Today
is granddaughter Andrea’s (Tim and Elizabeth’s) first birthday. Friday
evening, we will go to Tim and Elizabeth’s for supper in honor of her
birthday. She has the biggest eyes and the sweetest smile.
Tim
came tonight to pick up their lard press which we used last Saturday
when we butchered pigs. He brought along grandson T.J., four, and
granddaughter Allison, three, but both had fallen asleep on the way
over. Grandma didn’t get to enjoy them, but I put a baggie of candy in
their hands, so they would know they were here when they woke up.
Saturday, we butchered two pigs. One was for us, and one was for Dustin and Loretta.
It’s a long day, but always enjoyable to all be together working.
First,
the pigs are dressed, and then the big black kettles are set up to
start heating water to cook the meat off the bones. The hams,
tenderloins, bacon, and ribs are cut out, and the rest is cut out for
sausage. The fat from the pigs gets cut into one-inch cubes for
rendering. The liver, brains, heart, tongue, and other parts are all
saved from the pigs. Most of our children love the brains fried in
butter after being rolled in flour. I have never tasted the brains or
tongue. Mom would make pickled tongues, but I am different, I guess. My
children say, “Mom, how do you know if you don’t like something if you
never tasted it?” Anyways the brains aren’t that much in quantity and
usually have to be portioned, so they all get a taste. Daughter Lovina
said that she thinks the brains taste better than any meat she’s ever
had. She most certainly doesn’t take after her namesake (me) on that
subject. Haha!
The lard gets rendered in one kettle, and the bones
are cooked in the other. Then, when the meat comes off the bones, it is
brought inside, where the meat is picked off the bones. It is then put
through the grinder. We would make liver pudding with most of this meat
years ago. Since we don’t have many in the family that like liver
pudding, we always put this meat in the pon hoss. It makes the pon hoss
taste even better.
The broth from the bones is strained, measured,
and put back in the kettle; then, the meat and seasonings are added. We
usually put in two tablespoons of salt and one tablespoon of black
pepper for each gallon of juice. Next, the flour is sifted in the broth,
which should be boiling hard. Someone needs to be constantly stirring.
The men usually take turns. We add around four cups of flour per gallon
of broth. So this year, we made 23 gallons of broth into pon hoss, which
would take around 92 cups of flour. I was a little short in flour, and
the pon hoss was a little harder to fry, but we actually like it almost
better this way. When the pon hoss no longer sticks to a metal dipper,
then it’s ready to come off the fire. It is then poured into pans. I use
9 x 13 foil pans, and each pan holds around a gallon of pon hoss.
Once
the pon hoss is cooled, it can be sliced and fried on each side until
crisp. I like mine very crisp, but some in the family want it softer. It
is kind of like frying bacon: Some like it crispier than others.
The
sausage is ground, packaged, and put in the freezer. We canned a few
quarts for Dustin and Loretta. I still had plenty canned.
The
“fischlie” (a Swiss word), the backstrap, is a small tenderloin that is
just under the spine at the rear end of the body cavity. For as long as I
can remember, this was the meat fried on butchering day.
So along
with that, on the menu we had mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, cheese,
grape tomatoes, ice cream, and a variety of bars and applesauce.
After everything was done, all the big dishes, grinders, and slicers were cleaned.
Joe
sliced all the hams, pork chops, and ribs, and those were bagged and
put in the freezer. The shoulders are put in the freezer whole. Joe will
cut those into pork steak with the meat saw. He likes them frozen to
cut. The bacon is soaked in a brine that Dustin made. It will soak for a
week and then be sliced too.
Another year of pork meat in the
freezer. We still need to butcher beef yet this winter. Are we thankful
enough to have plenty to eat and preserve? God is good! God’s blessings
to all!
Breakfast Quiche
1 pound precooked ham, sausage, or bacon or a combination of meats
8 ounces grated cheese
8 eggs
3/4 cup flour
4 tablespoons butter
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
In
a greased 9 x 13-inch pan, make a layer of meat and top with cheese.
Combine the rest of the ingredients in a blender and pour over the meat
and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or till set in the
middle.
Lovina’s Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher,
Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight. Her newest
cookbook, Amish Family Recipes, is available wherever books are sold.
Readers can write to Eicher at Lovina’s Amish Kitchen, PO Box 234,
Sturgis, MI 49091 (please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a
reply); or email LovinasAmishKitchen@MennoMedia.org and your message
will be passed on to her to read. She does not personally respond to
emails.