Thanksgiving Dinner In A Box

The 2013 CSA season is just about finished...just a few more weeks.  That is not good news.  Andy is please with this years CSA success.  He will be reflecting on it in a few weeks.  And I am sure that my next visit to the farm will be filled with conversations like...what did I like?  This week we got a small treat...a pint size jar of maple syrup.  Yummmmm!

He also reports that the CSA members have been taking time out to respond in a positive way about the CSA.  That is a good thing.  The Andy's are always glad to hear from the share holders positive and negative.  They only want the CSA to grow and be the best that it can be.  Thanks for helping with this.  They are very thankful for the members because with out them there would be no CSA.  So spread the good word and help the Amish Community prosper.  It takes all of us to make it work.

Parts of Thanksgiving Dinner in a box.

A Little Something Different

 

With the weather turning a little colder, the work on the farm is starting to wind down.  Now Andy and Lizzie have time to work on all those things that have had to wait.  One of those projects is hog butchering.

 

I can't believe Andy didn't let me know it was hog butchering time!  I would have loved to have had the experience.   And I can just imagine the pictures.  I promise they would have been tasteful.  I'll have to remember this time next year.

 

The Andy's participate in a 'butchering ring" with three other Amish families.  The ring actually is helping out the other families that need to butcher their hogs for meat for the winter.  Lizzie's sister, Katie (she is a funny one that Katie), will be the first on the list.  They plan to butcher on Monday. 

The first thing that needs to be done is to kill the hog.  He hasn't gone into detail about that which is probably a good thing. Next the list of how tos is take the hog to a tub where the water is 170 degrees (HOT).  When the hair starts to come off it is time to take them out and scald them....which is removing all the hair until the skin is nice and smooth.  Then they are hung and dressed.  After splitting them in half, they take the half in and put them on a table in the basement.  This is where the different cuts are removed from the animal...the bacon, the sirloins, the ribs and the hams.  As the bones are taken out they are placed in a cast iron kettle with water and they are brought to a boil.

 

The lard needs to be separated from the meat.  The meat needs to be cut up into smaller pieces and ground into sausage.  When the meat that is still on the bone gets nice and soft, the bones are removed from the kettle and someone has to pick all the meat off.  The meat will be put into pudding later in the day.

 

As soon as all the bones are out of the kettle, the lard needs to be cut up into pieces and put into the same kettle.  This needs to be boiled just right and then run through a press.  The liquid that runs off is put into containers where it will be left to harden.  This is now ready to be used or to make soap or keep for cooking and baking.  When the lard is done it is time to  put the meat that came off the bone in the pudding and then the bacon and hams need to be put in brine for a few days and then it will be smoked.  Most of the meat will be canned in a day or so but the bacon and hams will need to be hung in the cellar after being smoked.  And there they will keep.

 

Andy says that there are a lot of details missing from the processes that are done when butchering hogs...he just wanted us to have an idea what happens in a butchering ring.  Sounds like a very

Prep For Next Season Begins

There is no rest for the weary at Cedarmore Farm.  There is always something that needs tended to.  Right not Andy and his crew are busy pulling out hundreds of tomato stakes and miles of drip lines.  This clean up must be complete before winter sets in.  They will also be digging up the last of the sweet potatoes. 

It is hard for me to believe that there are only four weeks (if you are counting this week) left in the CSA.  Andy assures us that there is still a good supply of produce for the reaming three weeks.

A Visit Home

A little time away from the farm this week for the Andy's.  The entire family will be traveling 'home' to Wayne county to visit with Andy's dad.  A few weeks ago Andy's dad was involved in a car-buggy accident.  A can hit the buggy from behind.  Andy's dad was thrown from the and buggy hurt his back and has a few broken ribs.  He had to stay in the hospital for about a week, but is now home recovering well.  Everyone else involved in the accident is well also.  Thankfully the horse was not injured.  They should have returned on Wednesday. 

The farm is in very capable hands while they are away.  The helpers, as they are referred to, know exactly what needs to be done and how to do it so Andy and Lizzie feel comfortable with going on the visit.  It is rare for them to leave the farm for an extended amount of time.  Getting to Wayne county is another blog post for another time.

 



Our boxes have turnips again this week.  I know that the Andy's like to eat them raw but we like to either boil or roast ours.  There is some great looking lettuce also.  Andy hope that the lettuce will mature enough for us to have lettuce in our boxes for the rest of the CSA season.