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Lesley

The Good Life continued....

By Lesley, in The Nesting Box

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Lesley Eggsistentialist

Lesley

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After nearly consigning the tenderloin to the sausages pile, we're having some of it tonight. Lauren and Jake had some for their dinner and loved it.

 

It smells divine and tasted wonderful! :D

 

It is extremely daunting to see that amount of pork - at least this time both freezers were working. Both are now full of pork and we have the four pieces of bacon curing and a large ham in brine. We need to make something secure to hang the ham in the porch for a few months.

 

We're going to make salami at the weekend - son's Hungarian girlfriend will feel very much at home then! - they both like salami, I don't know as I've never eaten it. She also likes crispy roasted pig's ears :?

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Jools Chicken Addict

Jools

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I took a call from our neighbour's son this evening - they keep a few Gloucester Old Spots. Apparantly my lovely OH had asked for half a pig next time they had any spare, so guess what's arriving tomorrow :shock: ! I have given hubby strict instructions - NO HEAD!!! No problem with bits of piggie wiggie going in the freezer in plastic bags, or being made into bacon or ham, but NO HEAD!!!!!! I am such a wimp :D

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Snowy SUPER CHICKEN!!!

Snowy

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My FIL once offered a plate of meat s"Ooops, word censored!"s to me to try, it was quite tasty, until he told me it was pigs snout :vom: But I didn't flinch - at least he didn't tell me before I ate it :? But then again OH and family are proper northerners - never waste anything if it can be eaten. He actually enjoys tripe, pigs trotters, pigs snout, brawn, black pudding, anything offal. :think: Maybe I should send him round Lesley - he'd be in heaven!

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Lesley Eggsistentialist

Lesley

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We didn't have the heads from the first three we sent because we had named them. We thought we might be OK with these and it seems such a waste not to.

 

I suppose the cleaning process will have cleaned out their noses? :?

 

I'm going to put myself right off them in a minute :oops: I'll be back to being vegetarian again :roll:

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melcotton Chicken Eggspert

melcotton

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could I ask how you had them butchered Lesley? I am going to order a whole pig for the freezer but have to let them know how I would like it butchered. I have no idea where to start but I do know I would like to try curing some for bacon and maybe ham?

See - I really don't know what I'm talking about :oops:

 

Mel

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Lesley Eggsistentialist

Lesley

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Don't worry Mel -we didn't know what we were doing either :? I didn't even know until we picked up our first pigs just what the difference was between porkers and baconers. Now we know that you can use most pigs for either bacon or pork and you cure the meat to make it into bacon or ham.

 

We just told the abattoir that these were baconers - the last three were porkers. They then butcher them differently. You could probably have half of the pig butchered for ham and bacon and the other half as pork - you will get chops and smaller leg cuts for pork. Just speak to your butcher or abattoir who will be supplying the pig - they are only too happy to help.

 

If you have HFW's book 'Meat' then you can have a look at what he does and just check with the abattoir that there will be specific cuts.

 

We did specify both times that we wanted the trotters and liver and kidneys. Last time we didn't have the heads - this time we did. We use the trotters to make the jelly for pork pie.

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Jools Chicken Addict

Jools

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Phew no head!!! However, there were two trotters :shock: !!!!! I got hubby to cover them up quickly :roll: .

 

So far he's had sausages for breakfast and some diced pork for dinner - best he's even eaten apparantly. And we have half a Dexter coming in a week, so some of the piggy wiggy will be enjoying a new home with hubby's mum and sisters to make room in our freezer :) !

 

Me?? I had three scrummy bantie eggs for breakfast and mushroom stroganoff for dinner. No complaints :) .

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Lesley Eggsistentialist

Lesley

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Well done Jools - glad OH liked the pork :D

 

It is very quiet without our pigs - it doesn't feel right somehow :(

 

This morning Carl separated the ducks. After spending the weekend witnessing the attempted mass 'harrassment' of poor Mindy by Mork and the 3 drake ducklings (now fully grown) :? Mindy has been running as fast as her little legs would allow and we could hear her quacking all night long :roll:

 

The 3 big ducklings are now awaiting Matthew to take them on their last journey :roll: Hopefully, that will be soon because 12 chicken 'dinners' don't fit in the shed and we need their numbers down to 6. We just about have room in the freezers for all the extras.

 

A BIG SURPRISE today!! :shock:

I've been checking the nest box in the Maternity Wing every day in case one of the Mummies should come back into lay. I was beginning to think that they wouldn't bother now until Spring.

 

Carl collected the eggs yesterday, so today, when i went ................................

 

there were two very blue eggs waiting for me :shock::D

 

They're not the right colour for the Buff Orp., too big for the Columbian Pekin bantam so they must belong to Attila the Hen. She's supposed to be a Burford Brown and I thought she would lay a brown egg :? Two of her chicks are hens as well so they may lay blue eggs as well.

 

We've just had to go out in the dark and rescue Rocky, the Bantam cockerel, from some Omlet netting. I noticed at 4pm that his feet were caught in some loose netting that hed been stored behind the shed but I wasn't going to tackle him on my own. He has really big spurs and isn't afraid to use them - I don't let Lauren and Jake in there now, he has attacked Jake and son's girlfriend.

 

He was very calm and didn't struggle at all as we cut him free. Perhaps that will dent his confidence a bit? he's the noisiest cockerel we have :evil:

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Lesley Eggsistentialist

Lesley

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This morning we despatched 6 of the dinners - tonight they were brought back all nicely plucked :D I've put all the livers ready to make pate and the giblets to cook for gravy stock. They are soooooo yellow from all the corn they've been eating.

 

The 3 naughty ducks have also gone into the freezer :? Mork and Mindy are much happier just being a couple.

 

tonight we are trying the first of the bacon - it has been curing for a week - tomorrow I will slice up the rest if we think it is OK

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