The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1881-01-22

A farmers wife, in the Country
Gentleman, gives the following eX,
cellent advice on the above subject a
"rhe time for slaughtering beef and
pork for home consumption Is close
at hand, and it IL busy time fol
housekeepers, and If the truth is told
it Is not Il very pleasant task To con-
template; but as the comfort and hap
piness of family depends very much
on the manner in which meats are
prepared 1t is an essential item In
every farm house that it should be
done in n judicious and proper man.
ner. 1t is to be hoped that the good
man of the family is both competent
and willing to cut up the meat when
cool, without the assistance of his
wife, and also to pack and salt the
pork IN the barrels In the cellar. II
he does not know how, it would be
highly advisable for him to take Il
few lessons of an experienced teacher
for it is a job that no woman ever
ought to attempt She, of course,
would see that the pork barrel was
perfectly sweet and clean before it was
used. The brine, If kept nicely, will
answer TO Use year after year, by
scalding and Swimming and letting
stand till cold before turning it over
the pork. Pork must be cold before
it Is packed-all the animal heat en-
tirely out of it. Then when packed
down, an abundance OF good, coarse
salt must be freely poured over every
layer of the pork, then allow it to
stand two or three days before turning
on the brine. Place Il heavy, fiat stone
on the meat the year round, so that
none of the pieces can float on the
brine, as they are apt to do unless kept
in place by a heavy weight. Have
the brine cover the entire mass OF
pork, so AS to exclude air. There is so
much lean meat in the hams and
shoulders of hog that they never
ought to be sailed with the solid pork.
A pickle should be made expressly for
their curing, as they can be made 20
much more Ialatable than when SIM
ply sailed. The spare ribs of pork are
better to be frozen and kept fresh until
needed for cooking. The tenderloin
can be frozen too, and 1t Is one OF the
most delicious parts of the whole,
either broiled and buttered, or fried.
The head needs to be cleaned nicely
and soaked in weak brine till the
blood is all out. Some like it boiled
and others prefer it made into head
cheese and kept for cold meats. The
feet and legs are to be scraped thor
oughly, boiled till tenderand prepared
ms sauce, or eaten hot, with turnip
sauce for n relish. The trimmings of
the pork, the neck pieces and the
jowls are nice made into sausages, and
they keep all through the winter, 10
use at pleasure. The lard of course
needs care Immediately, but it is much
BETTER to let it soak in water over night
before trying it out. Always keep
the roundabout and leaf separate,
and use the lard from the round
about in cold weather, as it is
liable to have strong taste if
kept till summer. The tongues and
heart make good meat for mince pies,
and the liver is palpatable and whole
some, either boiled or fried. Beef
that is kept fresh for winter use ought
to be frozen as soon as possible and
then packed in tight barrels and set
in cool place, where the changes of
will not reach it. Some
bury the barrel in an oat bin; Others
cover it with snow or put it in II hay
main object being to keep
It from thawing out. Beef hams
must be cured in n nice pickle for
some six or eight weeks and then
aiken out and drained, put into either
10th or paper bags and hung near the
kitchen stove to dry for summer use
,he tongues can be picked with the
lams and kept for any length of time.
The neck pieces and neart are kept for
nincc pies, and need n thorough soak
ng in water to extract the blood.
The beef, to corn, must be soaked two
" three days in weak brine, then pack
ii in a tight cask or barrel, with salt
prinkled between the layers, and
leld down by stone, in a pickle |
made and poured over it. 1t should
Ne kept in cool place in the cellar
Turing the summer, and Il sprinkling |
4 black pepper over the top of the |
rine, will keep the flies at Il distance.
here is great amount OF work and
are required TO keep years stock OF
lcat in good, Wholesome condition,
ut If ii is properly cured to COM
lence with two-thirds of the labor is
aved and all the worry. No farmer
an afford to patronize either the meat
art or the market for supply of
neat through the year. 1t is more
as well as more econOm-
,al TO lay in store for family use
hat has been fattened at home, and
hen you are sure you have good
rticle that is safe to use.