In which I butcher a big

"When Butchering Time was over, there were the sausages and the headcheese, the big jars of lard and the keg of white salt-pork out in the shed, and in the attic hung the smoked hams and shoulders." 

~Little House In The Big Woods~

My family eat sort of according to the Levitical laws…no pork, catfish etc. (I know it's weird, but it's the way I was raised) but that didn’t stop me from falling in love with this “forbidden” meat. Once in my house I’ve decided that I had to butcher a pig…and when my Amish neighbor called and asked if I wanted him to pick me up a piggy while he was getting a couple for his family – how could I resist? 

First things first. I made bacon...I choose to use the wet curing method and let it soak in a brine for seven days. The recipe included lots of salt...and in the end my bacon was a bit too salty, but there's always next time. 

And since I loved biology I dissected the heart…back in high school I failed on my cow heart and this was to reconcile myself=) it turned out lovely and all the valves were perfectly viewable. But since I, myself, was the only party interested I’ll spare you pictures of it. But know the lighting was perfect…and the pictures were too cool.

I had never wrapped my meat using freezer paper before. In the past it’s always been those vacuum bags and I have to tell you I’ll never go back. This was way way easier and faster

And I watched this video to learn how to warp the meat...I liked how unprofessional he was=) just to the point and simple as the way to using utility tape haha.

So I made sausage.

I made bacon.

I cut roast.

then... 

the rest I ground into…um ground pork, to mix into whatever I decide when the time comes.

My little freezer is now full of meat=) and I feel so good, I did it all myself. 

I canned bone broth. I had never used a canner before…so this was my first time. I didn’t leave the stove side those entire long minutes. They all sealed and I was about to jump up and down. I can pressure can now…the skies the limit to the creations I’m going to can. Well what I could can=)

Waiting...

It was quite the experience!!! And I had a few weeks of fun as I slowly processed the small portion I didn’t give away. It was such lovely pink meat and the processing ideas for this kind of meat is limitless.


XOXO

Processing Venison...

"Every morning as soon as she was awake Laura ran to look out of the window, and one morning she saw in each of the big trees a dead deer hanging from the branch.

That day Pa and Ma and Laura and Mary had fresh venison for dinner. It was so good that Laura wished they could eat it all. But most of the meat must be salted and smoked and packed away to be eaten in the winter." 

~Little House in the Big Woods~ 

Processing my own deer a few years ago was the birth of my love for butchering animals. I will do any and every animal I can get my hands on. I can't help but smile the entire time I'm slicing meat from the bones and wrapping it up for the freezer. I know where it came from and that every bit of meat possible will be used by my family. (and myself)

My mama helped me with this deer...each taking a leg and just cutting away. All the while, since we both share a love for Shirley Temple we watched Heidi. Such sweet memories made in my mama's kitchen. Two hours was just about the perfect length of movie for a small doe.

This time I found that keeping a towel under me while I worked minimized the slipping on and helped me stabilize everything more...helping speed the process up faster.

We cut up stakes and roast and make the rest into hamburger. My dad purchase a nice meat grinder for the family and it makes this process the easiest and I'm for sure to always have volunteers to do this for me at the end of a long processing evening.

Note: Deer meat is my all time favorite meat. I like a good deer hamburger or steak to beef any day.

XOXO

the beginning..."once upon a time"

Ahh! I love that phase..."once upon a time" just gives me warm fuzzy inside.

So I started reading the Little House Series for the millionth time...these books have a charm about them that's hard to describe. I sit for hours reading chapter after chapter, completely engulfed in another wonderful world. I'm seeing more and more how my own childhood and young adult life was very similar to Laura's, in someways a good thing and in others well it was just life and it was beautiful because it's was mine.

Her's was the story of what really mattered in life. She describes a life of hardship but in words which makes each of us want to re-enter into the charm of the covered wagon days. Even the dirt and dust looks magical. Like how is that even possible?

I decided to try and cook my way through these books...baking and preparing each food that she mentioned. Not that I can go into real detail with each, like I can't cook over a fire or fry a pigs tail. But for the most part I plan on creating a little bit of the Little House food in my "primitive" kitchen.

Growing up I would imagine myself living in my own little house. And on April 22, 2015 I did just that. I bought a little house in the middle of the woods (a total of five acres) and since then I've been busy remodeling and trying to enjoy life at the same time. From planting my own garden, butchering a pig and canning (by myself for first time) I've been slowing accumulating little house memories of my own.

I want to document what I've done and the old fashioned meals I cook...so hence I've begun this blog...



XOXO