Quality time with grand-daughters.......
Ben had butchered a beef for a friend and that beef had lots and lots of fat on it. We asked if we could keep it and boil it down to make tallow. Tallow can be used to make soap and it can be used like lard in recipes. We haven't used it yet for either, so I cannot tell you whether I recommend it or not. This is the process .....
The hunks of fat are run through a meat grinder and put into a big butcher kettle with small amount of water to prevent sticking...
It is cooked til completely melted and all water evaporated.
Once you start to hear a "crackling" noise, it is time to get out of the kettle and fast! or it will burn. We used a kettle with a handle as a dipper and poured it through a strainer into a tin container. These little fat hunks are called "cracklings" after they are pressed in a lard press. We decided to not take the time to do that and threw them away. Not the most nutritious food, but the old-timers would have eaten them anyway....
The tallow solidifies after cooled. We then removed it from the tins to clean the sediment off the bottom and remove any water that may have collected in the bottom of tin. This is the finished tallow ready to use. Needs to be stored in the cool. The same process is used to make lard, which is fat from hogs instead of beef.
We have been working in the fields planting grass for the cows. Being out in the open fields working the soil is one of my all time favorite things to do on the farm. It is a time when I can get out of the house, enjoy the sunshine and think clearly without interruptions. The men folk had done the planting and allowed me to roll these fields while they started chores.
We have been enjoying the warm temperatures and watching the blossoms burst forth from the trees and bushes. Winter is past and Spring is here! Joy! Joy! Joy!
Until next time...............
2 comments:
I remember eating cracklings, but I'm not ready to call myself an old-timer. :) As I remember, they were good hot with salt, but after the cooled they weren't good at all.
No, I would not call you an old-timer either, Mary! :) Not past 25, right? Me, either. Heehee!! My mom always talks about cracklin's as if they are a special treat. Maybe next time we will have to take the time to make them. I let you know so you can come and enjoy them with us.
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