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Hog killing time was always a big event in the fall when the weather got cool. Everyone would be there even Uncle Joe. There would also be several black men, Johnny Lee is the name that I can remember, hired to help. I can still remember the smells some bad! Some good! At the beginning of my remembering this event Papa would knock, the pig out with the butt end of the ax then cut its throat to bleed. Later Uncle Philip used a more humane approach. He shot them between the eyes before cutting their throat. There was dipping in boiling water, scraping, hanging up by back feet, gutting and more gore. Someone would blow up the hogs? bladder and give it to me, instant balloon. Then they would check to see if the liver was good. If it was deemed good by Papa, we had liver for lunch. Usually backbone stew also served over rice. I would not eat the stew because I said it was ?guts? and I guess liver was not. Maybe liver qualified because it was fried. Someone would blow up the hogs? bladder and give it to me, instant balloon. Then they would check to see if the liver was good. If it was deemed good by Papa, we had liver for lunch. Usually backbone stew also served over rice. I would not eat the stew because I said it was ?guts? and I guess liver was not. Maybe liver qualified because it was fried.
One of the better parts was, Uncle Joe taking a long handled skillet squatting down by the huge wash pot and fire used to render the lard from the trimmed fat and skin and cooking sausage patties to test for seasoning. Then some of the sausage was stuffed into casings and hung over rods in the smoke house to smoke, frying patty sausage and packing in Mason jars then filled with grease to preserve it until we were ready to eat it. Sides of bacon were salted and placed in huge saltboxes before they were smoked. Hams were done the same way.
The fire was under a huge wash pot used to render the lard from the trimmed fat, skin and a little meat. This had delicious by-product ?cracklings?. These were salted and they were delicious especially with a cold baked sweet potato.
I would gladly pay $20.00 a pound if I could buy a pork chop that tasted like those.
Papa always made Hog Head Cheese. I never learned to like it. He also made Pickled Pigs Feet. I liked the feet. Go figure.
Papa would go to pancake suppers at school with me on the school bus. Use the groceries in the kitchen to play store. Play school with me. He would even let me practice my early hairdressing on him. Once he had a heart attack and went to the hospital with curly hair.
Honey always helped me with my papers and such for school. Papa and Honey were so very DEAR. I only hope that my Grandchildren can have just a few of the wonderful memories that I have.