Pig Butchering

Another 10 inches of snow. So much for thinking spring was on the way.

Despite the snow it was time to butcher and process one of the pigs.  I helped to separate the girl pigs then Struggling_along did the deed and hoisted her up. 

The kids were happy it was snowing and that my brother and his girlfriend were showing up soon so they danced around.

Struggling_along tended to the gutting and hair removal as we headed inside to start supper. Plus, I needed to sharpen all the knives for breaking down the pig into chops, roasts etc. the next day.

The few photos I took while we were cutting up the meat were too blurry. Besides, most of the time my hands were too busy breaking down the hams into more manageable sized roasts and ham steaks or wrapping the meat for the freezer. Ezra decided to help label the bags.Now we have cute bags with H A M scrawled across; a few even have smiley faces.

I did snap these as I finished up grinding the sausage.

Then we (and when I say we I mean Struggling_along and my brother) moved Mercedes in with Chevy. Hopefully he will indeed “make good things happen” and we’ll have an early fall litter of pigs.

mossy_stone

Taco Seasoning

We love tacos! Plus they’re fast and who doesn’t love a meal that’s quick and easy to prepare? But have you looked at the ingredients on the prepackaged spice mixes? There are more than just spices in there-things like maltodextrin, monosodium glutamate, and silicon dioxide are common. Definitely not ingredients I want to be feeding my family. And if you raise your own meat or try to buy naturally raised grass-fed beef tossing such ingredients in might feel a bit like ruining a perfectly good meal.

Luckily there is a solution-and it’s easy:make your own taco seasoning (cause if you want it done right you have to do it yourself ya’ know). I mix up several batches at once so I can just add it in and not fiddle around trying to find all the spices and measure them out when I could be slicing lettuce.

Like the prepackaged stuff just toss it in with your browned meat and a little water.

Now if only I could replicate those crunchy corn taco shells (gmo free).

Here’s the recipe from the link above @ allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

mossy_stone

this post is part of traditional tuesday, real food wednesday,frugal days sustainable ways, simple lives thursday, fight back friday