Traditional butchery, with very little waste.

[Toddy]

Sewing is kind of my default setting I don't think I've yet found a textile craft that I haven't tried. Some fall by the wayside, like tatting (well named frivolite in French) which just does my head in after quarter of an hour, but some, like quilting, become so much part and parcel of my life that I found other like minded people. Even on line
One of the ladies who writes really good and interesting quilting books is Barbara H. Cline. The lady is a Mennonite and she and her sisters all have blogs about their quilting and their family life.

Recently Barbara posted on her blog about butchering hogs and processing all of the useable meat and fat.

I thought it might be of interest

http://quiltingal.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/butcher-day-and-quilt-projects.html

Normally we'd import an article, but I want Barbara's permission first.

M

 

[Macaroon]

Sorry, the page you were looking for in this blog does not exist.

That's what I got on her blog page that the linky took me to.

 

[Mike313]

I had to go to the main page of the blog, then page down a little to find that blog entry. It's just great to see how they seem to process every part of the animal. [As Scott Rea says (worth a look on YouTube) "you can eat every part of a pig except the squeal"]. I love the specialised old equipment they are using too. Unfortunately I think these skills are fast being lost. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Macaroon]

Ah, ok I found it with a little trawl through the 2016 blogs ........I'll read this with interest a little later, thank you!

 

[Stew]

I thought this looked familiar....

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=137325&highlight=

An interesting blog post though!

 

[Toddy]

It was supposed to be posted in here too, but the issue with the dead animal bits meant that it was put in Fair Game where it totally disappeard.
It's really more a Homestead thread, iimmc.
I'll sort out the link properly

M

p.s.

This link took me right to the article.
http://quiltingal.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/butcher-day-and-quilt-projects.html

 

[Macaroon]

Excellent; some of it reminds me of how things were done when I was an ankle biter, but we didn't have a nice space like that to work in, nor all the equipment like freezers but in essence the same deal. All the neighbours and family coming together to "git'r'dun".

The two missing elements nowadays would seem to me to be the extended family to make the labour a little easier, also most folk now just wouldn't have the space to set everything out like that; I butcher about 20 -30 wild
boar each year and I have to do it out front of the house on trestles..........Good job I live in the middle of nowhere, eh?

Thanks for the post

 

[Toddy]

Mac ? we'd like to see photos of that, and I think the Boss might like a word about the Moot

M

 

[Macaroon]

Next time I do some I'll get somebody to come and take some pictures - it's not something you could do yourself as you go unless you had a fat-proof camera :yikes:

I'm quite happy to talk about the moot, I think I can guess what the interest would be, but there are two potential problems; August is not really hunting season but that's not insurmountable as they are pretty much vermin
(in the eyes of the law), and there's the problem of Molly who would not be a happy bunny if I hopped off to the moot without her, we're never apart and now she's begining to make old bones I don't know how she'd deal with it. Again, perhaps not insurmountable

 

[Toddy]

It's a shame about the dogs, especially family ones that really are part of the family, but it's a site ruling, not Tony's on that.

I just thought that wild boar in the Hangi would be rather special

atb,
M

 

[Macaroon]

It would be very nice, wouldn't it? And if I could arrange it (and the hands play nicely) I'd make the prepping of it into a demonstration; I think a lot of folk would find that very helpful and interesting.

I'll give this some serious thought and see if I can make it happen, I'd really love to do a full moot.......Must be well over 20 years since I had anything remotely resembling a holiday! It's early enough in the year that I might be able to work something out. Are you attending this year, Mary?

I understand entirely about the no dogs thing, it's why I miss a lot of gatherings of various sorts but if the people who own the ground won't have it then that's it and all about it, eh?

 

[Tony]

Ahh, got to jump in on this one, Moot, it would be cool to see you there again Mac, longer would be great, Boar, well that would be fabulous
even if you came for a few days if you can manage it.

Boar in a Hangi, that would be cool. If it's possible Mac let me know if there's anything I can do to help and when you're butchering let me know and i'll come take pictures

 

[Macaroon]

Well then, despite my sig. line I shall start to form a few tentative plans!

 

[Wayne]

I'd really like to help with wild boar if you can make it.

Note to self pack a decent spade too as it's going to be a rather big hole for a boar.

Smoke boar sausages. Mmm

My my two dogs sulk for the first day I get back but they forgive me.

 

[bigbear]

Excellent link, worked for me Toddy. Reminded me of when we would do the odd pig for ourselves when I was a kid, but we were rather less well organised. Great to see a whole team of folk helping, like it would have been hundreds of years ago, and still the best solution to the problem.

 

[Toddy]

We never did pigs, but there were occasionally a glut of salmon needing to be worked on in a hurry, sometimes a couple of dozen rabbit, and a lamb some years…..which was when and how I learned to make haggis properly…..and Grandpa had the pleasure of the singed sheep's heir for his dinner.

Looking back on it, it was pretty medieval really. Absolutely nothing was wasted if it could be cooked. Even the fish heads ended up in the pot to make soup. Salmon bones are pretty soft things, I think the only thing that was composted really were the guts, the boney remains and the scales.
The bag from the lamb was stuffed with the haggis, the intestines were cleaned out in salt water and used for puddings….from mealy ones (made with oat meal, now known as white puddings) to not really sausages, but meatier mealy ones too.
Even the suet, the fat round kidneys, was broken off in it's caul and put aside. It was cleaned up and chopped for the suet for the dumplings.

Nowadays if it doesn't come sealed in plastic most folks don't want to eat it We are incredibly wasteful as a society, we really are.

M

 

[Janne]

I think the worst is that people are losing out on flavours.
As you write - fisheads for soup - nothing beats that!
Pure muscle meat has very little flavour, hence the need for herbs, marinades and spices.
The worst piece of "protein" as it is called today must be the pork protein injected chicken breast.

It is nice to see people processing the whole animal. They show huge respect to the animal imho.