-20 minutes. Continue to shake until buttermilk separates from the solid ball of butter. Pour contents of the jar into a fine mesh strainer to strain out the buttermilk, leaving the solid butter. Remove the butter and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until needed

Source: ADA Mideast