Nechda Chekanov

Hi,
We have muscovies.
We’ve been feeding corn all winter hoping for fatty livers. I want high end duck, so I’ll also be making prosciutto with the breasts. We’ve had ducks for years, but I’ve never hung whole to age. I realize this as standard practice in the ole days. It grosses some people out, but I’m trying it.
How long do you hang your ducks to age them?
We are harvesting around 8 males in the coming weeks, before the spring duckling 💥 explosion.

I have a fireplace made of brick. I also have a cast iron wood burning pot belly style stove. I would like to put the stove into the fireplace insert. Anyone know how i can do this and if there is any reason i shouldnt?

Ok, so i started re thinking... No reason to get a potbelly.... Just need a regular pig but wont let it get too big. We dont want a whole pig... Too much for our freezer and too much for our neighbors. We live on almost an acre in the city, so its touchy!
So, regualr pig, raise to about 100-125 and process.
You are right, i need hog panels, or somthing. I do have electirc chicken netting, but the chickens are in it.... And i dont want to let those go, so.... Wndering if i could put them together?

I would like to raise a potbelly for meat....
Just enough for our family, just one.
We are on .8 acre.... So i have to make this work for me....

I would purchase some high quality hog food, but feed hardboiled eggs from our chickens, pasture, forage, bamboo shoots, blackberry brambles, jerusalem artichokes... Maybe waisted grains from a local brewery, old veg from supermarket etc.... We have tons of clearing to be done.

Since they are small i thought i could tether it to a central pole for pasturing and move around the area as needed on a harness.
At night it could sleep in a large dog house for cover with straw for warmth. Our predators are foxes. In extreme cold we could move it to the workshop or it could snuggle with the dog. Ha. But so far, its been super mild here... And last year we didnt get any major snowfall till march! Very mild winter...

We currently have a great pyrenees 8 mo old female, chickens, quail and chicks for next years flock. The pigs i saw are young, but weaned and from what i can tell around 30-40 lbs for $50 ... but i might grow it for a few months and then process.

Id love feedback. My biggest 'hole' in the plan is my husband.... Hahah.
Please tell me where my other holes are. I would like to skip the fencing in favor of the harness.... As fencing makes the whole plan no longer cost efficient...

Julia Winter wrote:Yes, we made both hams from a whole hog into prosciutto a couple of years ago. I followed the instructions in Michael Ruhlman's book Charcuterie. It was late fall in Wisconsin, so I felt comfortable for the first couple of weeks when you've got raw meat packed in salt--it was in a cooler, out in my garage, less than 40 degrees fahrenheit the whole time. Of course, people made hams in Virginia and other places further south. . .

As I recall, I packed the hams in salt and then every couple of days I would drain the brine and repack in dry salt, turning the meat and also weighting it down to flatten it a bit. After that, the cut surface was plastered with lard and then that was covered in cracked black pepper and a string was tied around the bony end to hang them up. We wrapped them in many loose layers of cheesecloth, to keep out bugs, and hung them in our laundry room, but far away from the washer and dryer (it's a rather big room--point is, it's in the basement, on the north side, so consistently cool). At that point it was just a whole lot of waiting. What you get is very flavorful and very salty. This is not ham to be eaten in slices, but something to be sliced paper thin and used to flavor other things.

Another thing to look into with your hog is fermented sausages, like salami.

So we did all that... But have them hanging surrounded in muslin. But I read not to lard them until they. Have. Hung for four months. They've been hanging a few weeks at this point and smell fine so far...
Did you lard right away?

So, I am wondering if I can hay bale garden and plant all five sides. Carrots on top, tomatoes on four sides with nasturtiums thrown in for beauty. I will be growing the tomatoes up my deck which of course will also help keep them away from the deer...
Any reason I can't do this if I fertilize well? Suggestions?

Inspired by pig in a day and anatomy of thrift we spent yesterday processing all the nasty bits... And it's delicious!
http://travelingalong.com/little-miss-piggy-goes-to-market/

I know this is old... But would anyone be willing to senD me seeds? I'm glad to pay postage.

Hello!
I need:
Comfrey
Horseradish
Black cherry tomatoe
Tansy

I have:
Nasturtium
Coriander
Purple mustard greens
French heirloom muscad de Provence, excellent eating pumpkin!

Does anyone have enough black cherry seeds to share a few? I'd love t try this one, but 10 seeds online is 2.99... Ouch!

I have some French heirloom pumpkin that I'd be glad to share!