Saturday, July 30, 2011

Return of the Prodigal Pigs


Bringing home the bacon.
Fat and unctuous meat, just like yo mamma (would have wanted it).
The pigs are back, albeit in the deep chest freezer.  We sold Lenny to two families who decided to have Farmer George process the belly and hams for them at an additional cost.  The bacon made by the butcher turned out great but the curing and smoking took an extra two weeks.  We opted to keep our belly and hams unadulterated.

Lenny and Squiggy's hanging weights were 178 and 158 respectively.  Not bad considering they started at 25 lbs and we had them four months.  That is a lot of pig meat but surprising not as much as you would think especially if you give away a bunch.  We wanted to engender good will with those who helped or tolerated our swine raising.  A pound of flesh, when not given in the Biblical sense, goes a long way with neighbors and friends.

Slow and steady, that's what she said.
The meat has been incredibly tender and flavorful.  By far, the best cuts involve some fat.  We had some of the jowls which were tender and almost nutty when cooked in a red sauce.

The belly and hocks were cured for a week in the refrigerator in kosher salt, pink salt and brown sugar.  After rinsing the meat, it sat in the fridge another two days to form pellicle, then it was cold smoked for five hours.

Stay tuned as the other slab of belly is made into pancetta.

Bacon slabs and smoked hocks.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Peas and Deer

It is July -- the beginning of summer abundance, say all the homesteading and garden books (John Seymour, you lied).  With no spring this year the peas, spinach and other early spring crops are just now starting to produce, or in the case of the spinach reach a mature growth of 1.5 cm and then bolt -- irritating -- resulting in a grand total of half a salad per spinach seed pack, just slightly more expensive than buying fully formed spinach from the grocery store if you don't count the cost of land, water, and labor.

imgres.jpgThe peas, however, were doing great.  One little 4 x 4 plot of ground where I felt good about our vegetables.  They were tall and vigorous and the children were eating handfuls of peas a day straight off the vines.  These peas are supposed to be allowed to mature and then shelled for the delicious green peas soaked in butter that is a favorite health food (much like fresh green beans cooked in bacon -- another favorite health food).  Then we went on a family road/camping trip for a week.  When I returned, I found the peas suspiciously gone and the top foot of the pea plants shorn off.  Deer!  Thinking I'm smarter than a deer, I wrapped the plot in netting and stuck all the pretty little pea tendrils inside the wrap.  The next day . . . the deer had opened a hole in the netting and eaten another 8 inches off the tops of the peas.  I need a fence, a tall, 8 foot, sturdy, deer proof fence, preferably with razor wire on the top and spring loaded shotgun attached to trip wire on the peas, much like the below delightful garden structure.
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