I still use that cheap little Oster slicer that I got at the thrift store and it still works great. This hunk of bacon was a bit fatty so it must have been from that second hog who got too big. I sure could smell that plum wood we used to smoke it with from that plum tree that died in the yard. I don't think I'll ever look at a dead fruit tree the same way again, that wood will always be something to save for smoking. That wood from the plum tree had a much better taste than any wood smoking chips that we could get from the store.
This made several packages of bacon for us. I believe we will have breakfast for supper tonight and use some of it up.
In other news, I am still crocheting and knitting and selling what I can...and maybe a little ribbon embroidery just because I had never done it before. These are some fingerless gloves that I made.
Let's see what else....Miss Suzie...well, she turned into Poozie..and that just stuck and no one remembers that her name was Suzie now. So Poozie has gotten big and she is definitely the most challenging of the dogs we have. She manages to get out of the fenced in backyard all the time...either by jumping higher than we thought she could or fitting through smaller spaces than we thought she could. How I wish I had known about Jack Russell behavior when I got her...though I am sure I would have still taken her. the other three dogs are fine as well, just growing older and dealing with what comes with that.
My chicks have all grown into adults now and all are laying. There are roosters to give away and hens who are stealing nest (viciously!) again. I believe I will have chicks to sell this spring but that will be an interesting venture too, I'm sure.
Spring is coming though this winter has been so mild, it is as if we never had winter. I'm hoping we can find house to buy this year. Will keep you all informed on that as we go along.
Just so you know...there is no such thing as too much fat on bacon. Especially when it's home grown. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Becky, the bacon looks good, you can never have enough bacon. You did good with the gloves, they look nice. Small dogs seem to be the ones getting in trouble, especially Jack Russell's.
ReplyDeletenice find. I bet is smells wonderful! I like the fingerless mittens! I know some office workers who would like them.
ReplyDeleteI've never had home-made bacon, but I bet it's a whole lot nicer than commercial bacon. The stuff you get from supermarkets oozes white watery liquid when you cook it - yuck!
ReplyDeleteYear before last, the few chickens I had left weren't laying and I bought store bought eggs. My daughter Michelle noticed the difference right away when she cracked one in the pan. She said, "Ewww, what is wrong with this egg, it ran all over the pan?" I told her it was store bought. She refused to eat any more of them....
DeleteWe recently (& for the first time) killed & butchered our own hogs, under the helpful supervision of a mentor. We brined the bacon for 9 days & then he smoked it for us. It's a very good thing, bacon. I'll have to remember about using plum wood in a smoker if we get to making one of our own before next year.
ReplyDeleteIf you search on here or look at the Popular Posts you can find where we made the bacon :) I really loved learning all the new things that came with the hog butchering. I also did two deer that year and had never butchered deer before. They were great years for me as far as learning how to be more self sufficient. I eventually hope to get situated better so I can do it all again.
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