Butchering

This is a  picture of the first butchering at the farm in Catlin Hollow

Daddy always planned on butchering around Thanksgiving, as by then the temperatures were staying below freezing and the meat wouldn't spoil before it could be taken care of.  This year they only butchered one pig which was unusual, but being the first year to live on the farm was  probably the reason.

The men in the picture from the left are Burt Goodwin,my dad Gale Gerow, my grandpa and Fred Erway, my uncle. This picture would have been taken in the late 30's or early 40's.  An enlargement of this picture always hung in my parents bedroom, and when you think of it, that is a strange place for a picture of this type to hang isn't it?  I guess I shouldn't say anything about that, as I have a pair of hog scrapers in my living room.

Butchering day began as soon as chores were completed in the morning.  A fire was started and water was placed in cast iron kettles to boil to scald the pigs in and later barrels were used, then the pigs were scraped with the scrapers to get the hair off, before they were cleaned out, that way no hair was gotten on the meat.  The meat was cut up into quarters, of course, the hams were the important part to me, but the side pork was a favorite to the family.  There was not a portion of the pig that went to waste.  Do you know the tail was even saved and my dad used the end of that to grease the pancake griddle.  I always thought that was a little gross, but that is what was done and I ate the pancakes and called them good.

We had a smoke house and smoked the hams using hickory bark to keep a low fire going to get a nice smoke.  Daddy also smoked the bacon.  We had huge crocks that Daddy fixed a brine and some side pork was put into that and we kept that in the cellar and used that during the winter.  That was wonderful fried and cooked with beans.  The fat was rendered down for lard and Mother used that to make home made doughnuts; however, Daddy called them friedcakes.  That was something they did together, she would cut them out and Daddy fried them, and dusted them with sugar.  Daddy was a "dunker" and he taught me to do it also and to this day, I dunk everything sweet in my coffee.  He would say to me in the morning as I was getting ready for school, "Kathy, better have a cookie and dunk it in my coffee before you get on the bus" and I usually did.  Another of those great memories.

Daddy and Mother ground up pork and made their own sausage with fresh herbs and it was delicious, they also had a sausage stuffer, but I don't remember them  using it. Pork was also ground up and was used to make homemade mince meat and that was saved for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

1948

This is a picture later on when we butchered.  I remember Mother taking this picture, as she kidded me about what we had on, she said that we looked like "rag-a-muffins" and the ragman would come along and take us and she would never see us again.  She would take our pictures and then we had to put on better clothes.  I am holding a yellow cat.  I would always grab a cat outside, as we were not allowed to have animals inside, but we sure could have them outside.  Daddy always had lots of cats and would always tell us if a mommy cat had new kittens and Jerry and I would hunt for the babies.  Daddy would hold the cats while he was waiting for the milkers to finish.  He would often have a kitten on his shoulder!!

It would take the majority of the day to butcher and cut up the pigs, and we could plan on having liver and onions with mashed potatoes for dinner.  Daddy would clean the liver and pack it in snow and take it to Mother and we would all look forward to dinner.

Looks like a happy group

This picture is taken in from of the building that Daddy used for a garage which was at one time the old McInroy School. I do not know for sure who the other man is with my dad and Uncle Fred.  I have 1948 written on the back of the photo but wasn't sure of the man with the pipe in his mouth.

This is one very big pig

This picture is taken inside the door of the garage.  I would think where they could hang the pig from the main beam.

Our Thanksgiving dinners were often spareribs and dressing which were very special to us, as we only had that in the fall.  Daddy would always have a huge Hubbard squash.  He would sharpen his ax to split the squash and then he would sit and peel that whole huge squash cut it into cubes ready to cook and mash for dinner.  Our traditional dinner would include the spareribs and stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, creamed onions, squash, homemade cranberry/orange relish, cabbage salad w/ pineapple, home made cloverleaf rolls, brown bread, apple pie, pumpkin pie, mincemeat pie with brandy sauce and coconut cream pie.

Grandpa and Grandma always came to our house for Thanksgiving and that always made it special.  Grandpa was usually at our house when we butchered and anytime they were at our home, it was a special time of stories and fellowship.  Grandma always had nicknames for both of us kids, she called Jerry "Jericho"and she called me "Katrink"and that is what my dad always called me when I was little, guess it stayed.  Daddy called Jerry; Joey and my kids still call Jerry; Uncle Joey.