Inspired by the River Cottage Curing and Smoking Handbook, Ethan cured some bacon last week. It’s good, but not quite what we expected – it’s a little heavy on the juniper berries and bay leaf. Not bad at all, but I guess we’re used to Southern-style bacon. We’re going to try it again with…
Category: Charcuterie and Traditional Butchery
Local Dad Finds One Cool Trick For Storing Tons of Back Fat
Ethan got out the meat grinder and tons of frozen back fat the other day in an effort to create more freezer space. It seems to work really well storing the fat like this. It doesn’t get moldy or go rancid the way rendered fat does. You just chip off what you need and throw…
Little Big Pig
A blown-up pig’s bladder – in other words, a “Colonial foot-ball” It works! Yesterday our friend PJ came out and very generously assisted in processing a pig to roast whole for the birthday this weekend. It was the only remaining boar among the spring piglets, and we also didn’t want him to start breeding his…
Mabon/Michaelmas
This week is Michaelmas, the equinox, the start of autumn. It’s still hot, but not like some years. In the evenings, the wind sweeps over the east hill at the farm, and blows cool. It blows colored, dying leaves down, too, and twists the yellowing bramble bushes. Some years we really celebrated this holy time,…
Minus Two
Exhausted. We harvested two of the big pigs. It really isn’t the best season to harvest pigs, usually the coldest part of the years is best, but we are downsizing everything for when we are in Europe and my mom is taking over for two weeks. I was already tired from chasing stupid Sappho around…
Toadstools And Fairy Rings 