We only do it every once in a while. I appreciate being able to still do some things that they did before having electricity. I forgot how salty it was. The pork jowl wasn't cured or smoked, so I could control the saltiness with that. I add liquid smoke for taste. I still enjoy mush and grits too. Ah the days of homemade and grown foods. I came into the world just in time to get to hear first hand accounts, but not really enjoy it first hand.
I just remembered that our butcher had some he had just cooked up when we were there to pick up some meat. It was awesome but you have to be buying a hog to get some of that from him.
Our small town grocer has a real butcher that cuts their own meats. I get my kidney fat from them for my own grinding, but I have to wait til they've already ground their own sausage.
A family in my congregation lost a round baler to fire this week. They had their "good" tractor hooked to it and barely got it detached in time, but it was saved in the nick of time.
I finally have access to the neighbor's manual baler for some mini rectangle bales. It's mounted in a 3×3 pull behind cart. If I think abt it, I will take a pic of it tomorrow. Plan to bale Saturday. Yesterday I finally got my Craftsman running. New battery a day earlier produced good fast cranking but no spark. So, I changed out spark plugs and sprayed a little starter fluid in carb, and fired right up.
Today is already spent on a hour and half trip up to Lafayette for appt at 1:30. I hate these inconvenient halts in good work days. It'll be after supper time by the time we get back and collect the boys from the neighbor. Start fresh tomorrow I guess.
I'd like to see the manual baler. Sometimes life gets in the way and you gotta put off the things you like to do, want to do, need to do until later. You'll get it done.
A neighbor of ours lost a round baler to fire a couple of weeks ago. And last week they were combining barley in a field next to a dairy I test. The combine must've hit a rock, caused a spark and the field and barley straw caught on fire. Lost about 1 or 2 acres before they got it under control. We have not had a lot of rain lately, some hit or miss t-storms, but not alot. This farm has missed all the latest so it's dry. They did get it stopped before it got to the woods which would have been a big disaster.
Got the field with the alfalfa raked and it is baled. 13 acres made 54 4x5 round bales. Really good yield. First year for this field for us. The guy who actually baled it has made hay there before and said they usually get 30-35. We did fertilize it and it got made right so ought to be good hay that I can feed to my nurse cows for extra nutrition from the alfalfa. Also feed it to weaned calves.
Just got done raking a 9 acre field and it was 95% dry so will get baled tomorrow. We are in line for 30% showers/storms Sunday afternoon so it will be good to get it up in the morning. Have one place left to cut, about 25 acres and first cutting will be done WHOPPEE. Then the sorghum sudan is next after that. And if we get some rain, the second cutting of orchard grass will be coming on....but the biggest push will be over, and the weather is usually much more co-operative with dry stretches to make "summer hay".