SQ4: In yet another few months...

[Dale Beasley]

Re: SQ4: In yet another few months...

Matt,
You can't go jumping into slaughtering a hog. That is a several day job. I remember years ago on my Grandfathers farm they had a hog / couchon killing. I bet there was 40 people there, they made it into a big party. You have to kill, drain, boil, burn, scrape, gut...I just remember it took two days....plus they killed about 10.

[Hank Trent]

Re: SQ4: In yet another few months...

Matt,
You can't go jumping into slaughtering a hog. That is a several day job. I remember years ago on my Grandfathers farm they had a hog / couchon killing. I bet there was 40 people there, they made it into a big party. You have to kill, drain, boil, burn, scrape, gut...I just remember it took two days....plus they killed about 10.

Linda planned to have the soldiers forage a pig for Struggle for Statehood, and that's what several people told her. The pig was only about 60 pounds though for thirty men. She looked at period accounts and saw soldiers were going from live pig to pork dinner in a few hours on Sherman's march, and in fact, at the event, one man and a few helpers turned it into edible meat in an afternoon.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Charles Heath]

Re: SQ4: In yet another few months...

You can't go jumping into slaughtering a hog.

Hawg? What hawg? We are are talking pig. I sure am glad we didn't use some fancy term like "shoat."

[Spinster]

Re: SQ4: In yet another few months...

Matt,
You can't go jumping into slaughtering a hog. That is a several day job. I remember years ago on my Grandfathers farm they had a hog / couchon killing. I bet there was 40 people there, they made it into a big party. You have to kill, drain, boil, burn, scrape, gut...I just remember it took two days....plus they killed about 10.

Dale, the difference in the process here is due to the fact that your folks (and mine) preserved eveything, including the squeal. Here the desired outcome is just big pork chunks---essentially the 19th century version of 'fast food'

When one wants cracklins and sausage and chitlins and soup bones and jarred meat and save the hide for slippers is where the two day party comes in.

Last did one of those kinds of put-ups in 1977.....and Mama got unhappy with me about how the hide was done,

[Charles Heath]

Re: SQ4: In yet another few months...

"...and in fact, at the event, one man and a few helpers turned it into edible meat in an afternoon."

Funny you should mention Don. ;)

[LindaTrent]

Re: SQ4: In yet another few months...

She looked at period accounts... from live pig to pork dinner in a few hours...

Here's one account that I had found that shows they devoured everything except the squeal in one 24 hour period. :D

After an hour or so of recoisance among the farms of the neighborhood, he came in with about a peck of meal and a fat pig weight about 30 lbs. He preferred that we should not be too inquisitive as to how he came into the possession of the pig, and without arguing the question with him, we soon had a camp kettle filled with fresh pork on a good fire, while we converted the meal into old time ashcakes. It may hardly seems beleivable, but before mighnight [midnight?] there was little or nothing of that pig or peck of meal to be found, and eight fat sleek soldiers lay down for sound sleep without the annoyance of "Knawing stomachs".

Civil War Memoirs of Kingman Porter Moore, M.D. of Pike County, Georgia

Linda

[Spinster]

Re: SQ4: In yet another few months...

Here's one account that I had found that shows they devoured everything except the squeal in one 24 hour period. :D

Miz Trent--the squeal is considered to have been devoured when someone sez "WWWWooooooooeeeeeeeee, that was some fine dinner":tounge_sm

From that account, those boys got the job done, even if they did not have souse nor slippers to show for it.:D

[Matt Woodburn]

Re: SQ4: In yet another few months...

I forgot about that barn cat I brought to into camp. Matt and Ed Kirsch were the only ones to help me eat it. I caught fresh meat for the officer's mess, but they were so squeamish about the whole affair I said pass the word to the ranks. Ed Kirsch came in from the darkness shortly after I pulled Miss Kitty from the fire. I'll never forget him saying, "I hear you have fresh meat," and I said help yourself. The leg bones began cracking as he pulled a hind quarter loose, and I thought a couple of the city officers were going to puke. Big laughs!

[Charles Heath]

Re: SQ4: In yet another few months...

Matt, I have been blamed for killing, cooking, and eating one of Lee White's Grandma's barn cats for years. I'm glad the true and unvarnished story finally came to light from the actual culprit at OP2K. That is Post of The Decade Material.

Ed was always a hoot. He has to be getting close to 70, and has probably retired from MSFC on Redstone Arsenal. I wonder what happened to the other Matt? Hmmm.

[Spinster]

Re: SQ4: In yet another few months...

Chawls,

Folks will still blame you.

Doesn't matter what known honest feller owns up with his hand on what stack of holy books, folks will still blame you.

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: SQ4: In yet another few months...

Stevie-the-Ox, we hardly knew ye, but your tail made good soup at Bentonville 2000.

And your cousin made good soup at Arcade 2003. After Goat Willis ripped the hide off it and used it to scare small children from the interpretive area.

Fresh meat--as in the type that walked into the event--is under-represented in the hobby. :D

[Charles Heath]

Re: SQ4: In yet another few months...

Stevie-the-Ox, we hardly knew ye, but your tail made good soup at Bentonville 2000.

O'Bee,

That tail is still in the Columbia Rifles' museum in John Tobey's basement, and in great condition I might add. Located right next to your can of "ass sap," as I recall. Next time I visit, I need to bring up that 29th Mass. marker for inclusion in the holy relics.

[DougCooper]

Re: SQ4: In yet another few months...

In order:

oink

baah

moo

bleet

ahhh, what's up doc?

[Charles Heath]

Re: SQ4: In yet another few months...

Survey says it's likely to be oink at two, and moo at one. Maybe.

Roadkill is always an option.

[Rob Murray]

Re: SQ4: In yet another few months...

I like veal.