They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
The weather is not cooperating with our hopes and dreams, these days. We had originally been planning on butchering our big Meishan barrow ("Bacon") this coming weekend, but the weather is going to be over 40 degrees all night, several nights in a row. In fact, last weekend was likely our last night below 40… Continue reading Salt Cured Lamb, Continued
The lamb legs that were set down in salt last Saturday and the Saturday before (that is, February 21 and 28) were supposed to be rinsed and either hung or re-salted on March 7, but, alas, the National Guard continues to ruin everything. It was a drill weekend. So we didn't get to that project… Continue reading Salt Cured Lamb, continued.
The last lamb we slaughtered was a difficult and frustrating process. The kill was quick and humane, but a single slip of the knife early in the dressing process resulted in slicing the achilles tendon and dropping the carcass, then a difficult skinning, which in turn delayed evisceration, resulting in the stomach falling and rupturing.… Continue reading Lamb slaughter and butchering, take 2
Saturday was the day we butchered and wrapped one of our katahdin rams. We started out by enjoying the hangar steak, the heart and part of the liver for breakfast. Stirfried with mushrooms and onions. Topped with havarti. That will stick to your ribs. And some of our ribs need more sticking than others. We… Continue reading Butchering a Ram
Had a couple of failures with the duck prosciutto. Pulled the last one out of the fridge on Monday June 23rd. It had a final weight of 0.13 kg. Initial weight of 0.26 kg. 50% weight loss. However, when I unwrapped it, a cloud of mold spores flew up and it smelled like a stinky… Continue reading Duck Prosciutto Part 3: failures
We salted and hung five wraps of duck prosciutto on June 3rd. We came back from our Tennessee Travels on June 18th, so I checked on the Prosciutto, June 19th. Initial weights were written on the tape attached to each breast, but I did not record them here so I will have to check on… Continue reading Duck Prosciutto, Part 2
One of the best things about butchering day... The big mess of fried heart the next day. In this case fried in butter with onion, pepper and garlic. Evie and Winnie are both fans of it. Seppi is not. Ellie thinks that it is about the worst thing that ever happened. The daikon radishes bolted… Continue reading Duck Confit and Prosciutto
We got behind on our lamb prosciutto experiment, so we didn't get around to taking down the last leg on the day after Easter. First, the recap. Leg 1. Jan 2, Starting weight: 2.098 kg Recipe 1: 160g (90g salt [4.2%]) rub for one week in fridge. Jan 9. Salt box dredge without weighing for… Continue reading Lamb Prosciutto, the Final Chapter… For now
After eating the first leg of lamb prosciutto, we got behind on checking on the prosciutto, between National Guard and vacation. Leg 1. Jan 2, Starting weight: 2.098 kg Recipe 1: 160g (90g salt [4.2%]) rub for one week in fridge. Jan 9. Salt box dredge without weighing for 9 days. Jan 18. Second weight… Continue reading Prosciutto Update
To recap, sheep were slaughtered Monday, December 30. Leg 1. Jan 2, Starting weight: 2.098 kg Recipe 1: 160g (90g salt [4.2%]) rub for one week in fridge. Jan 9. Salt box dredge without weighing for 9 days. Jan 18. Second weight 1.80 kg, (14.2% weight loss). Aging Day 1: Hung 1/18/2024 @ 60 degrees… Continue reading Lamb Prosciutto update
Little Farm in the Big City 