Finally got started

I finally got out today and got started getting some things ready for butchering tomorrow.I have the knives sharp and the salt cure mixed. That took a lil while. I had about a half gallon of dried cayenne peppers that needed to be ground. I started this in the food processor. Never mind trying that, it don't work to grind the seeds up. After crushing them in the food processor I had to grind them fine in the electric spice grinder. I was being extra careful not to get the fine dust on me but I did anyway. And then rubbed my eyes. Soap and water pretty much solved that issue. The salt cure recipe that I use is as follows:

6 lb salt
6lb brown sugar
1/2 cup cayenne pepper finely ground
1/2 cup black pepper

Mix all this together really well. I do recommend using rubber gloves to mix in the peppers as they will make your hands burn some.

This mixture will nearly fill a 12 quart dish pan to within about 2 inches of the top and should be sufficient cure to treat about a 300 lb hog. That is curing 2 hams, 2 shoulders, 2 sides of bacon and the jowl. Any salt left over can be stored in a dry place to use the next time we butcher hogs. OK so much for that.
The weather tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful. The temps are to be in the low 50's with night temps in the low 30's. Perfect for curing meat. It was nice out today as well. I actually went out today without a coat on. We are supposed to have rain and thunderstorms on Saturday tho when we will be rendering lard. That might be a bit tricky. Because you surely don't want to let any water splash in the cooking lard. It will cause an explosion and somebody will get burned. Don't need that happening.
So till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

Change of plans

The weather in winter can make you change plans for any out door activities. Our plan was to butcher the hog on Saturday and then on Sunday we would have the lard ready to render out. Which for us is also an outdoor activity. We use the big cast iron kettle, the same one with the same stir paddle that my dad used many years ago. But they are forecasting rain and snow for Saturday and it is really hard to keep scalding water hot in rain. I am sure my dad is sitting up there in heaven laughing at me about now for not planning this a little better. But he also taught me persistence. And we will persist and do the butchering on Friday now instead of waiting till Saturday. The guys are off work and Josh a buddy of Jason's and our adopted step son like will be able to help us. Josh is like one of our own and if we need help here he is always so good to come help out. We just love him and his family dearly. It is at times like this that I am thankful that my boys were good judges of character and have picked good friends. Any who, now thas the plan, but if the weather changes, that plan may change again. Or got forbid the hog be in season. That would postpone the whole thing for at least 2 more weeks.
So today I have gotten my containers ready to hold meat, and kinda now have a mental list of things that need to be done to accomplish this task. I have gotten the old butchering knives out that dad used and they will all be sharp and ready to go. When we render the lard it will get put in some of my stock pots till I can get it ladled into hot mason jars and sealed. The lard will seal and stay fresh when done this way. Long ago we alas strained the lard into metal lard cans to store it. But in my lil mind I have a better plan. We don't use as much lard as we used to and to keep it good and fresh I will be storing mine in the canning jars. The lard is hot enough when it goes in the jars to create a vacuum and seal them when it cools down. This will all be done on the second day. When we butcher we trim the hams, shoulders and middling meat for bacon and get that salted down and in the curing process on day one as soon as we can. Then we proceed to cut the meat to grind for sausage, slice the tenderloins for freezing, cut the ribs for freezing, cut the back bone for chops or stew, and then cut up the lard. Then on day 2 render lard, make souse meat from the head, and pickled pigs feet. Oh yeah, I am making souse and pickled pigs feet. I truly feel like a kid again. As a child growing up here on the farm I always looked forward to "hog killing time". Although it was a lot of work, the rewards were always worth it when the food was prepared.
So till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

Seed order placed, finally

Some things just take time to think over. And  a seed order is no different. I have pondered the seed catalog all day long. The pictures are pretty and there are lots of things to choose from. So I made a list of things I needed and wanted and went online and finally placed an order. I think I have stated before that I was gonna be ordering from Baker Creek Seeds this year. They only sell heirloom varieties that are non GMO. And this is what I was looking for. For a total of $70 I now have my seeds on order. I have a lot of seeds saved from last year, so that helped keep cost down a good deal for me. An online chat buddy and fellow homesteader had told me that Baker Creek was sold out of a lot of seeds already and that prompted me to get in gear. When I was doing my online order I did notice that a few varieties that I had wanted were sold out. Nothing that I cant live without tho. I am getting a couple more herbs this year as well. I am going to try growing caraway for seed. And I also ordered an heirloom variety of parsley that gets taller than most I have seen. I may need to expand the herb bed again. That is provided I can get help moving dirt to fill one in. Didn't have much luck getting the strawberry bed expanded so I may be peeing in the desert trying to settle the dust here. Oh well, wont be my first rodeo.
I will spend some time tomorrow getting some things ready for butchering this weekend. I need to grind some hot pepper to mix with the salt/sugar cure for the meat that will be cured. I also need to get the salt and sugar mixed for the cure. Then its on to knife sharpening and rounding up large containers for the meat to be put in till it gets processed and put up. I am so excited to have good homemade country sage sausage again. And I am glad I have plenty of sage that we have grown to make it with. No chemicals in our meat here. I know lots of people use saltpeter in their curing meats but we don't here. All it really does is preserve the red color of the meat to make it look like store bought and it does have some antibacterial properties that prevent spoilage. I guess that would be OK to use if it was warm and there was a chance of the bacteria being able to live. We have a tendency to do things the old way and that is what we will be doing with the hog we are going to butcher. Now unless I have a mouse trap moment I will do my level best to take some pics and maybe video for the ones who might be interested in doing their own curing. I will include recipes in the form of instructions also for things like sausage and maybe souse meat if I can get the head cleaned to use for it. We shall see what Saturday holds for us.
Till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

Time changes all things

Life in general and times have changed a lot since I was a child. And its really not been that long ago. I remember growing up here on the farm and in spring we would go out and pick wild greens that mom would cook. We alas picked blackberries, huckleberries, wild strawberries and other things too numerous to mention. I have often wondered why people don't do those things any more. I remember helping mom pick the wild greens but for the life of me I am not sure I could safely do it now. I think that is one of the things I want to learn and document this spring. I know my friend Rosie knows about these things and the benefits of each of them. Maybe I will make a day when she has time, that might be a laugh, and go visit her with camera and note pad and pick some wild greens and identify them. I think it would be good to pass that kind of knowledge along to the younger generation. I guess what made me think of this was a news item I found today, the food trends for 2011. One of the trends will be foraging for food. People do some foraging now and to them the foods are a delicacy. When I was growing up if you foraged for wild greens people looked down on you like it was a sign that you were too poor to have food. Little did they know back then that it would come back.  So I thought I would share this  with you so you can be in the know on food trends for the coming year. Yeah right, like we care about trends.

So till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.


Stella

A nice Christmas Holiday

We have had a nice relaxing holiday here today. Nothing going on outside except we did wake to a white Christmas. It did snow some last night and we probably got an inch or so. Seems as the day went along it did get colder. I fixed a turkey and a ham and the fixing for dinner today. I do the turkey in the big Nesco roaster/oven in the summer kitchen and the ham in a crock pot. I got the turkey started about 1 this after noon as I had kinda planned on eating late. I had to make a few trips to the kitchen to check on it and ever trip seemed colder. Rodger built a fire in the fireplace today which was so nice and toasty. I think my feet had been cold up to that point. Jason came and ate and went home with a big container of ham and turkey. Am thinking we will be eating turkey and ham for a few days. Maybe the traditional turkey casserole tomorrow. I hope you all had a good day with family and friends and lots of good food. So till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella

Merry Christmas

Not much happening here on the homestead today with it being Christmas eve and all. I did get out and go see Mom at the nursing home and took her presents to her. She also got some homemade candy and cookies along with her gifts. She is doing fairly well all things considered. She does have some dementia and still is not able to walk or stand alone. So sad when the mind goes. It probably would help if she would take her medication but instead she has refused it for a month now. Cant really force em to take their meds but we know it sure would extend and improve their quality of life. Kinda depressing to have to see her like that. But such is life.
Today is also Rodgers birthday. He turned 53 today. He has just chilled here at home and relaxed today. We made a big kettle of veggie soup for supper tonight. I still like my veggie soup with peanut butter jelly sandwiches. I will probably go ahead and fix a turkey and ham and all the fixings and just eat on that all weekend. That is if the turkey gets thawed tonight. I did get it out a lil late.
So till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead and wishing you and your a very Merry Christmas. Pretty sure most of us are going to have a white Christmas this year from the weather forecast.

Stella

I got out today

I finally was allowed off the farm today. Just kidding. Actually we went out of town to pick up a few things for my mom for Christmas to take to her at the nursing home. We don't celebrate Christmas with all the gifts and spending money that most folks do. But with her being in the nursing home I at least like to take her a few gifts to brighten her days there. So today we went to Richmond. We had dinner at Red Lobster, my fav, and then on to wally world and to Lowe's. We did pick up some fresh fruit at walmart while we were there. Dang prices have went up since I was out last time. And I don't even want to talk about coffee prices. I was more than a lil perturbed to find that the cans have gotten smaller and the price went up. So has peanut butter. Near $5 for a small jar where as I was buying 2 of the same size for less money just a few months ago. I see some peanut growing in my future. As for the coffee, well I am thinking some really cranky people around here in mornings.
In the shopping today I noticed that a lot of people were buying mostly food and not the expensive gadgets and toys of the past few years. Not to mention not really that many people out either. The Red Lobster restaurant where we went to eat had plenty of vacant tables for a Friday evening as well. Not sure if this is good or bad. I am certain it is bad for the business but it could also mean more people are eating at home. Or that people just simply don't have the extra money to eat out with the economy like it is and few jobs. We actually had a gift card that Rodgers parents had given us for our anniversary in November or we likely would not have been eating out either. Home cooked is always better.
Till next time, blessings from the McGuire homestead.

Stella