Adventures in my Kitchen: Rendering Lard

Last weekend we took the annual "Know Your Farms" Tour.

 

We first went to Barbee Farms, a sixth generation farm family. They grow and harvest a wide variety of vegetables year round. We took a farm-wide hayride and learned that 98% of their business is from local consumers. After the tour we stopped in their on-farm market stand where we enjoyed some homemade ice cream. I also bought some arugula and kale. They're real nice folks and I plan to make good use of their year-round farm store!

 

Next we returned to a favorite from our tour last year, T&D Farms. As owner, Todd Maudlin explained on our hayride of his property, they grow grass-fed beef, pastured pork, chicken and free-range eggs. The cattle are a beautiful cross between Charolais and Limousine breed. The meat is lean and tasty, but what I appreciated most was that the cows are grass-fed AND finished. No grain or soy is given to these cows! After our hayride, we stopped off at their farm stand to buy some products. I was so excited to come away with nitrate-free bacon, pork fat and chicken feet {That's a post for another day!}.

 

I purchased about 2 pounds of pork fat for $1.50 a pound!! My first attempt at rendering I came away with 3 cups of lard and a plate full of cracklings, or as my children corrected me, in the South we say cracklins! I salted them and we ate them. My son loved them and said they tasted just like the ones from the gas station! I think that was a compliment. 

Cracklins, A Southern Delicacy

Golden Brown Goodness

Lard cooling in jars.

Because it has a higher smoke-point, I'll be using it instead of butter for my cooking, baking and frying. Can't wait for some lard-fried french fries. {Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my mouth!}

 

Find out why I would do such a thing here:  How to Render Lard | Nourished Kitchen.

 

Until my next adventure in the kitchen, be sure to Eat Your Fat!!!

First Days 2011

Preschool is off and running. Our first couple of days have been magical. The children got along like old friends!

This year I am striving to incorporate more outdoor and more sensory activities. In Charlotte Mason's writings she beautifully outlines how important using the senses is for young children.

"In his early years the child is all eyes; he observes, or, more truly, he percieves, calling sight, touch, tatste, smell, and hearing to his aid, that he may learn all that is discoverable by him about every new thing that comes under his notice. " (Vol. 1, p. 65)

"That the knowledge most valuable to the child is that which he gets with his own eyes and ears and fingers (under direction) in the open air. (Vol. 1, p. 177)

In Volume 2, Mason lists several ways to help a child cultivate his senses by means of "incidental object lessons." Instead of contrived object lessons where an object is brought to the child and a lesson given, Mason advocated using what I like to call teachable moments to "assist the child to educate himeself on Nature's lines, and we must take care not to supplant and crowd out Nature and her methods with that which we call education." (Vol. 2, p. 182)

Contrived object lessons, Mason calls, "miserable fragments" of information "presented to the children which have little of the character of the object in situ (referring to the natural habitat or environment). (Vol. 2, 180)

In contrast, Mason says, "object lessons should be incidental; and this is where the family enjoys so great an advantage over the school. It is almost impossible that the school should give any but set lesson; but this sort of teaching in the family falls within the occurence of the object." (Vol. 2 p. 182)

Now Mason didn't say it was impossible to give these incidental object lessons, these teachable moments that pop up out of the blue. She said it was ALMOST impossible. That gives me all the motivation I need to at least try. 

This week we got really messy painting Sweet Gumballs we collected on our first Nature Walk.

We also had a blast squirting colored vinegar onto a tray of baking soda! The kids were amazed at the reaction, bubbling and fizzing. This turned out into a beautiful, collabrative unique masterpiece!

We couldn't just leave it like that.  "It feels salty!" one exclaimed!