St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1889-03-16
ALL ABOUT PORK.



4 Hossasr Farnsr's Way - Haking ooap
ags - CWng ~ Neat.
We trim very literally and closely
for sausage and lard. The sausage
meet h cut into email slices, 30 as to
be put into the chopper without trouble.
We season the msas before we grind it
We try to have the proportion about
three fourths lean and one-fourth fat
pork. which We slice ready for the cut
ter. To forty pounds Of the meat so
prepared, we take one pound Of salt,
one teacupful OF finely pulverized sage.
one-fourth Of pound OF black pepper.
or half that OF pulverized red pepper.
Wesesncn before gsuaiag. by laying
the need in apan or Tab cd sprinkling
the salt. pepper and sage over'it. layer
by layer. The pepper can be more
evenly spread by using the pepper-box.
We then mix the meat by hand slight
II. aad wAcnsit has goue through the
chopper it is in condition to put away.
In this way the seasoning is more
thoroughly done, with less labor than
it could be done by adding the season.
ing after the grinding. The meat We
want for present use Ne pack In jars,
and set these away IN . ool place.
What We keep for summGg ~ ~ make
into cakes and fry rea1y ~ - tile
These cakes we pack closely into two-
gallon jars, size very convenient to
handle. We pour the fryings over the
meat and If, when jar is full, the fry.
ings have not quite covered the meat.
we melt enough lard TO cover It. and
then put q plate over it. bottom up.
As the lard cOOls It shrinks somewhat.
We then pour melted lard over the
edge Of the plate until it is fully COW
cred. Then we tie cloth over the jar
and put it away in cool. dry place.
To prepare the sausage meat for the
table, we take out what We want and
heat it thoroughly.
II a person should fear that he could
not distribute the seasoning evenly
enough. he might divide his meat into
ten or twenty-pound parts. and divide
the seasoning in the same way.
make picked pork Of my side meat.
using eight-gallon stone jars. which l
prefer to kegs or barrels, because the
wood is liable to be tainted, and the
lars can be scalded and made sweet for
the next year. In packing, salt heav-
lily and then make brine. using all the
salt that can be dissolved in the boiling
water. skim the brine we'll. and when
1t is cold pour It over the pork and put
sufficient weight on to keep the meat
under the brine. We are using such
meat now, and it is perfectly sweet and
pure. In curing the joints. we rub fine
salt on the fleshy sides and pack them
in q barrel. small ends down. After
they have stood there day or two we
make . pickle by taking eight pounds
Of salt. two pounds Of sugar. two ounces
of saltpeter and two ounces OF soda to
four gallons of water. making enough
In that proportion to cover the meat
In four to six weeks. according TO the
size OF the joints, they should be hung
up TO dry. and be smoked thoroughly
with green hickory wood or corn-cobs-
prefer stone jars for storing the lard
10 either tin or wooden vessels
The hogs mostly raised in this vicin-
ity are Poland-C hinas. Berkshires aud
Chester-Whites, and they are preferred
in the order named. More hogs are
marketed when one year old and under
than when over year. Killing among
the farmers commences as soon in the
fall as the pork can he saved-from No
vember On-but the first killing is done
merely to get a present supply Of fresh
meat. The main stock Of meat is laid
up by killing through January and the
first half Of February. In general
way it may be said that our killing ex.
tends from cool weather in November
to the first Of March.
The method of raising and fattening
hogs is to pasture them ON grass and stub
BILE fields. finishing up with corn. When
there Is corn on hand it Is fed by some
of our farmers while the hogs are fed
on clover. that being the main pasture