BUTCHERING DAY ON THE FARM!

This was always done when it was cold and meat would be able to process in your leisure. There were no flies to contend with. There were no danger of the meat spoiling either.

A huge black kettle was used when they were butchering. They built a fire and put water in the kettle. The men did all of the work of killing and dressing the animal. The fat was saved and rendered for lard. The cracklings were salted and eaten. This part was done next day. Sausage was made the day of butchering. Casings were scraped and cleaned and sausage were ran through a sausage press and put in the casings. The next day was a day for the housewife to cook all the sausages up and place them in huge crocks. Then melted lard would be poured over the sausage. The huge crocks were put in the cellar. They were preserved in this fashion. As long as the grease covered the sausage, the sausage did not spoil. My mother would can meat. This was done by a hot water bath for a certain length of time. The meat would be hung to season outside and hams and bacon would be smoked in a smoke house. Then dad would bring the hams in and cure them with salt and seasoning and wrap them up. They would be hung in the basement. Bacon would be processed this way, also.

When I was in high school, they took the animal and had the people butcher the animal and cut in various cuts and place in the locker in town (10 miles away). Then each week, one could get the pieces out that you needed for the week. So the process was much simpler in the 40's.

The meat was quality meat and much better than any a person could buy today in the grocery store.

Wisdom for the day- The birth of Christ brought God to man; the cross of Christ brings man to God.