Pork

Did I mention to anyone that I love Pork tenderloin. Yes, I eat it fried which isn't real healthy but the taste of fresh tenderloin is something you never forget. Remember, we raise, cut up and preserve our own meat so we know what they eat and how healthy they were when killed and all this does make a difference to the flavor of your meat.
There is now information about pork which labels it a more healthy choice as opposed to the bad rap it got for so long.
 From the Pork and Health Website:
"Many cuts of pork are as lean or leaner than chicken and meet the government guidelines for “lean” or “extra lean.” Any cuts from the loin - like pork chops and pork roast - are leaner than skinless chicken thigh, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. Pork steaks or roasts from the leg ("fresh ham") are also lean choices." 

And there is more; pork is filled with nutritious vitamins and minerals. Below is more info from the Pork and Health Website.
" The following information is based on a 3-ounce serving of pork." 
"Thiamin 54% Without this key vitamin, metabolism of carbohydrate, protein and fat would be significantly compromised. Animal protein is one of lthe best sources of this nutrient and among the choices, pork is tops."

So, if you are like myself and love the flavor of pork, you can enjoy it without so much guilt for a change.
Perhaps, I should start an "I love Pork" Blog! Enjoy!

Super Large Chicken Egg

Super Egg Dec. 2012

Take a look at the egg on the left. Notice anything?
I had to share this picture of the Super Large Egg that one of my Rhode Island Reds' laid.
I've never seen anything like it and no, we don't give them any laying mash to stimulate them. I would speculate that perhaps another type of bird had lain this egg but it was in the chicken coop with all the other eggs. Wow! She should win some type of award.

'Red Sky at Morning' Origins

I have always heard, "Red sky at morning, Sailors take warning and Red Sky at night, Sailors delight.'' When you're farming, you watch the weather signs to see what the weather holds.

So where did this come from. Is it really true? I found this great website that explains it all and yes it does seem to have scientific merit!

Click Red Sky for more information. Happy Sailing!

The Cherokee

Mr. B and the Gang on High Mountain Farm

My husband has some Cherokee blood as do many of the people of Appalachia so we have done some research on these wonderful peoples who share their world with us.

Chicken Eggs

All I used to hear was that you shouldn't eat eggs and that the yoke was bad for you and on and on...
Now..the tide is changing and some studies seem to indicate that eating eggs is actually good for you.

Poplar Wood

Mr. B cutting up a Poplar Tree

Mr. B cutting Poplar Wood

Mr. B says it isn't really good for the cook stove or heating stove because it burns up too fast but if that is what you have, that is what you will burn.

What Type of Pigs Should We Raise For Meat?

Our 2012 Mixed Breed Pigs

The most common question asked is, "What type of pigs should we raise for meat?"  Is there a 'best' breed for meat or lard concerns? I think the answer lies in availability and preference. The opinion of the community elders seems to be that  a white pig is fatter and a red pig is leaner while a short-legged pig has more fat so....I try to go with red/black with some white. Generally a well mixed breed is what seems to work as well as anything for us. This year's hogs were red/black with white and the tenderloin is wonderful although the sausage is a little bit fat for my liking but tastes great. 

Animals of High Mountain Farm

The dogs and goats coexist in our four acre pasture on High Mountain Farm and seem to truly care about each other. The dogs protect the goats while Frances, the goat in the picture with horns, scratches Jake's ears and neck for him.

The Electric Fence

Yesterday morning it was cold and of course, the electric fence quit working. It was barely making a clicking sound which meant that it was still connected but shorted somewhere.  Mr. B was at work so I was responsible for walking the fence row on our four acre pasture. Brrrrrrrrr.............

Map of Appalachia

States which have counties lying within the boundaries of Appalachia:

Alabama                      Pennsylvania

Georgia                       South Carolina

Kentucky                    Tennessee

Maryland                     Virginia

Mississippi                   W. Virginia

New York

North Carolina

Ohio.

I borrowed the map seen here from The Center for Appalachian Studies and Services  from East Tennessee State University.

Great Pyrenees History From AKC

Mr. B and The Dawg

I love our Great Pyrenees. Jake, is more animal oriented but will allow us to pet him on occasion. Our female, The Dawg, loves everyone and the animals. She was instrumental in turning Jake into a great herding dog.

From the Wood Pile / The Cook Stove

Drawing by Melissa Dodd copyright 2007

 In the original journal, this section would answer questions sent in by readers.

The answers are strictly personal opinion.

Q. What type of wood is best for the cook stove?

A. Ash, Maple and Poplar burn well and don’t burn your grates up. Locust will get so hot that it will warp the grates in your cook stove.

Time to Cut Wood

Mr. B and I used today for a well deserved rest although we still had to finish cleaning up and return some borrowed scales we used to weigh the sausage. The packages of  'Old Plantation' mix we used seasons 25 lbs of sausage and we had 125 lbs of sausage so we used 5 packs of seasoning.

Well, the sausage is made and tenderloin is now cut up and vacuum wrapped. We made our own sausage this year so it was a big job. Today, we ground 125 lbs with ours and his parents. Mixing it by hand is a real chore and it has to be thoroughly mixed or some will be too spicy and other not spicy enough. All we lack now is the hog's head, rendering the lard and cutting up the liver. The hams and middling meat will cure in the meat house for about 3 to 4 months.

Pre-Turkey Day

Pre-Turkey Day and I am almost ready to start the cooking festivities. I always cook a turkey and dressing so let the games begin. This year Mr. B has decided on potato salad instead of mashed potatoes and baked beans instead of green beans. So, today, I will make the potato salad, deviled eggs, and mix up my dressing (without the wet ingredients) to be ready for stuffing the turkey at 6:00am tomorrow.

We are also killing hogs on Friday if all goes well, so I need to go get the meat grinder, clean out the meat house and get the camcorder charged up and ready to go.

It's going to be a busy day and yes that is a Christmas Tree in my picture. God Bless - Melissa

Preparations For Curing Fresh Pork

It's been a busy day as we begin preparations for the fresh pork we will soon have. Mr. B, my husband, will cure the meat using red and black ground (not crushed) pepper along with brown sugar and salt. I will try to record the process this year as he does it. The shoulders must also be ground for making sausage, then seasoned, mixed and put in quart bags or cooked and canned. We usually do a little of both. When all is done, we will have meat to carry us for about two years so the investment is worth the work. We will end up with backbones, streaked meat, ribs, tenderloin, fatback, hog's jaw and ham.

Goat Breeds

There are several different types of goats and the breed you need depends entirely on what you intend to do with them. If you're looking for meat perhaps the Boer, if for milk, you may want to look at the Nubian. Our goats are mainly for keeping the surrounding pasture cleaned up, so breed was not so important. Ours are a definite mixture between pygmy and some other white/red mixture. Only one of our goats has horns. When we first bought them, we would get brown and black mixed in with the red/white but we finally bred the brown /black out for the most part. After a while, we decided not to breed them anymore so we kept the females and sold the males.
For more information check out this link on goats at http://home.earthlink.net/~lureynolds/breeds.html.

Early November Snow

Once again, Snow covers the ground on High Mountain Farm. This early November Snow doesn't equal the first one of the season but none the less it brings a renewed sense of urgency and preparation. Winter is right around the corner now and it's almost hog killing time. Already Mr. B, my husband, is talking about home made biscuits and fresh tenderloin. Although the fresh pork tends to run my blood pressure up, who can resist the smell of frying meat on the ol' cook stove.

Great Pyrenees of High Mountain

If you have goats, cattle,or sheep, you will need some type of dog to stay with them in the pasture. When we had to make this decision, we selected the Great Pyrenees and now four years later, we don't regret it for a second. Pictured second is Jake. He was our second addition and took a bit of training as he was not accustomed to working with livestock when we got him. Luckily for us we had already found 'The Dawg" pictured top.

Pictures from the October Snowstorm

The storm marches on and the wind howls on High Mountain Farm. The animals are all hunkered down in their houses and very little is moving outside. It is 10:40AM and the temperature is about 30F now. I will post a video to youtube and hopefully it will show up soon in the blog. In the meantime, here are a few pictures.