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How to Can Pears the EASY Way

October 18, 2022 by Melissa Norris 65 Comments

Learn how to can pears the easy way. With my simple trick you'll be able to peel your pears with ease and have delicious home-canned food to line your pantry shelves all year long.

Jars of canned pears in a steam canner.

Why I Love Canning Pears

This time of year is super busy with all of our canning going on. We depend upon our jars of home-canned goodness to feed us during the winter months when fresh fruit isn't just growing on the bush right outside our door.

However, that can make finding the time to fit in all the canning difficult. So when I see a trick that can speed things up, you can bet I'll share it with you. This old-fashioned no-knife peeling tip is one of my favorites.

A bag of sugar from Azure Standard.

Azure Standard

This video is sponsored by Azure Standard, a great place to build up your bulk supplies and long-term food storage.

I like to buy my sugar and cinnamon sticks in bulk, so whenever it's canning season I know my supply will be full.

Azure has a special promotion for first-time customers through October 30, 2022. When you purchase $50 or more, you can get 10% off your order with my coupon code “MKN10”.

What Is The Best Way to Preserve Pears?

The best way to preserve pears is to can them in your own kitchen. See below for the best way to do all three of the canning process steps.

Pears being scooped into a jar.

Do I Need to Hot Pack Pears?

You may be wondering if you need to cook pears before canning. This is considered hot-packing pears, when you boil them slightly before adding them to your canning jars.

You do not need to cook pears before canning, you can use a raw-pack method, but here's why I recommend using a hot pack method. Hot packing pears will give you the best quality end product, but it is unnecessary unless you're only canning with water, not sugar.

I don't know about you, but I want the best-tasting food at the end, so taking the time to do a hot pack and have delicious home-canned pears is worth it.

3 Reasons to Hot Pack Pears:

  1. It helps push the oxygen out of the fruit.
  2. This, in turn, helps you pack more fruit in your jars.
  3. It helps prevent siphoning (which is liquid loss from jars while in the canner).

Do You Need to Use Sugar When Canning Pears?

You may can pears in just water, unsweetened apple juice, or light to medium syrup (which is a mixture of sugar and water in different ratios). You must use the hot pack method if you choose to can fruit with just water.

I prefer to use a light syrup, but if you want, canning pears can be done with honey instead of sugar.

Hot syrup being ladled into a jar of pears.

Syrup Ratios

  • Light Syrup – For light syrup, combine 5 3/4 cup water and 1 1/2 cups sugar.
  • Medium Syrup – For medium syrup, combine 5 1/4 cups water and 2 1/4 cups sugar.
  • Heavy Syrup – For heavy syrup, combine 5 cups water and 3 1/4 cups sugar.

Pro Tip: Because it's safe to can pears with no sugar at all, you can adjust these ratios to your preference. In the video, you'll notice I make a double batch of syrup, but my ratios aren't exact. That's OK!

Canning supplies and jars sitting on a kitchen counter.

Supplies Needed

  • Water Bath or Steam Canner – I love my steam canner because it's much easier to operate, and I don't need to cover my jars with water. You can also use a water bath canner or simply a pot large enough to cover your jars with about one inch of water. I used my pressure canner as a water bath canner when doing quarts because it's taller than my regular canner. You just use a standard tight-fitting lid and the rack instead of the pressure canning lid.
  • Ball Home Canning Utensil Kit– This canning utensil kit is one of the best investments I've ever made for canning supplies. I use the measuring and air bubble remover all the time, and because of the jar lifter, I don't have any more burnt fingertips. The funnel helps keep me from spilling liquid all over the counter.
  • Canning Jars & 2-Part Lids – You can use quart or pint-sized jars, depending on the size of your family. Grab your canning lids from ForJars here (use code “modern10” for 10% off your purchase). Pro Tip: Wide-mouth jars are the easiest to use for packing pears.
A woman holding pears, ready to can them.

Ingredients Needed

  • Pears – Depending on their size, you'll want about 16 medium ripe pears to fill six, one-quart canning jars. Some of the best varieties for canning are Bartlett, but any pear will do. If canning Asian pears, be sure to read the pro tip below.
  • Bottled Lemon Juice (optional) – You can use lemon juice in your bowl of water to help keep pears from turning brown while peeling the rest. This is purely optional and not necessary to safely can them.
  • Sugar – Sugar is optional when canning pears. See syrup ratios above to know how much sugar you'll need.
  • Bulk Non-Irradiated Cinnamon Sticks – Buying cinnamon sticks in bulk will be much cheaper than buying them from the grocery store. I prefer to buy my cinnamon sticks through Azure Standard, but here are some good quality cinnamon sticks from Amazon.

Pro Tip: Asian pears are not acidic enough to can on their own. If you do decide to can this type of pear, add 1 Tablespoon of bottled lemon juice per pint jar or 2 Tablespoons of bottled lemon juice per quart jar to can Asian pears safely.

Jars of canned pears in a steam canner.

How to Can Pears at Home

To can your pears at home, there are three main steps.

  1. Preparing for canning.
  2. Preparing the pears.
  3. Canning the pears.
Blanched pears sitting on a kitchen counter.

Prepare for Canning

  1. Prepare the water bath or steam canner.
    • For water bath canners, fill with water deep enough to cover the jars, place the rack, and begin heating the water.
    • For steam canners, fill to the recommended level and begin heating the water.
  2. Wash canning jars in hot soapy water, rinse, and place on a folded towel near the hot syrup and stovetop.
  3. Make sure you have clean canning lids ready.
A woman dropping whole pears into a pot of boiling water.
A woman putting pears into a pot of boiling water.
A woman placing blanched pears into a bowl of water.

Preparing the Pears

Remember that easy trick on peeling pears that I mentioned? Here it is – you can peel pears the same way you peel tomatoes and peaches by blanching them.

A woman peeling the skin off blanched pears.
A woman slicing pears in half.
A woman using a spoon to core pears.

How to Peel Pears (the Easy Way)

This is my favorite old-fashioned tip for peeling pears. I found this method in a really old 1920s book, and it's been my favorite method ever since.

  1. To blanche pears, take a big pot of boiling water and submerge your washed, ripe pears in a single layer for 15 to 30 seconds.
  2. With a slotted spoon, remove them and place them in a bowl of warm water. Continue until all pears have been blanched.
  3. Rub off the peel of each pear. Seriously, the skin slides right off. There is no knife or peeler needed.
    Pro Tip: If part of the pear is difficult to peel, it may not have been submerged in the boiling water. Just take the back of a spoon and scrape it off.
  4. Cut the peeled pear in half. This is the only time you'll need your knife.
  5. Scoop seeds and core out with a spoon.
  6. Place cored pear halves back into the bowl of water. Continue until all pears are cored and halved.
A woman adding lemon juice to a large bowl of water.
A woman placing peeled and cored pears into a bowl of lemon water.

Pro Tip: To keep pears from turning brown, add 1/4 cup of bottled lemon juice into the bowl of warm water. Once pears are peeled, use this bowl to store them until you're ready for the next step.

Pears in a pot of hot syrup.
A woman putting cinnamon sticks into jars for home canned pears.

Canning the Pears

In the video, I'm showing how to can in a steam canner. However, the directions below will be for a water bath canner. Refer to the video if you're using a steam canner.

Pears being scooped into a jar.
Hot syrup being ladled into a jar of pears.
A headspace measuring tool measuring a jar of pears.
  1. Make syrup by combining water and sugar in a large pot (see syrup options in “Syrup Ratios” above).
  2. Heat over medium-low and stir until almost a boil and sugar is dissolved.
  3. Place the pears into the hot syrup in a single layer and let them heat through for about 5 minutes.
  4. Fill your jar with two four-inch cinnamon sticks.
  5. Fill your jar with the hot pears using a slotted spoon (about 6-8 pear halves per quart jar). Leave 1/2-inch headspace. Pro Tip: If you put the pear halves face down, you can get more pears into the jar.
  6. Pour the hot syrup over the pears to 1/2-inch headspace using a ladle and canning funnel.
  7. Remove air bubbles with the bubble-remover tool and double-check your headspace, adding more syrup if needed.
  8. Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean towel and place the lid and band on.
  9. Tighten the lid to fingertip tight and place the jar in the water bath canner.
  10. Add more water to the water bath canner, ensuring the water's surface is at least 1 to 2 inches over the top of the jars. Bring to a hard boil.
  11. Start the processing time after the water has reached a full boil and process 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts.
    Pro Tip: If you're 1,000 feet above sea level, increase processing time by 5 minutes.
  12. When the jars have been processed, turn off the heat. Leave the lid on for 5 minutes.
  13. Remove the canner lid; leave the jars in the canner for an additional 5 minutes.
  14. Remove jars onto a folded towel in a draft-free area and let cool for 24 hours.
A woman wiping the rim clean of a jar of pears.
A woman tightening the lid onto a jar of home canned pears.
Jars of canned pears in a steam canner.

Did you make this recipe? If so, please leave a star rating in the recipe card below. Then take a photo and tag me on social media @melissaknorris so I can see.

Be sure to check out my new canning book, Everything Worth Preserving, for all the ways you can safely can pears at home.

More Posts You May Enjoy

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  • Make Homemade Jams and Jellies Like a Pro
  • 129+ Best Canning Recipes to Make This Year
  • Canning 101 Water-Bath vs. Pressure Canner
  • 10 Ways to Preserve Food at Home
Canned pears in a steam canner.

Canning Pears + Spiced Pear Recipe

MelissaKNorris
Easy pear canning recipe with low (or no sugar) but heavy on flavor with optional spices of cinnamon.
3.77 from 43 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Course fruit, side
Cuisine American
Servings 16 servings
Calories 101 kcal

Equipment

  • Water Bath or Steam Canner
  • Canning Tools
  • Canning Jars & Two-Part Lids

Ingredients
  

  • 16 pears about 3 to 4 pears per quart jar
  • 5.75 cups water
  • 1.5 cups sugar
  • 8 whole cinnamon sticks 2 per jar (optional)

Instructions
 

Preparing for Canning

  • Prepare the water bath or steam canner. For water bath canners, fill with water deep enough to cover the jars, place the rack, and begin heating the water. For steam canners, fill to the recommended level and begin heating the water.
  • Wash canning jars in hot soapy water, rinse, and place on a folded towel near the hot syrup and stovetop.
  • Make sure you have clean canning lids ready.

Preparing the Pears

  • To blanche pears, take a big pot of boiling water and submerge your washed, ripe pears in a single layer for 15 to 30 seconds.
  • With a slotted spoon, remove them and place them in a bowl of warm water. Continue until all pears have been blanched.
  • Rub off the peel of each pear. Seriously, the skin slides right off. There is no knife or peeler needed. Pro Tip: If part of the pear is difficult to peel, it may not have been submerged in the boiling water. Just take the back of a spoon and scrape it off.
  • Cut the peeled pear in half. This is the only time you'll need your knife.
  • Scoop seeds and core out with a spoon.
  • Place cored pear halves back into the bowl of water. Continue until all pears are cored and halved.

Canning Pears

  • Make syrup by combining water and sugar in a large pot (see syrup options in “Syrup Ratios” above).
  • Heat over medium-low and stir until almost a boil and sugar is dissolved.
  • Place the pears into the hot syrup in a single layer and let them heat through for about 5 minutes.
  • Fill your jar with two four-inch cinnamon sticks.
  • Fill your jar with the hot pears using a slotted spoon (about 6-8 pear halves per quart jar). Leave 1/2-inch headspace. Pro Tip: If you put the pear halves face down, you can get more pears into the jar.
  • Pour the hot syrup over the pears to 1/2-inch headspace using a ladle and canning funnel.
  • Remove air bubbles with the bubble-remover tool and double-check your headspace, adding more syrup if needed.
  • Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean towel and place the lid and band on.
  • Tighten the lid to fingertip tight and place the jar in the water bath canner.
  • Add more water to the water bath canner, ensuring the water's surface is at least 1 to 2 inches over the top of the jars. Bring to a hard boil.
  • Start the processing time after the water has reached a full boil and process 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts. Pro Tip: If you're 1,000 feet above sea level, increase processing time by 5 minutes.
  • When the jars have been processed, turn off the heat. Leave the lid on for 5 minutes.
  • Remove the canner lid; leave the jars in the canner for an additional 5 minutes.
  • Remove jars onto a folded towel in a draft-free area and let cool for 24 hours.

Notes

  • If you put the pear halves face down, you can get more pears into the jar.
  • If you're 1,000 feet above sea level, increase processing time by 5 minutes.
  • Nutrition facts do not include syrup, only the pear.
  • In the video, I'm showing how to can in a steam canner. However, the directions in this recipe card are for a water bath canner. Refer to the video if you're using a steam canner.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pearCalories: 101kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 1gFat: 0.2gSaturated Fat: 0.04gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 2mgPotassium: 206mgFiber: 6gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 45IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 0.3mg
Keyword Canned Pears, canning pears recipe, canning pears without sugar, How to can pears
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Filed Under: Canning Recipes, Canning Recipes, Food Preservation, Food Preservation - Canning, Fruit, Jam and Jelly, Healthy Snacks, Recipes, Water Bath Tagged With: fruit, homesteading, More Canning, pears, preserving the harvest, recipes, water bath

Where to Find Morel Mushrooms

May 18, 2022 by Melissa Norris 32 Comments

Morel mushrooms are a delicacy that many of us can’t wait to hunt for every spring season. However, where to find morel mushrooms is the million-dollar question! A great morel mushroom hunter will not quickly give up his or her “spot”, but they will likely share their tips on when they grow and the best type of terrain to find them.

Morel mushrooms in a group growing in the wild.

If you are successful and find some of these coveted treasures, try cooking them up in this delicious quiche recipe.

*Disclaimer-this post is strictly for educational purposes. We are in no way liable if you pick morels or any other mushroom and become sick or suffer from any type of reaction or illness. Please pick responsibly.  

Why I Love Morel Mushroom Hunting

Living off the land has been something my family has practiced for generations. Learning to forage morel mushrooms is one of those practices that has been handed down through the generations.

Hunting for morel mushrooms is one of our favorite springtime activities. Growing up, we didn’t take family vacations because my father worked all year long. However, we did go morel mushroom hunting.

Mushroom hunting season always reminded me of an Easter egg hunt. Except, we were searching for mushrooms, and it lasted longer. We searched the leaf-carpeted forest floor for signs of the mushrooms and yelled loudly when we spotted one.

Morel mushrooms in a basket on the forest floor.

Where to Find Morel Mushrooms

Morel mushrooms are fungi. Soil temperatures and moisture are determining factors for when and where they grow.

Morels won’t grow if the soil is too hot or too cold, and they thrive in a moist environment. For this reason, you will often find them growing underneath last year’s fallen leaves.

If you live near a forest that has been clear cut, the ground has been disturbed, or a wildfire has burned through, expect to find more morels in these areas.

Morel mushroom hunters should be on the lookout for recent disturbances (or even dying trees) that still have foliage growth. The morel fungus will be trying to attach to the remaining foliage so that it can disperse and reproduce.

When Can You Find Morel Mushrooms?

Morel mushrooms will start growing in the spring after a good, warm rain. If you live where stinging nettles grow, watch for them to start popping up, and you’ll know the morels will be following suit!

Morel mushrooms will grow quickly, so we check for them every three days once the signs are out. The first one is usually the hardest to spot. Once you’ve found one, your eye becomes trained and knows what it’s looking for.

Morel mushrooms in a cast iron pan.

How to Find Morel Mushrooms

Now that we know when and where to find morel mushrooms, let’s talk about how to find them.

Of course, this is easiest if you know that the spot you are searching already has mushrooms!

The best method I have found is to scan the ground in a grid-like pattern. Inspect the area as you would a map. Look at it from every angle, scanning the area a few feet in front of you, and then move out with your eyes while walking slowly.

Pro Tip: If you find one, look closely. They usually have a mate!

What Do I Do With Morel Mushrooms?

Soak morels overnight in salt water @MelissaKNorris
  • Harvest – Carefully cut or pinch off the morel leaving the stem intact. This leaves the root in the ground and allows it to produce morels again. If you pull up the stem and roots, you cut into future harvests.

  • Carry – I like to carry a mesh bag with me, so the spores repopulate the area while I continue searching. Be sure to not overfill whatever container you choose to place the morel mushrooms into. The weight of too many can smash the mushrooms and ruin them. 
  • Clean – When you get the morels home, you will need to soak them overnight. Since they grow in the forest, they might have small bugs or worms on them. If you can see lots of worms or bites, it’s best to discard them. Place the mushrooms in a bowl of cold water and sprinkle them with salt. Cover them completely and store them in the fridge overnight.
Dozens of morel mushrooms laid out on a cutting board.

How Do I Identify Morel Mushrooms?

Morel mushrooms have a very distinct look and come in all sorts of colors. I have never found black morels, but I have found white and yellow morels.

Look for mushrooms that have a cone-shaped top with lots of deep crevices resembling a sponge. They will be hollow inside if they are true morel mushrooms.

What Are False Morel Mushrooms?

If you have never hunted for a wild mushroom, it is best if you find an experienced hunter or take a field guide with you. There are many poisonous mushrooms that can lead to extreme sickness and even death. Make sure you are finding edible mushrooms!

There is only one type of false morel. A real morel will have a wrinkly cap, a very distinct look, and be hollow inside. False morels look the same as true morels on the outside but will not be hollow on the inside.

A closeup of a hand picking a morel mushroom.

Additional FAQs

What Is the Best Time of Day to Find Morel Mushrooms?

The best time of day is in the early morning. The angle of the sun helps to light up the mushrooms and makes them easier to find.

During the day, the warmth from the sun can also dry up the mushrooms causing them to shrivel which makes it more difficult to spot them.

What Month Can You Find Morel Mushrooms?

The best month to hunt for morel mushrooms is somewhat dependent on where you live, but the morel mushrooms season is usually from April to the middle of May.

What Is the Best State to Find Morel Mushrooms In?

There really isn’t a specific state in the US to recommend. Temperature and moisture conditions in each state are what determine when and where to find morel mushrooms.

Purple dead nettle growing in a patch.

Related Posts

  • How to Forage Morels and Nettles Podcast Episode #22
  • 5 Rules for Foraging Wild Edibles + 25 Wild Edible Plants
  • 30-Day Self-Sufficiency Challenge
  • 8 Tips to Live Like the Pioneers
  • Purple Dead Nettle – Foraging, Medicinal, and Cooking Guide
  • 8 Tips for Seasonal Living – Homestead Fall Preserving
  • How to Make Nettle Leaf Tea

Filed Under: Frugal Living, Homestead-Life, Preparedness/Survival, Skills Tagged With: foraging, homesteading, how to hunt morel mushrooms, Pioneering Today, prepper, survival

How to Raise Pigs: 12 Tips to Raising Pigs for Meat

January 14, 2022 by Amy Maus 57 Comments

Learning how to raise pigs for meat is a great option for any homestead or farm wanting to become more self-sustainable. But choosing the breed and tailoring the care takes a bit of know-how. Read on for 12 tips for raising pigs for meat.

Two large pigs foraging.

This post was originally written and published in 2015 by Amy from Autumn Creek Ranch and has since been updated to include my interview with “Pork” Rhyne Cureton for even more information. Enjoy!

In previous podcasts I've discussed how I raised American Guinea Hogs and why we chose that specific breed. And in another podcast I discussed whether or not we thought the Guinea Hogs were worth it to raise for meat, including whether or not we'll raise them again.

Today's podcast guest (Pioneering Today Podcast episode #331) is “Pork” Rhyne and I was fortunate enough to have met him at the Homesteader's of America Conference. I couldn't wait to get him on the podcast to discuss all things pigs!

“Pork” Rhyne works as an international agricultural educator and niche-meat marketing expert. He's dedicated his life to training and educating experienced and beginning farmers on business and marketing. (Read to the bottom of this post on where you can find Pork online!)

If you're not at a point where you're ready to raise your own meat, namely pork since that's the topic of the day, I want to recommend Butcher Box.

Butcher Box happens to be a sponsor of the Pioneering Today Podcast and they have a special going on now through Jan 20th, 2022 called the New Year's Bundle. In this bundle, for first-time subscribers only, you will get 7 lbs of meat for FREE in your first box! Go to butcherbox.com/pioneeringtoday to sign up!

Two large Mangalitsa pigs on grass.

Why I Love Raising Pigs

I really think pigs are one of the easiest animals to raise on a homestead. They mature quite a bit faster than a beef cow and render way more meat (and lard) than a chicken or rabbit (and frankly pulled pork, fresh bacon, lard rendered at home, and salt-cured hams are just amazing!!!).

Other Animals to Raise

Before jumping into raising pigs, for more information on raising your own meat, be sure to check out this post on planning your livestock and raising enough meat for a year's worth of food. As well as the following for other animal-specific posts:

  • Raising backyard egg-laying chickens
  • Raising backyard meat birds
  • How to raise a dairy cow
  • Raising meat rabbits
  • Raising sheep (for fiber)
  • A guide for raising goats
Large black mama pig feeding babies.

12 Tips for Raising Pigs

So maybe you have thought about raising a pig (or two) and don't know where to start? Here are some tips and pointers I hope will help you on your way to raising your own delicious pork.

Buy Piglets

For someone interested in just raising a few pigs a year for meat it's easier to buy piglets than raise your own breeding stock.

Piglets vary in price due to location, time of year (they are more expensive in Spring when kids in 4-H are trying to find them), and by breed. 

At the original time of the writing of this post (2015) piglets were being sold for about $125/each but they could be found as low as $75 depending on market demand. (Prices are likely higher now.)

2014-06-03 13.39.25
wft-10

Age Matters

The industry standard for selling baby pigs is 6 weeks of age. However, we sell our piglets at 8 weeks of age because we find that piglets allowed to remain with the sow those two extra weeks have stronger immune systems and do not need to be fed starter feed. 

Of course, that means we have to feed the sow extra to keep up her condition but we think healthier piglets are worth it. 

If you can find piglets that have been allowed to nurse a bit longer it's worth the extra cost as it will save you in both your feed bill as well as potential health concerns for the piglet.

Sleeping baby Mangalitsa pigs in hay.

Space Considerations

Before you bring home piglets you need to have a pen and some sort of shelter for them. I will talk more about fencing in a minute but there are some considerations to take into account when planning your pen. 

If the pen is small, the piglets will grow faster because they will not have as much room to exercise and the ground can get really destroyed.

Also, in a smaller area, parasites have more of a chance to grow. Finally, a small pen in the Spring when the weather is wet can result in a great big mud pit. 

However, as Pork Rhyne discusses in the podcast interview, this doesn't mean you must have space to free-range or pasture your pigs. Raising your own pigs is a huge step up from buying commercially-raised pork products, even if you don't have the ideal living conditions for those pigs.

We prefer to use rotating areas in the warmer months and really large areas closer to the house in the colder months (we actually put pigs on our garden areas during the winter so they can till them up and fertilize them in preparation for Spring planting).

A baby pig sticking its snout through a fence.

Fencing

When piglets are young, it's better for them to be in a cattle panel, hog panel, or pallet pen. 

Electric netting, string, or wire don't work well with small piglets because they can get out (spoken from lots of experience and a piglet that took off for two weeks in the surrounding woods of our property). 

We keep piglets in a small cattle panel pen with electric wire on the bottom until they are about 12-15 weeks old and then we transfer them into pens made with electric string or wire until they reach butchering weight. 

Usually, by 12-15 weeks they are trained to the electric and are large enough not to mess with going through it. It's good to have an exit way or gate that is not electric, however.  Pigs can be so well trained to electric fencing that when we want to move them they will not go near a place that there USED to be electric fencing.

Three baby mangalitsa pigs.

Feeding Pigs

There are lots of possible ways to feed your pig. The easiest is to buy a commercial hog grower. Pigs grow fastest on this type of ration. Unfortunately, most commercial hog grower formulas contain corn and soy which is likely GMO. 

A lot of commercial feeds also contain medications which may nor may not be needed for your particular animal. 

Since we don't like giving medication unnecessarily to our animals, another option is to make your own feed from a grain and protein source or find a natural pre-made feed in your area. 

Here's what Pork Rhyne has to say about feeding pigs… There's so much controversy on what to feed your pigs, everything from going to your local bakery and feeding pigs day old bread, to only buying the best, organic, non-GMO feed.

There are so many people who are just starting to raise pigs who don't actually know what a healthy pig looks like. So he recommends spending time with someone else who raises pigs to learn and get acclimated to how much pigs should eat, how their appetites vary based on the seasons, and what a healthy pig looks like.

We homesteaders love the alternative route, anytime we can DIY or have an alternative way of doing something, we'll jump on it! I think it's in our nature. But before diving into making your own pig feed, it's important to understand the components of feed to know how to feed a pig in order to get a product with a fat:meat ratio you're happy with when it comes time to butcher.

  • Carbs – energy source, oftentimes corn or grain
  • Protein source – soy beans, field beans, etc.
  • Fiber/Minerals/etc – these will make up the rest of the feed to help keep the pigs healthy

Once you have the basic components of the feed down, it's also important to know about your specific breed because each breed will have different carbohydrate and protein needs.

When it comes to American Guinea Hogs, they're obesity prone so they need a lower carbohydrate diet to avoid getting too much fat on the hogs.

Pork Rhyne had a friend who was really disappointed with the amount of meat to fat ratio he got after butchering his pigs, but it turns out that he was feeding his pigs 16% crude protein throughout their whole life instead of reducing the protein prior to butchering.

Typically, about 2-3 months before slaughter, Pork Rhyne recommends reducing the amount of protein down to 12-14% and increasing the amount of carbohydrates to turn that energy into fat.

As I said above, this all varies between breeds and is different for herefords, heritage breeds, commercial breeds, etc.

In addition to pre-made feed, pigs love all types of produce. You can even grow crops specifically for your pigs like mangels, forage turnips, beets, and pumpkin. 

On our farm, we feed a locally sourced barley and peas combination with added swine minerals. Our pigs also get lots of fresh milk, table scraps, local apples and pumpkins. 

Please do not feed your pigs bakery scraps and the like and expect a healthy pig with great tasting meat. You eat what your pig eats so quality matters.

Another example of ways to feed pigs is that Pork Rhyne has a friend who has gone to Chipotle (the fast-food restaurant chain) and picked up beans that weren't sold to consumers to feed his pigs.

I'm all for being resourceful! Just be sure the food you're getting is not post-consumer (meaning it wasn't served first to a customer, then thrown in the trash because that will spread diseases to your pigs) and be sure there's no pork in the product.

One thing I love to do is to source my feed as locally as possible. We have a granary that's about an hour away that has a non-GMO stance, and also tries to source their grain as locally as possible as well. For money saving tips on purchasing from your local granary, check out Stocking Up on Animal Feed (+ How Much to Feed Animals).

Also know, if you're feeding your pigs spent grain (like brewers grain you might get from a brewery), about 80% of it is water. For example, if that grain was dry, it would contain about 29% protein, whereas once the grain is wet (or spent), it only contains only 7.7% crude protein.

Spent grain also gets moldy very quickly, so Pork Rhyne recommends this as an addition to a diet, not the primary source.

Two pigs eating grain from a trough.

Demand vs. Measured Feeding

Another thing to consider when raising pigs is whether to set up a self-feeder and let the pigs eat whenever they want or feed them a set amount each day.

There are pros and cons for both. Demand feeding makes the daily workload smaller except on the day when you have to fill the pig feeder. Also, if pigs always have food available they will be less likely to root as much and so your ground stays in better shape. Pigs who are demand-fed also tend to grow faster so your time to maturity is less.

The problem with demand feeding is that pigs can eat a LOT of food and this can get expensive, especially as the pigs get older.

We have found that if you are only raising one or two pigs demand feeding is the way to go. When you are raising 10 or more is when it can become cost-prohibitive.

We give each of our piglets 5 lbs of their grain mixture each day. In addition to this, they get milk, table scraps, and produce.

This allows us to have market weight pigs at around 8 months or so.

Medicines & De-Worming (DIY De-Wormer)

I am not a fan of chemical de-wormers because of the mutations and resistances they create.

On our farm, we have found garlic to be a much more effective de-wormer anyway.

We add approximately 1 lb of garlic granules to one ton of feed.

In addition, oregano oil is also superb at fighting parasites and infection.

Finally, we keep geranium essential oil handy for bleeding (pigs can get in scuffles) and tea tree oil for cuts and scrapes.

To Castrate or Not?

Castrating pigs is a controversial issue. There are many who find the practice cruel and unnecessary but others who say it needs to be done to prevent boar taint.

If you are raising two male pigs you will need to determine whether you want to have this procedure done.

However, when you are raising piglets of the opposite sex it's wise to go ahead and castrate. When we first started raising piglets we were told they wouldn’t start to breed until they were 9 months old. Since we butcher at 8 months we didn’t think we needed to castrate.

Bad advice and we ended up with pregnant market pigs. We now castrate all male piglets raised for meat. We have found Bach’s Rescue Remedy very helpful in the process – it keeps both pigs and the person doing the castration calm.

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Breeds Matter

Different breeds of pigs have different qualities, including differences in size, meat quality, and temperament.

These are things you will want to investigate when choosing your piglets prior to bringing them home.

We raise heritage breeds of pigs (Gloucester Old Spot, American Guinea Hog, Tamworth) because of their docile and friendly temperaments and excellent meat quality.

The American Guinea hog is a much smaller breed of pig and will not yield a conventional carcass weight but because of their easy handling ability and chef-quality meat, it’s a tradeoff we are willing to make.

Pork Rhyne's first pigs were actually a heritage breed called “large blacks” and “red wobble”, he's also raised some crosses and commercial pigs.

200 years ago pigs weren't getting fed the diets they now get. They were low-input animals, just like chickens, where they were getting fed scraps from the kitchen or garden, free-ranging and ruminating, etc.

For many years, pigs were the “fail-safe”. If a crop had a bad harvest one year, families would always have pigs to sell to make ends meet.

Pork being butchered.

Butcher Weight & Hanging Weight

Most heritage pigs are butchered when they weigh around 180-250 lbs live. This will result in a hanging weight (meat and bones minus the head, feet and organs) ranging from 160-225 lbs.

How much meat you end up with in your freezer is totally dependent on the types of cuts you choose during processing.

It's important to understand that heritage breed pigs grow slower than commercial pigs.

Usually heritage breeds take approximately 8 months to reach approximately 280lbs. The lard pigs take up to a year or a year and a half to reach butchering weight (which sometimes, depending on the breed, won't be as heavy).

But commercial hogs reach 280-300lbs in just 6 months. So you can see why commercial hogs have become more popular with large farms.

For more exact information on each individual breed, download this chart from the Livestock Conservancy Organization.

Know what you want to raise pork for before choosing your breed. Many breeds are much better for things like bratwursts, sausage, charcuertery, etc. whereas other breeds are going to give you your hams, pork chops, and large roasts.

smoked sausages and meat on wooden table

Should You Hire a Butcher?

We have butchered many a pig on our farm. Once you learn to do it its not that hard, but the first time can be a bit intimidating.

The whole process takes about 3 days. The first day is the kill and hang, the second is skinning and cutting up the pieces, the third is usually sausage processing.

A downside to butchering yourself is that unless you know how to cure bacon and ham you won’t end up with those cuts (you will have fresh ham which is really good but not like traditional cured ham).

The benefits of butchering yourself is the know-how and the cost savings. Traditionally, having a hog butchered costs anywhere from $150-$250 depending on processing and curing.

Taste is Superior

By raising your own pigs you control what they eat which makes for a healthier product for your family.

Also, raising pigs is a lot of fun and I love to watch their antics. However, I find the best reason for raising pork is the taste. Once you try it you will never want supermarket pork again.

More About Amy

amymaus

Amy is is a wife and mother of 18 children. In addition to parenting and homeschooling their mega family, they also run a small family farm, which they affectionately call “Autumn Creek Ranch.” They love the work of Joel Salatin (me, too!) and have patterned much of what they do by his example.

Do you have a question about raising pigs?  You can email Amy at [email protected]

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton

More About “Pork” Rhyne Cureton

Be sure to listen to the podcast (starting at minute 41) to hear about Pork Rhyne's work in third world countries through the company EATBETA – Evangelizing Africa Through Business Empowerement in a Transformation of Agriculture.

  • Pork Rhyne TV on YouTube
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  • Email: [email protected]
Transcript
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Melissa K Norris: Hey, pioneers. Welcome to episode number 331 of the Pioneering Today Podcast ... Today we're going to be talking about one of my favorite topics. I feel like they're all my favorite, but this is definitely high up there, and that is on raising pigs. We've covered raising pigs before in different episodes of the podcast. We've talked about the Heritage American Guinea Hog breed known ... I'm using quotation marks, even though you can't see them ... kind of as, AKA, "the homesteader's pig." My experience, in the show notes, we will link to those if you want to check out some of those prior episodes, my experience with them.

In today's episode, I'm really excited, because we're going to be diving into pigs, but we're going to be talking about a lot of common or often seen advice when it comes to raising pigs, specifically on the feed, what you are feeding your pigs, pasture management, and some other things like that that are often inaccurate, or not necessarily serving the pig and the farmer the best. Today's episode, we are going to be diving into with today's guest. I'm really excited. You'll hear, as soon as we start the interview, how I met them, a bit of the backstory. I'm going to forewarn you that, when I introduce him, don't have your volume up too loud. It's just for the first little minute. You'll get why I say that when you get there. It's all in a lot of good fun, and I think you'll actually really enjoy it and his enthusiasm about the topic.

Before I get there, today's episode is sponsored by ButcherBox, which is quite fitting, as we are talking about meat. If you're not at a point on your homestead journey yet, or you don't have a local farmer where you can purchase your meat from, then ButcherBox makes it easy to get high quality, humanely raised meat that you can trust. They deliver 100% grass fed and grass finished beef, free range organic chicken, and heritage bred pork, along with wild caught seafood, directly to your door. We have actually sampled all of the above. It has always came and been completely frozen, even when it was at the very end of the day, and the very end of the rural route that we're on for a delivery driver. We have not had any that we haven't liked. I've been very impressed with the quality, the flavor, the way that it cooks. All above the above, if it's not something that you're able to raise yourself.

One of the great things is, because you are a Pioneering Today Podcast listener, there is a special going on through January 20th. It is the New Years Bundle. You can get seven pounds of meet free in your very first box when you sign up as a new customer with ButcherBox. To snag that, go to ButcherBox.com/PioneeringToday. That is ButcherBox.com/PioneeringToday. Get your seven pounds of meat free in your first box. Thank you so much, ButcherBox, for being a sponsor of the Pioneering Today Podcast.

If you are a new listener to the podcast, welcome. A long time listener, high five. Welcome back, my friend. My name is Melissa K Norris. I'm a fifth generation homesteader, and I help thousands of people, every single month, learn how to live a homegrown and handmade life using simple modern homesteading, no matter where you're at. Today's guest is known as Pork Rhyne. His real name is actually Rhyne Cureton. I believe that's how you say it. He is known as a pork evangelist across the country, and even overseas in East Africa, which we are going to get to talk about that some. I find it very interesting and fascinating. He works as an international agricultural educator and niche meat marketing expert. For over five years, Rhyne has dedicated his life to training and educating experienced and beginning farmers, primarily on small scale livestock production, business, and marketing. We are definitely going to be talking about raising pork on a smaller livestock homestead environment, so I'm really, really excited to welcome him onto the podcast, and to talk about this.

To get links to some of the previous episodes that I mention to, and some of the things that we will be talking about, you can grab all of that at MelissaKNorris.com/331. That's just the number 331, because this is episode 331. Again, MelissaKNorris.com/331. Let's get to today's episode.

Well, I am super excited for this episode. I'm going to warn y'all. It's going to be high energy, because very few people do I meet that tend to have the energy level that I do. Without further ado, Pork Rhyne, welcome to the Pioneering Today Podcast.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: I'm excited. I'm excited. You brought the wrong person here.

Melissa K Norris: I don't think about wrong. I'm thinking about right. I loved your energy at HOA, so I was really glad. We were chatting a little bit before we started recording, guys, and I basically sent him an invite to the podcast that gave him no opportunity to bow out, or to say no. I basically said, "Hey, what's the date and time you want to come out to?" I'm really glad that he took my strong armed invitation and accepted. I'm really excited. I have a feeling we're going to be covering a lot in this episode, so we're just going to dive right into it.

One of the things, when we were chatting, that really [inaudible 00:06:06]. You said that you see a lot of things offered online. I'm going to assume, because I like to assume the best about everybody, that a lot of this stuff is offered with good intentions, but you see a lot of things when it comes to raising pigs online, or often, I should say, that causes problems or can be problematic. I'd love for you to dive into that a little bit more.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Let's get into this. Background about me. I used to farm. Will go back into farming. Worked with the National Pork Board in Pork Checkoff. Raised heritage breeds when I farmed. Will go back into heritage breeds. I've been teaching folks how to raise pigs, both across the country, as well as overseas, over the last five years. I'm using that experience as I'm going to talk about this.

One of the things I've noticed with people who are getting into pig farming, and they've never raised pigs before in their entire life, they're most likely not even coming from a farming background, is there are a lot of problematic issues in terms of feed, in terms of land practices, in terms of animal welfare, and I daresay legalism, when we get into homesteading groups, groups that are alternative to the conventional standards and models with the pork industry. I've seen a lot of misinformation in terms of how much you should feed your pig.

Oh, man. Melissa, there is so much conflicting information. It should drive one crazy, honestly. I feel for people who are getting into raising pigs and have no idea where to start, or they go to one blog post, and then they go to a couple YouTube videos. They're getting completely different information. There's not really any consistency or continuity. Most people are looking for a formula, like, "What's a formula that I can use and be successful with?" The one myth that I want to dispel, one of the biggest myths I've ever seen, hog wash, is that there is no formula for this.

Melissa K Norris: Amen. Amen.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: There is absolutely no formula. Now, when you get into commercial conventional farming, there actually is a formula. If you follow it, you'll do just fine. For the heritage breeds, for people who are raising pigs outdoors, or out in pasture, or in barns, it's a lot different. There's not that consistency because, A, you've got the elements that affect how much a pig will eat. For example, when it's hotter, pigs do not like eating when they're hot. They just don't. They don't one bit. Then their ability to gain muscle mass and fat goes down because they're not eating as much. Right? When it's cold, they eat far more, because they're trying to use grain, or whatever you're feeding them, as a way of generating heat for them to stay warm. There's not really any consistency because we're not raising pigs in lab rat environments. We're just not.

One thing that I really promote is having a farmer's eye. What I mean by that is not just feeding an animal, giving it water and shelter. Not just those things, but all the contents in between that. Right? What that really requires is observational skills. You're going to make mistakes. Well, not you, Melissa, but the audience. [crosstalk 00:09:44]

Melissa K Norris: Oh, no. I make plenty of mistakes, but thank you for that.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: Trying not to throw you under the bus ... If you're farming and you're getting started, you're going to make a lot of mistakes, in terms of feed, in terms of housing, in terms of animal welfare, and that's fine. There's a lot of conflicting information out there, and a lot of people that are doing videos or blogs that don't have, necessarily, the background that I have, or the background that conventional pig farmer would have. A lot of people are learning from people who are just now getting started. There are a lot of people who are learning about how to raise pigs from people who have been raising pigs for one year or less. Right? The people who have been raising pigs, and even outdoors, for multiple years, five years, 10 years, 20 years, they're not online, because they're too busy making money raising pigs. That can be problematic in a lot of cases.

One thing I want to say is have grace with yourself as you're starting out and figuring stuff out. Just understand that there is no formula, and that that formula changes with the breed, with the particular type of pigs that you get. Even within a breed, there are different variations of sizes. Melissa, you raise American Guinea Hogs. There's a big [inaudible 00:11:01] riding, and there's ones that were made really small. The difference in grow out can be very drastic between those two different types within that one breed. There are a lot of nuances with breeding pigs.

Part of me now eventually starting Pork Rhyne TV is being able to have people understand that you can be successful in raising pigs within your particular context. The important thing is being flexible, being able to take constructive criticism, and being able to have observation skills, and utilize those observational skills with better practices. I've seen a lot of people that end up unfortunately falling into legalism. They're saying, "Well, this person raises pigs this way, so if you're not raising pigs this way, then you're not a good farmer." I hear that a lot. I hear a lot of people, like, "Well, if you're not raising your pigs on pasture, then you're not a good farmer." Well, I believe that just about everyone can raise pigs, and I believe that I might get some hate mail for this. I don't believe that pasture production for pigs is the only way. Right?

Melissa K Norris: Right.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: I've been to Africa. They've got prairies. They've got savannas. They ain't got pasture. If they have pasture, they're not putting pigs on it. They're putting cows. They're putting goats, and they're putting sheep on there. Pigs are the last thing they're going to put on pasture. That makes absolutely no sense. Also, they have two legged predators. Right? Not only do they have the four legged wild animals. They've got two legged predators, AKA humans, who actually come and steal their pigs. There is no electric netting when there are electric brownouts every day, or a couple times a day. Right? I like to look at, what's the context? What are your limited resources? What do you have? What's your experience? How much time do you have to do this?

Then, when I'm working with farmers, I just help them create their own plan within their given limitations, their given time management, their given lifestyle, and the way that still allows for proper animal welfare. There are some people who are very legalistic, within our particular sector of homesteading and farming, that end up really bashing commercial farms. Then the issue that I see is when I go to these homesteading farms. I see animals in more deplorable situations than when I see when I go into a commercial hog situation, or even when I see when I go to East Africa. Explain that to me. How can one person be bashing and sense some, yet not have proper animal welfare? That makes absolutely no sense, but this is something that I see a lot in common with people who want to have a formula for how they be successful, or want to be in legalism on there's only one way of doing something right. I truly don't believe that. I think there are multiple ways of having healthy hogs, and even a healthy family with those hogs.

Melissa K Norris: Yeah. I completely agree with you on so many things, especially with the context in looking with where you at and working within the resources, and also understanding climate, as well as workload. Until very recently, actually, I worked a day job where I was commuting. I was a pharmacy tech and was commuting 18 miles one way. My husband still works off of our homestead and farm, so he still has a day job. For us, we do have our pigs on pasture, but we don't rotate them. They're not on fresh grass every day, simply because when you leave at 5:00 AM in the morning, and it's dark, and you're not getting home until sometimes 6:00 at night, if not later, there's only so many hours in the day. I think, just like you said, that that legalistic part ... Yes, no matter what method you choose to raise your pigs, you're going to want to make sure that you are raising them as ethically and as humanely as possible, but there's more than one way to do that.

I'm really happy that you're talking about that, and also looking at your climate, because, from our experience, the American Guinea Hogs that we had, it overall was a very pleasant experience that I have. Were They Worth It?: a different episode you guys can all go and listen to on that in drawing the difference between raising the Hereford versus the American Guinea Hogs. You really need to dig into your climate with the different breeds, as well as expectations.

I wanted to circle back to one of the things, and that is feed. Feed, not only how much, as you said, and definitely your climate, and the time of year, and so many things we're going to determine. The best thing is looking at the animal. Does it look healthy? Does it look underweight? Is it looking too fat, and [inaudible 00:15:45] ... but types of feed, because, as you know, that is also controversial. Who knew homesteading could be so controversial? I swear, every aspect of homesteading I talk about, there's controversy somewhere or another. I'd love to address that, because I know this is a thing where some people are like, "Well, just go. Go to the bakery and get day old bread that they're getting rid of." Then you've got your purists. Right? There's all these things. Let's talk about them. Why is that a good idea? Why is that not a good idea? All the things. Let's dive into feeding pigs.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: Oh, man. You mentioned earlier of what does a healthy a pig look like? I think part of the issue is a lot of people who are starting raising pigs doesn't know what a healthy pig looks like.

Melissa K Norris: Yeah.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: Or how a healthy pig behaves, so that's part of the reason why I'd say, before you get your pigs, spend some time volunteering on a local farm that has the practices that you want to have, if possible. That's not for everybody. Not everyone has the time or energy. Even if it's just like, "You know what? I'm just going to spend a weekend once a month going to a farm. They might be a couple of miles away, several miles away, but I want to learn how they're doing things and get acclimated," because when you're starting out with no understanding of a strong foundation of what a good animal looks like, of what good proper feed management looks like, then you're just shooting in the dark hoping that you hit something. Sometimes that might be at the detriment of your hogs. I've heard plenty of stories. Pigs die. Let me tell you something. It's hard to kill pigs. You have to really try hard to kill pigs, but I've heard plenty of stories of homesteaders that had mismanaged their pigs so poorly that they end up passing away.

Melissa K Norris: Wow.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: That's extraordinarily unfortunate. That's why I say get under somebody who knows what they're talking about, not just these people on YouTube or on the blog posts, but someone who's got five years of experience, even three years of experience raising pigs, and can give you a little bit of advice and guidance. If we're starting to talk about feed, one thing, at the HOA conference, I did a whole thing about alternative feed, because I know that's what homesteaders love to talk about. They love to talk about how they're getting alternative this and alternative that, and saving money here and there. Oftentimes I've seen pigs who are emaciated, or pigs who are obese, pigs who have carcass qualities that aren't what the homesteader intended them to have. Right?

Melissa K Norris: Mm-hmm (affirmative).

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: If you're expecting the meaty hog but you're feeding it nothing but carbohydrates, when it's time to process it, all you're getting is a really fat, obese pig. You're getting more lard than you probably know what to do with. Now, with homesteaders it's not as much of a problem, because a lot of homesteaders like to use lard.

Melissa K Norris: Amen.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: Amen. Thank the lard. Praise the lard.

Melissa K Norris: Yes. Yep.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: Praise the lard. Praise the lard. Hallelujah ... A lot of times it's like, "Oh, but I wanted more weeks. Oh, but my bacon, it's 90% fat and 2% actual muscle meat. Why is that?" I think the biggest thing is understanding what is feed? What are the components of feed? At the conference, I talked about how very simply, and I teach this in East Africa where I'm not speaking their language. I have to have a translator to do that, so I have to speak very simply. What I normally will say is feed is made out of carbohydrates. Examples of carbohydrates using feed, would be things like corn. Right? Energy source. Right? Think of carbs as energy sources. Then you have your protein source. Oftentimes a conventional feed will use soybeans as a protein source. Right? Then you're thinking about fiber, minerals, other different aspects about feed that really go a long way in terms of having a healthy quality hog.

I can say, "Oh, well, just feed 16% protein, for protein feed, that's already been milled, and feed that to your pigs." Well, that's not completely accurate because, for American Guinea Hogs, they're so obesity prone that they really need to be on an extraordinarily limited grain diet. Right? More opportunity for forage, so don't feed them a whole bunch of bread if you have lardy based pigs, unless you want a lot of fat and not a lot of meat. If that's what you want, perfect. Fine. You're doing a great job. If you're wanting more meat on your hog, but you're raising heritage, more lardier breeds, then you want to be really consistent and conscious about how much carbohydrates they're eating.

Let's say you have a meatier pig, like I would at Jason at [inaudible 00:20:44]. We had butchered a hog, and I was examining the meat quality. We talked about it, because he was really disappointed that he didn't get a lot of meat. I asked him, "Pick nine million questions." At the end of it, it came out to the fact that, potentially, his pigs were being fed organic 16% crude protein feed all the way throughout their entire life. Right? Oftentimes, when we start practicing more proficient swine husbandry, around two months to three months before the pig is going to be slaughtered, we actually reduce the amount of crude protein down to 14%. Maybe even 12%, depending on the breed. The reason why we will do that is because we want to reduce the amount of protein and increase the amount of carbohydrates, because if you increase the amount of carbohydrates, what that means is you get more fat. They'll going to store all that energy into fat. Right? If you think about people who eat meat, versus people who eat nothing but bread. One of these is going to get fatter than the other. Right?

Melissa K Norris: Mm-hmm (affirmative).

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: That's one way of really looking at it is from that aspect, but it depends on your breed. For people who are raising, again, larder based breeds, you've got to be really mindful about how much to feed your pig grain, or anything that's floured, or baked goods. That, too. Otherwise, you'll get a lardy pig and not a lot of meat. If you have more muscular pigs like the Herberts ... I dare even say Gloucestershire Old Spots, Tamworths, Durocs, then that's not going to be a huge concern. You actually want to make sure that your pigs do gain fat before processing, so you want to actually increase your carbohydrate load before their processing date by two months. I would have enough fat cap on them to where you get flavorful, delicious pork, because fat is where the flavor is at.

Melissa K Norris: That's why we like bacon.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: Bacon, yes.

Melissa K Norris: Yes. That's fascinating. Speaking of the timing and the climate, as you were talking, with our Herefords, when we raise and butcher them we typically butcher in October, which means from August on we've got tons of apples around here. We actually make up an apple mash that we feed them in order to supplement the organic food that we're buying for them, and because we're butchering them in October, we've got apples all the way out to finish them. They're not a lardier breed, like you said. As you were talking, I was going back over it. With the American Guinea Hogs, we actually kind of reversed that, because we butchered them the end of January. The last two months before butcher date, we didn't have any apples left, because obviously by then we'd went through all that we had, just because of the time of year. Their carbohydrates actually got reduced the last two months before butcher. Of course, I still got massive amounts of lard.

Talking about feed and the carbohydrates, as well as their protein sources. As I said, we like to supplement with apples when we can, which is a fruit. There's fiber in there, but obviously [inaudible 00:23:58] vegetables from the garden, and all of that. When you're looking at specific protein sources other than soy, and I personally try to avoid soy. With every study under the sun, you're going to find a study that can kind of back you up one way or the other, it seems. I personally try to avoid soy, especially conventional soy, because of GMOs.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: Wow, you sound like you're from the Midwest. GMOs.

Melissa K Norris: Right? I can adapt accents here. When you're looking at protein sources, if you're trying to go the route of producing more of the pigs' feed on your homestead, what would be some other protein sources that one could look at?

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: Good question. Before I even talk about, I have to say that the source of protein, if you're buying feed, is generally the most expensive ingredient in your feed bill. A, that's why when you reduce your crude protein from 16 to 14, you note that there's a significant difference in cost. It is important to figure out, what are some other ways of finding something other than soybeans? Cool fun fact about soybeans. The reason why it's so popularly used globally has nothing to do other than the fact that they were able to market the soybeans very well on the global level. That's all it had to do. There are alternatives such as rapeseed, pearl millet, the grain variety, sunflower seeds, and even field peas, that equival, if not exceed, soybeans in terms of crude protein. I think field peas are a really good way of either having food plots up for your pigs and allowing that being a source of protein. The trade off would be that you have to be really mindful of timing when your pigs enter into that food plot. I know some farmers will actually grow several acres of their local variety of field peas.

Some work better in different climates. In the Georgia, North Carolina area, iron clay peas work very well. Iron clay peas probably wouldn't work well where you're at, Melissa. They'll bale those fresh peas. They'll bale it all, and they'll make it into a silage, or something like that, that they'll feed throughout the year. That's one way that people get around that. If you're not at an efficient economy of scale, meaning that you don't have a lot of acres, you don't have a lot of machinery, it can be really challenging.

I've got one friend. He'd go to Chipotle, and he gets beans from Chipotle. That's what he does, is he gets the beans from Chipotle. Actually, he gets the beans, the chips, all the things from Chipotle, and he feeds that to his hogs. He also raised American Guinea Hogs. He never really spent a dime on actual feed. Do I recommend that? I only recommend that if it is not post-consumer. I repeat, not post-consumer. I do not recommend post-consumer restaurant scraps. What I mean by that is someone ate it, took a bite into it, threw it in the trash, and then that restaurant collected that food scraps and then gave it to the farmer. That farmer gave it to the pigs. That's a good way of spreading diseases. I don't recommend that.

Restaurants will have scraps or leftover food that didn't go to the consumer, because it's still sitting on the bar. Then what they'll do is, if you're working with a farmer, the farmer will say, "Hey, just put it in a bucket, or put it in a trash container. I'll provide the trash container for you. You just dump it out. Just make sure that there's no pork in it." Do not feed your pigs pork.

Melissa K Norris: Yes. Yes, for the love.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: They might give them $20 for a couple of trash cans, or something like that. Something people, they're like, "Don't even pay us. We're just glad that this waste is going towards something good and meaningful." That's a way that you can kind of do it. If you're trying to grow your own grain, your own protein source, it's going to be really challenging. That's why a lot of people just go to buy bagged feed anyway. Again, bag feed is more expensive, unless you have the acreage, or, I daresay, unless you work with farmers who have the acreage. You don't have to do everything on your own. I talk to plenty of farmers who don't have the same amount acreage that they would like to have, but they're still getting field peas, sunflower seeds, pearl millet, rapeseed, from other farmers who are nearby, and just partnering with them. That way it's more of a cooperative effort, rather than, "I have to figure this out all by myself and all on my own."

Melissa K Norris: Yeah. That's why, really, with our climate and the amount of acreage that we do have, we have purchased supplemental organic pig feed mix. We actually have a local granary mill that's about an hour away from us. That feels good because they try to source from as many local farmers as they can, and it is certified organic, which is important to me. I know that's not important to everyone, and that doesn't mean that everybody has to go that route. We do pay more for that feed. Again, that's a personal choice.

I love the suggestion of Chipotle, and the reason I love that is because they actually have a non-GMO stance, and have for a really long time. As far as looking at getting food sources outside of from a farmer, but a restaurant, even though it is a chain, that's probably one of the best ones that you could pick. I love that you gave that suggestion.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: Oh, great. Also, a pro tip. If you're using spent grain, just understand that 80% of spent grain is actually water. You're not getting the nutritional value out it. Spent grain, if it was dried, would have 26% crude protein. No, actually, I take that back. 29% crude protein. If it's wet, which is what people mostly get spent grain, it's only 7.7% crude protein, so misconceptions with that. Also, spent grain gets moldy very quick. I don't recommend spent grain as a primary feed source. I recommend it as an add on to an already complete diet [crosstalk 00:30:46]

Melissa K Norris: Wait. I don't even know that terminology. What does spent grain mean?

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: You think of brewer's grain.

Melissa K Norris: Oh, okay.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: Brewer's grain.

Melissa K Norris: Okay. I had never even thought of going that route, but I'm glad that you made that distinction for us. I'm learning all kinds of new things. I love this. We might just have to have a part two and have you back on. See, I think that-

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: Yes. Yes.

Melissa K Norris: Yeah, because I've got so many more things that I want to ask, but I want to try to keep this somewhat concise. My listeners know conciseness is really not a skillset that I have developed, though I am working on it. Going back to a little bit of the breeds, because I think that's where we get enamored with heritage breeds. I get it. I love heritous way. I grow an all heirloom seed garden. I love heritage, and I love being able to protect them. There's also a reason that hybrids, both in breeding programs, as well as garden seeds, have been developed. Can you talk a little bit to picking heritage versus other breeds, and then within heritage breeds? I know this could be an entire complete episode all on its own, getting into this. Within the heritage breeds, certain things to consider when you are picking a heritage breed, if that's the route you choose to go.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: I love it. Yeah, let's get into that. With heritage breed pigs, some background on me, my first pigs were heritage breed. They were English Large Blacks. There's something about those Large Blacks. They're the black pigs with the super floppy ears. They look extraordinarily adorable. You can't see their eyes because their ears are covering it. Then Red Wattle. Then I've raised crosses, some of them heritage variety, the Hampshire and Duroc, as well as commercial Yorkshire. I'm grateful that I've had those different experiences. I've even bred, both purebred, as well as hybrids.

One thing that I'll say with heritage is that there's a reason why they're heritage. They do extraordinarily well in low input situations. What I mean by that is 100 years ago, 200 years ago, 300 years ago, these pigs were not being fed a strict grain diet. I'll repeat that one more time. They were not pampered. They were not pampered pigs that got fed a strict grain diet. They just weren't. They were getting fed any old kind of thing, from house scraps, slaughter waste. Then, once fields were harvested, they'll send the pigs out to clean up the fields. Right? Pigs were low input animals, just like chickens. That allowed for a lot of people to be able to have a meat source that was low input, meaning that that was saving them money. In fact, pigs used to be able to ... We can't say this so much today, but they used to be able to really be a life saver for a lot of families when crops failed that year. At least they had pigs to pay off any bills, their mortgage. Whatever it might've been.

One of the issues that we have today is that we have switched more to a commercial hog. Part of the reason of that is because somewhere around the, I believe, 40s, 50s, or 60s, somewhere in between there, there was a crisis on heart disease. People were trying to out what's causing heart disease. It came down to two things: sugar related products, and fat related products, including fat industries. Unfortunately, there was some falsified information, and sugar ended up winning. Fat ended up being the blame for heart disease. What ended up happening with that was ... That's why you have yogurt that's low fat. It literally says low fat, but like 12 grams of sugar in a cup. People don't understand that sugar, when not utilized properly, converts to what? Fat.

Melissa K Norris: Yes, and insulin resistance issues, and so many different things.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: Keep preaching, Melissa. Keep preaching. That's part of the reason why a lot of these animals went out of favor. They also went out of favor because, around the Industrial Revolution in this country, we realized that we can produce synthetic oils, cheaper vegetable oils, as a way of machinery. We were using whale blubber to oil trains. Now we're using more synthetic oils to be able to use machinery. That's another reason why pigs also went out of favor. Also, these pigs grow very slow. In terms of homesteaders, if you're getting heritage breed pigs, they will grow slower than your commercial pigs. Usually commercial hogs are ready at around six months, and they weigh somewhere between 280 pounds to 300 pounds. Usually around 280 at six months. Those are for your commercial hogs. Now, when you get a heritage breed, you do have some variation. Your Herefords ... What other breeds are there other than Herefords? Your Tamworths. Other more meatier breeds. Usually they're at 680. Sorry, 280, if not 300 by eight months. Right?

Melissa K Norris: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Yeah.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: Usually I'll say grow them out for an additional two months to get more back fat on them. Then you have your lard pig like your American Guinea Hogs. That can take a year to a year and a half, depending on the particular type of American Guinea Hog. English Large Blacks can take 10 years. Sorry, 10 months, to a year, a year and a half, to reach around 260. Right? There are a lot of different variations with the breeds. I highly recommend, if you want more information on the comparisons, just look up heritage hog breed comparisons chart. You should be able to find that at the LivestockConservancy.com. Sorry, .org. That'll give you way more information than you probably want to know on each individual breed from that standpoint.

Another thing to consider is, with heritage breeds, the medium breeds do very well with retail cuts. However, that's where they shine, because they provide more muscle mass. That's great. With your lard based pigs, like your Mulefoot, your English Large Black, your Kunekunes, your American Guinea Hogs, they weren't made for, necessarily, meat production. They're made really more for fat production, with fat actual more valuable than the pork itself. They really shine in sausages and ground pork. They shine very well in charcuterie. Part of the reason why a lot of people who are raising lard based pigs are having issues with marketing their pigs is because they're marketing as if they're retail hogs, and they're not. They're absolutely not. They need to be marketed and treated a lot differently.

Again, fat is where the flavor is at. When you're doing bratwurst, no better bratwurst than a lard pig bratwurst. That's the best bratwurst you'll ever have. Best sausage you will ever have. Best charcuterie you're going to ever have compared to your more leaner breeds, even on the heritage side. If you're raising these heritage breeds, especially the large ones, start thinking outside of the box from retail cuts, because if you try to make pork chops out of an American Guinea Hog, your pork chops are going to be small. Your-

Melissa K Norris: You got sent lots of fat.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: A lot of fat. [inaudible 00:38:51] going to be extremely tiny. You can probably put a pencil through that. Think about it from the standpoint of I can sell these pigs, wholes and halves. I can turn them into charcuterie. I can turn them into ground pork and sausage, and maybe keep the bacon, depending, and hams. Hams, if you're going to use ham charcuterie as well. They don't shine well with pork chops. They don't shine very well with leg roasts, or Boston butts, or sometimes even bacon, or pork chops. They don't shine well doing those things, so stick to the shrimp of the pigs.

When I used to work for the Livestock Conservancy, I did change some of the utilization descriptions for the breeds. If you go on their website, LivestockConservancy.org, and look at the breed profiles, on the side you should be able to see the utilizations for those breeds. They should be up to date, because I did update them before I resigned from there. Those are my thoughts on that.

Melissa K Norris: Okay. Awesome. I love that, because the American Guinea Hog was the best bacon we've ever had, bar none. The ham was fatty, but when I cooked it in the slow cooker, and then shredded it. Oh my gosh. It was amazing, but it's not like a spiral cut, when you think of spiral cut hams. That is not what you were getting. I'm with you there, definitely. If you we raise the American Guinea Hogs again, I probably will just raise them for the bacon, and the sausage, and a couple of the ham cuts. We won't even bother with the pork chops. I have to say, the pork chops were delicious because of the fat, and quite moist, but yet you're getting such little meat per pork chop cut. I almost have to cook six for our family of four just to barely get enough meat for everybody. I'm really glad that you brought those points up. It's kind of like, do we get a couple of American Guinea Hogs just for the bacon and sausage, and then raise the Herefords? I don't know. We'll see what we end up doing.

Some amazing resources in today's blog post that accompanies this episode. We will provide all of the links and different things that Rhyne has been so gracious to point us in the direction of. One of the things you had mentioned that I wanted to talk about and just, myself, learn more about, is your work in Uganda with raising pork. Can you tell us a little bit more about that? I find that fascinating.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: Yeah. Yeah, definitely ... I lost my train of thought.

Melissa K Norris: It happens.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: I go overseas to East Africa, Uganda, as well as Tanzania, or Tanzania if you've got a country accent. I teach people, basically, in very simple manners, how to raise pigs within their context. I'm really blessed by that experience, because it allowed for me to really look at farming more contextually ... I made a rookie mistake. I remember my first year going. I go into an organization called EATBETA. It's E-A-T-B-E-T-A. It stands for evangelizing Africa through business empowerment and the transformation of agriculture. We're not simply about giving money to people. We're about how do we train and educate people on best practices with their business and with their farm.

One slogan that I use when I go over there is farming is business. Farming is business. I don't care if you're in it from subsistence living, or if you're trying to make money off of it. It's always a business, because you're having inputs, and there are outputs. Right? Usually that requires some type of economic or capital to be able to make that thrive. When I go over there, I'm working within their context. They don't say soybeans. They say soya. They don't say corn. They say maize bran. They're having limited ingredients and limited resources. They're using different even feed additives like sunflower seed cake, and fish meal, and all these other things. Being able to understand that not all of them are at a place where they can raise healthy pigs, it's really important. It's even sad sometimes when I have to recommend that they not raise pigs, because they're not at that scale.

I daresay, even to your audience, you might not be at a scale where it's economically viable for you to raise pigs. I want to let you know there is no shame in that. Absolutely no shame in that. Stick to chickens. Grow that chicken operation out a little bit more, whether it's egg production or meat birds. I recommend meat birds, and scale up from there. That's what a lot of people have done to really be successful with raising pigs. They start out small. They start out with chickens, and then they build up to pigs, and then they'll build up to cattle, or maybe the goats and sheep. That's probably a really good model for East Africa is showing people that you can scale up your farming operation. You have to do it incrementally. A lot of people who are philanthropists will just donate tractors to East Africa. Right? These people don't know how to use a tractor. Most of them don't. When something breaks down, they can't fix it.

When my team goes down there, we're not teaching how to use a tractor. We're teaching, how do you hand plow? How do we get you from a hand plow, or hand hoe, to a hand plow, where you're actually tilling the Earth through a hand mechanized plow? We're doing funding for that, and we're giving those out. It's appropriate technology, appropriate training and education, rather than we're just going to give money, rather than we're just going to fix all your problems. No. We're going to teach, how do you run a business? When I go over there, I teach farming is a business, and I teach people that animal welfare, because there are a lot of issues with animal welfare in countries that would be deemed third world or developing. People over there don't treat pigs like pets. They treat pigs like stupid dirty animals.

Part of what I do is I teach animal welfare is not necessarily the primary goal. The primary goal is economics. The primary goal is making money. Well, if I know that their real issue is they want to make money, then I equate proper animal welfare with higher profitability. For example, if you are putting your pig on a more standardized feed ration, your pigs grow out faster, meaning you get your money quicker. Very simple and easy. Right? If I talk about how reducing your herd if your herd is unmanageable, you have too many pigs, and you can't afford to have too many pigs, by reducing your herd and just sticking to a few and feeding those well, it increases your reputation. Now, you're having pigs that are actually at weight. People are getting that pork, and they're getting the quality pork that they're wanting, rather than emaciated pigs. Right? That increases reputation. That means comeback customers.

When you're dealing with breeding, thinking about when you're really treating your sow with respect. Not beating it. When you're really giving your sow enough water, enough feed rationing, then that allows for you to have healthier piglets. That allows for your piglets to be weaned to survival, and then that means more profit per pig. Right? Everything really can boil down to economics when I go over there, and that's allowed for me to translate that back to the states, and really show people that every decision that you make as a farmer has an economic impact. It will always have an economic impact, whether big or great, or small or great, small or great.

That allows for a lot of people to see that their decision to switch feeds, that's an economic decision. Can you afford to do that? If not, that's okay. There's no shame. Or I want to do this opportunity with sausage, or opportunity with a live event. Okay, cool. What's the economic impact on your farm, and how much money will it cost? That really gets people thinking about, "How do I save money, or how do I reduce my costs, or how do I become more profitable in the enterprise I already have?"

Melissa K Norris: Wow. I love all of that. That, again, is an entire 'nother episode. We could probably talk for hours and hours and not get through everything, but this was great. I really enjoyed it. Would love to have you come back on. For those who are wanting to learn more about you, learn from you, check out more about your farm and the work that you're doing, what's the best place for people to connect with you?

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: People can connect with me on ... People have been begging me to start a YouTube channel, and I resisted it for, I think, about a year. I recently have made a channel, and I'll be posting videos on it by the end of this week. Whenever you have this recording out, I will have already posted videos. That's the best way.

Melissa K Norris: Okay.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: I am considering leaving Instagram, so I won't be on Instagram. Then, for emails, you can email me at Rhyne, R-H-Y-N-E, @PorkRhyne, P-O-R-K, R-H-Y-N-E, .com.

Melissa K Norris: Awesome. Now, I know Rhyne is your first name, but my great grandmother's last name was Rhyne. I just had to throw that fun little tidbit out there. Spelled exactly like yours.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: Cool. We're long lost cousins. That's all it is.

Melissa K Norris: Yeah, I agree. This has been a blast. I can't wait to learn more from you, and just be able to share that knowledge to get more people raising more of their own food, and taking control of their food source. Thank you so much for coming on today.

"Pork" Rhyne Cureton: Amen. Amen. Glad to be here, and I appreciate what you're doing with your podcast and your YouTube channel. You're one of the few folks in that space where I don't cringe when I watch a video, so just thank you for the good work that you're doing, and the honesty that you have behind it. It really means a lot to me.

Melissa K Norris: Aw, thank you. I hope you had as much fun as I did with today's episode and picked up some tips if you are planning on raising your own pork, or maybe you already have pork, but you were able to glean some tips and some ideas on where you could get some extra feed without a bunch of extra expense, which I know that always gets me super excited when it comes to our homestead endeavors. Well, this episode was all about raising pork, or mainly about raising pork.

Next week, I have another really fun episode for you where we will be having a guest, and we will be talking about homesteading, but, in particular, gardening. Especially if you have young children, or children at home, how to get them incorporated, but also still how to have a garden and try to stay sane. If you have infants, or toddlers, or really young children, it can often be hard trying to juggle it all. We are going to dive into this. I had so much fun doing these episodes. I know you're going to enjoy them just as much as I do. That is coming up for you next week. Blessings and mason jars for now.

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Filed Under: Livestock, Pigs, Raising Your Own Food Tagged With: homesteading, livestock, pigs, preparedness, raising pigs, survival

How to Plant Garlic (Fall Garlic Planting)

November 12, 2021 by Melissa Norris 9 Comments

Learn how to plant garlic in the fall for a fantastic garlic harvest the following summer. I'm sharing how to properly plant garlic, when to plant it, and the specifics for growing garlic from a clove.

A basket of garlic next to a garden bed that has been mulched.

Why I Love Growing Garlic

Is there a better herb to grow at home? I think not! The humble garlic clove has so many uses, from an essential ingredient in my homemade fire cider to one of my favorite medicinal herbs to grow at home.

I love that garlic is one of the plants you plant in the fall after the garden has generally stopped producing, then it does its thing, all on its own, early spring and summer.

If you've never had homegrown garlic before, just like anything else, you just won't believe how delicious it is!

A garlic clove in the soil.

Can I Grow Garlic From a Clove?

Yes! Growing garlic from a clove is exactly how you grow garlic. It's important that you plant your clove in the ground the correct way, so keep reading to find out exactly how to plant garlic cloves.

One tiny garlic clove planted in the fall will form an entire head of garlic the following summer. Plan to plant garlic when you are getting your homestead ready for winter.

Garlic shoots coming up through the soil being watered with a red watering can.

How Long Does Garlic Take to Grow?

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we plant our garlic in early to mid-fall, when the ground is still workable, preferably before any snowfall has occurred. Garlic harvest isn't until early summer the following year, but that doesn't mean it's growing that entire time.

One might say garlic takes 9-10 months to grow, but truthfully the garlic grows for a month or so once planted, creating a tiny shoot, then the rest of the growth happens early spring until harvest.

You can add a nice thick layer of mulch or straw over the garlic just after the tiny shoots have emerged. If you're planting extra late in the year and the threat of snow is imminent, you can also mulch right after you plant. I prefer to do everything at once so we add our straw right at planting time.

A hoe digging a trench in a garden bed.

What Month Do You Plant Garlic?

Traditionally, October is a month of harvest. But in the Pacific Northwest (and many other parts of the country) October is the month you plant garlic for a summer harvest.

We plant our garlic the first week of October, but if the ground hasn't frozen or endured a deep frost, you're safe a few weeks in. The rule of thumb is to plant garlic two weeks before and up to two weeks after your first frost in the fall.

A basket of harvested dried garlic.

What Garlic is Best to Plant?

You'll need to decide if you want to plant soft-neck or hard-neck garlic. We prefer soft necks so we can braid them to hang in the kitchen. Plus, soft neck has a longer shelf life.

Hardneck garlic cannot be braided and has a much shorter shelf life, but it usually has a stronger more complex flavor.

In the photo above you can see a variety of each. The soft-neck garlic is the braids (and larger heads), the hard-neck garlic is the smaller single bulbs..

Some people choose to grow a variety of garlic, soft-neck garlic for long-term storage, and hard-neck garlic for turning into homemade garlic powder or using it medicinally.

My favorite is soft neck Inchelium Red Garlic, it stores incredibly well, is very prolific (lots of cloves per bulb), and is considered a gourmet (aka delicious) garlic.

How Much Garlic Should I Plant Per Person?

This depends on how much garlic you eat. We tend to be if a recipe calls for one clove let's use at least three type of people.

The average recommended amount is 15 bulbs per person. Find out more on How Much to Plant Per Person for a Year's Worth of Food here.

Soaking Garlic Before Planting

Many people wonder whether or not you need to soak garlic before planting. And after a quick search on the interwebs, there is much recommended for this step.

My answer may differ from many recommendations out there, but here are my thoughts on soaking or not soaking garlic before planting…

  • The reason most people soak their garlic seed in water mixed with baking soda is to kill any potential fungal disease on the cloves before planting. However, certified seed garlic is tested and guaranteed to be free of fungal disease, therefore there is no need to soak certified seed garlic.
  • If you're not sure if your garlic has been contaminated with fungal disease, my recommendation would be to try finding certified seed garlic and not planting the questionable garlic.
  • If you don't have any other options for planting garlic, I would recommend planting those cloves in a separate area, away from your main crop garden, in a container or something small where you can dispose of the soil if it turns out your garlic was infested. (A kiddie pool is a great inexpensive option!)
  • Here in the damp and rainy Pacific Northwest I would never soak my garlic because we already have very damp soil in the fall, so soaking my garlic and then planting it into damp soil is just a recipe for mold or rotting cloves.
  • The one and only caveat where I could possibly see the reason behind soaking garlic before planting is if you live in a very dry climate. But even then, I would just recommend making sure your soil stays adequately mulched, amended, and watered well to stay damp enough for the garlic to begin to sprout.

Where Do I Buy Seed Garlic?

I recommend you purchase your seed garlic from a local grower if possible. Most store-bought garlic has been sprayed so it won't sprout in the store, meaning it won't sprout in your soil either.

We bought our initial seed garlic from a local farming store, which stocked garlic that was grown on a local farm. Plus, local farmers know which varieties will grow best in your climate and area.

However, I've also since found and ordered (I like to try out a few new varieties each year) this organic garlic seed farm.

Softnecked garlic is usually easier to grow.

Once you've grown a garlic crop, you can save some bulbs from your own harvest to plant the next year. Just remember, one clove of garlic will equal a bulb of garlic. Keep reading below for tips on getting the best quality garlic heads year over year.

A woman's hand holding a clove of garlic.
A hand placing a garden clove into the soil.
A long garden row planted with garlic cloves.

How Do You Properly Plant Garlic?

  1. Break the cloves apart and remove any loose paper. Don't remove all the paper though, you don't want the actual garlic showing, that paper is a nice protective layer.
  2. Plant the garlic clove with the fat end down in the soil (the part that is closest to the root from your main bulb).
  3. Plant each clove with about two inches of soil covering it from the tip of the clove.
  4. Keep cloves six to eight inches apart in all directions.
Three kids adding straw mulch onto a garden bed.
A garden bed that has been mulched with straw.
A garden bed where garlic is planted covered in straw mulch.

Garlic Planting Tips for Success

  • Be sure your soil is well-draining. In the past, we've used raised beds. After tilling down deep and heavily composting with dried cow manure, we now plant in our in-ground garden beds.
  • Weed free is a plus as garlic doesn't like to compete for space.
  • Mulch – Once your garlic has sprouted, mulch around the green shoots (it's fine if you mulch with straw right at planting time). After your first hard frost (green shoots will wither), mulch with straw over the entire bed.
  • Pull mulch in the spring – Once temperatures are warming up and you begin to see new growth on the garlic, you can pull the mulch back from the new shoots to allow for more sunlight to get through.
A garden bed where garlic is planted covered in straw mulch.

When Do I Harvest Garlic?

I have two other posts with more information on how to harvest garlic and how to braid and store garlic for long-term storage.

For now, I hope you get some garlic in the ground this year, for most places, it's not too late! If you have mild winters, you can even plant in late winter or early spring (or if you forget, I've planted as late as February with success but don't recommend waiting that long as a principal).

Do you plant winter crops? Have you planted garlic before?

Garlic curing on a screen.

More Gardening Articles

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  • Hugelkultur Garden Beds (What, Why & How)
  • Growing Onions From Seed

Filed Under: Gardening, Raising Your Own Food, Vegetables Tagged With: garlic, garlic varieties, hardnecked garlic, harvesting, homesteading, how to plant garlic, softnecked garlic, Vegetables, winter crops

Homesteading Myths and Tips for Success

May 28, 2021 by Melissa Norris 23 Comments

There seems to be a myth that you have to have a big beautiful farmhouse, or barn, or acreage in order to homestead successfully. This is a complete myth! You can start homesteading wherever you are, at any time, on any size property (even an apartment). In this post, I'm sharing, or rather de-bunking, many homesteading myths you may think are true.

A woman standing in front of a red barn holding up a wire basket full of farm fresh eggs.

For full transcript and related links to this Pioneering Today Podcast (episode #306) click here.

It may be surprising to you, but my husband, two kids and I homestead in a double-wide. Sure, a manufactured home sounds nicer, but truth be told, it's a double-wide!

When my husband and I first started homesteading 21 years ago, we were renting and had very little space. We homesteaded our first 17 years without even owning a tractor! We certainly learned what to do when homesteading got tough and saw first-hand how homesteading helped when in the midst of a crisis.

And now, all these years later, we raise all our own meat animals and we still don't even have a barn! A lack of outbuildings or structures is not a prohibiting factor for homesteading.

If you can believe it, we don't even have a garage. We use things like steel-framed canopies and shipping containers because they're practical and affordable. Living by the motto of only buying what we can pay for with cash means we're not getting in over our heads, or going into debt to create an idyllic farm. (We've also learned many ways that homesteading can make us money!)

Truth be told, anyone can homestead. So a bonus tip before we even get started, is that there is no perfect time to start homesteading, so just start now with what you have.

6 Commonly Believed Myths About Homesteading

There are certainly a lot of myths going around, or at least, homesteaders who may be saying there's one “right” way to do things. But over the years, we've come up with many hacks to “make it all work” and in the video below, I'm sharing them with you while de-bunking 6 commonly believed myths about homesteading!

Myth #1 – You have to have a big beautiful farmhouse in order to homestead.

This is completely untrue. You don't even need a cute tiny farmhouse! As I mentioned before, a double-wide will do just fine. For that matter, I know many people who get started on a homestead in a camper trailer or a motor home. We just do what we can do, right?

A woman standing in front of a shipping container pointing to it.

Myth #2 – You have to have barns or outbuildings in order to homestead.

False! We don't have a single barn on our homestead, yet we raise a year's worth of meat, including grass-fed beef cattle, free-range meat chickens, and heritage pigs without any issues.

As long as you're providing shelter from the elements and adequate space and food, these animals are quite resilient, even without a cozy barn.

A woman holding seedlings in her hands, standing outside by a potting bench.

Myth #3 – Homesteading must be your full-time job in order for it to work.

Nope! My husband and I both have full-time day jobs which, up until a few years ago, meant we both left the house for work. I now run my online business from home (most days), but it's still very much a full-time job.

Now, if you're scared or opposed to hard work, you may not want to come home from work only to have chores waiting for you on the homestead, but that's all part of making it work! If this doesn't sound appealing, maybe homesteading isn't your jam.

Beef cattle eating hay in the field.

Myth #4 – You can't go on vacation if you have a homestead.

Wrong again! Though there are precautions and systems that will need to be set up ahead of time, having a homestead does not mean you can't leave your home to go on vacation.

2-3 day vacations are very easy to arrange. Anything longer than that is doable, but you'll want to make sure to have someone reliable that can either stay at your home or have a neighbor come and check on your livestock and garden every day or two.

Too many things can go wrong, even if you have enough food, water, shelter, etc. Having someone come check on your animals is best.

A woman squatting next to american guinea hogs.

Myth #5 – You can't raise livestock unless you have enough acreage.

This isn't true either. If you listened to my podcast about raising animals and growing a garden with minimal space, then you know there are options such as leasing land (or growing vertically) to make it all fit.

A woman standing on a portable chicken tractor holding a basket of farm fresh eggs.

Myth #6 – There IS a perfect setup for homesteading!

Nope! We homesteaders love to share what works for us, but that's all it is, what works for us! If there are some tips and tricks we can help pass along that will also work for your situation, then that's the best of both worlds!

This is your journey, and your homestead, you don't need to be measuring it by some rod of perfection that's been set up by someone else!

More Homesteading Posts:

  • The Norris Farmstead: Our 40-Acre Homestead Farm-Stay
  • The First Time Homesteader & Things I’d Do Differently
  • What to do When Your Family Isn't on Board With Homesteading
  • Homesteading + Making Money (How to do it All)
  • Does Homesteading Really Save Money?
  • Self-Sufficient Homesteading Tips for the Long Haul
  • Urban Homesteading – Tips for Small Space Sufficiency
  • 14 Things You Must Do for Your Best Homesteading Year
  • Homesteading for Beginners – 9 Transition Tips from City Life
  • Tips for Homesteading Off-Grid
  • How to Prepare Your Homestead for Selling

Filed Under: Homestead-Life, Lifestyle Tagged With: homesteading, homesteading myths

Canned Apple Pie Filling Recipe & Tutorial

October 20, 2020 by Melissa Norris 159 Comments

A homemade apple pie is such a labor of love, but if you have this canned apple pie filling recipe sitting on your pantry shelf, you can have apple pie any day of the week in much less time than from scratch. The reason? All the labor-intensive work is done! Apples are peeled, cored, and sliced, the sauce is thickened and, as long as you have a pie crust ready to go, it's just minutes away from popping into the oven.

Jars of home canned apple pie filling sitting on a counter next to apples, cinnamon sticks and other spices.

I'm a sucker for pie season. Truth be told, I really don't think about pie much unless it's cold outside (OK, maybe I do think about my homemade hand pies – AKA pop tarts – when it's not cold!). There's something about the changing of the weather, the falling leaves, the heavy fog that rolls through the property. It all just beckons a pie baking in the oven.

Am I the only one who thinks this?

That's not to say I don't bake pies year-round, or at least I didn't used to until I started canning my own pie filling.

Learning how to can apple pie filling means you never have to buy apples out of season, when they cost an arm and a leg, and it also means you can have pie whenever you want. Which makes it one of my favorite pantry staples.

Nothing says fall like a good crisp apple. I love the way an apple fits perfectly in the palm of my hand. The way they perfume the air, promising delectable delights. And it means I get to can up a new batch of homemade apple pie filling in my pressure canner.

My father-in-law adores apple pie and it's my responsibility privilege to provide the apple pies for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.

My favorite apple in pies and applesauce is the Gravenstein. I planted my own a couple of years back, so it's only producing enough for fresh eating. Thankfully, my parents have an ancient one in their field.

Why I Love This Recipe

  • Quick: If all I have to do is whip up a batch of my grandma's pie crust, which truly is the flakiest and most delicious pie crust recipe you'll ever try, then making a homemade apple pie is quick and simple. (Have you ever tried baking pie crust with home rendered lard you made yourself using my foolproof method? You'll never go back!)
  • Makes a great gift: Having a jar of apple pie filling sitting on the pantry shelf is not only a gift to yourself, but it makes a great Christmas or hostess gift. It's like a hug in a jar, just sitting there waiting for the right time to be opened and enjoyed!
  • You know all the ingredients: Sure, you could go buy a can of apple pie filling at the grocery store, but there's something about knowing that all the ingredients used in your food are healthy and the highest quality available.
  • Store it for up to a year: While fresh apples won't last an entire year, this canned apple pie filling will have no problem sitting on the shelf for a year. Actually, if you follow proper canning protocol, this would likely store longer than a year, but because you'll want to can up fresh with your apple harvest next year, only can how much you'll need for the year and for gifting.
Hands peeling an apple with a bowl filled with chopped apples next to it.

Best Apples for Apple Pie

I always get asked what the best kind of apples are for apple pie and, the truth is, it totally depends on your taste! Some people swear by Granny Smith apples, but I actually like my apple pie a bit sweeter, so I prefer a Gravenstein apple. This is a very old variety of apple.

Because my Gravenstein apple tree isn't very big, I don't usually get enough to make pies, so I'm using Honey Crisp. I also like to use Gala and Fuji, but the trick is harvesting them when they're ripe and still very firm.

You can always adjust the sugar content to your taste and the sweetness of your apples.

Picture of an apple hanging from a branch with sunshine streaming through the background. Text overlay says "5 Tips to Starting an Orchard and Growing Fruit on Your Homestead".

Harvesting the Right Apples

It's important to choose the right apples just at the peak of ripeness. If you're harvesting your apples or picking them from an orchard, you'll know the apples are ripe when a few apples have already fallen to the ground.

The other trick is if you grab an apple that's still on the tree and start twisting it, if it pops off within a couple of twists it's ripe. You don't want to harvest apples too early because they won't have their best flavor, but if you harvest them too late, they won't store as well and you'll be having to work around soft spots and other blemishes.

Likewise, when you get your apples inside and all rinsed off, you want to go through them and pick the very best looking apples.

Save the bruised apples for apple sauce, homemade apple pie jam, apple butter, raw apple cider vinegar, or these other 11 ways to preserve apples at home. But for apple pie, you want those slices beautiful!

Ingredients needed to make apple pie filling.

Cornstarch or ClearJell?

My original apple pie filling recipe used cornstarch, but the cornstarch does break down after time, and is no longer approved for canning due to safety issues. The jars I use for Christmas baking were fine, but by the time I hit spring, they were a mushy runny mess.  They still worked, but the crusts were a bit soggy in the pies.

I've now been using ClearJell® both because it's the only approved canning thickener and because it truly does create a superior end product! Plus, there's too much precious time and work to waste on a recipe that's not safe and doesn't hold up.

Want a canned apple pie filling recipe without ClearJell? Simply omit the ClearJell (follow instructions in the notes of the recipe if not using ClearJell due to headspace difference) and instead, when you open the jar to bake your pie , add a thickener of your choice to the pie filling just as if you were using fresh apples, bake, and enjoy!

Sliced apples in lemon water.

Preparing the Apples

Before you begin peeling and slicing your apples, have a large bowl filled with water and some lemon juice. This will keep the apples from turning brown.

There's nothing wrong with brown apples and it won't affect the flavor, it's just that they'll look prettier in your jars once you've canned them if they don't oxidize.

Peeling and coring the apples is much easier when using a hand cranked apple peeler and corer , but I actually prefer to hand peel and hand slice my apples because the hand-cranked kitchen gadget I have actually slices the apples too thin for apple pie.

In fact, I used to can my filling this way, but in my experience, the apples broke down too much and resulted in a mushy apple pie filling (no one wants mushy apples in their apple pie!). So save the peeler and corer for those apples that'll be turned into applesauce (and then used in these homemade pumpkin applesauce muffins!

Trust me, it's worth the extra work to do it by hand.

A woman dumping apples into a pot of boiling water on the stove.

Blanching Apples

Blanching your apples is an important step because apples have a lot of oxygen in them. When you can your apple pie filling, that air will want to escape and you'll end up with siphoning of your jars which can lead to seal failure.

Also, your apples will shrink as that oxygen escapes during the canning process so you'll have jars that aren't full. I've done both raw pack apple pie filling and hot pack apple pie filling, the hot pack method, though it takes an extra step, is worth every bit of effort.

Blanch your apples, six cups at a time, in boiling water for one minute. Once they're done you can remove them with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.

If you're blanching your apples in batches, you'll want to keep the apples warm, so place a lid over the bowl (or place a cookie sheet over the top like I do!).

Mason jars filled with apple pie filling sitting in a steam canner.

Prepare Your Canner

Most canners can only fit up to 7 quart jars at a time, but I usually like to can about 4 quarts at a time. This allows me to have enough filling for four pies, but it doesn't take up too much of my day.

While you're blanching your apples, go ahead and bring the water in your canner up to 180 degrees F. This is a hot-pack recipe, so you want all your ingredients and supplies hot when you start canning

Prepare Your Jars

Wide mouth quart jars work best for this recipe, but narrow mouth can be used as well.

Wash your jars with warm soapy water, then either keep them in a sink filled with hot water or if you're using a steam canner like I am, place them on the rack above the hot water to keep them warm.

Apple pie filling in a large pot.

Canned Apple Pie Filling Recipe

(Adapted from Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving )

  1. With your prepared and blanched apples keeping warm in a bowl, add 3 & 3/4 cups water to a large stainless steel pot.
A woman removing blanched apples from a large pot on the stove.

2. Add in the sugar, spices, and ClearJel® and bring to a boil over medium-high heat (don't use a hard boil). Stirring constantly, cook until it thickens and bubbles. Add lemon juice and boil for 1 minute more, constantly stirring.

Apple pie filling in a large pot.

3. Remove from heat and fold in apples. Ladle apple pie filling into warm prepared jars, a canning funnel makes this way easier, let me tell you.

A woman ladling apple pie filling into a mason jar.

4. Leave 1-inch headspace, run a spatula down the inside of the jars to remove air bubbles. Wipe rim with a damp clean towel. Center lid and screw bands down until tight.

A woman's hand measuring the head space in a mason jar filled with apple pie filling.

5. Place jars filled with apple pie filling in a hot water bath for 25 minutes.

Mason jars filled with apple pie filling sitting in a steam canner.

6. Turn off the heat, remove the lid, and let sit for 5 minutes.

7. Using a jar lifter, carefully remove hot jars to a towel and allow it to cool without moving overnight.

A jar lifter setting a jar of canned apple pie filling onto the counter.

8. Remove bands, check seals, wipe down outside of the jar, and store in the pantry, out of direct sunlight for up to 1 year.

Altitude adjustment: If you're 1,000 to 3,000 feet above sea level, increase processing time by 5 minutes (30 minutes total), 3,001 to 6,000 feet above sea level, increase processing time by 10 minutes (35 minutes total).

Apple Preserving & Use Mini Cookbook

Just put your name and email below and I'll shoot it straight to your inbox! ???

I have to confess, I licked the side of the syrup pot before washing. We have to taste test right? It was soooo good.

How to Bake Your Pie

When ready to bake your pie, pour one-quart apple pie filling into an 8 or 9-inch pie plate lined with pie pastry (don't forget to use my grandmother's flaky pastry recipe that takes less than 15 minutes to make).

Arrange the top crust over the pie filling and cut slits for steam to escape. Crimp the edges, and bake at 400 degrees F for 50 minutes.

Alternately, this filling works great for a homemade apple crisp! Just use your favorite crumble recipe and bake!

A jar of canned apple pie filling sitting in a cast iron skillet.

Apple Pie Filling FAQs

Can You Pressure Can Apple Pie Filling?

No. I used to pressure can my apple pie filling, but without being able to find an approved tested time for pressure canning, I only water bath process my pie filling now for safety.

Why Didn't My Recipe Make 4 Quarts?

Each apple variety (and even within the same variety) has a different water content, so once you've blanched your apples, you may end up with fewer apples. You haven't done anything wrong, this is just the way it goes when preserving your own food.

Can I Adjust the Sugar?

Yes, the sugar in this recipe is for flavor only and does not affect the canning process. You can scale the sugar up or down according to your preference

How do I Adjust for Altitude?

If you're 1,000 to 3,000 feet above sea level, increase processing time by 5 minutes (30 minutes total), 3,001 to 6,000 feet above sea level, increase processing time by 10 minutes (35 minutes total). All other steps remain the same.

Other Preserving Recipes:

  • Low Sugar Apple Pie Jam
  • How to Can Apple Butter
  • 11 Ways to Preserve Apples at Home
  • How to Make Raw Organic Apple Scrap Cider Vinegar
  • How to Can Pears the EASY Way
Jars of home canned apple pie filling sitting on a counter next to apples, cinnamon sticks and other spices.

Canned Apple Pie Filling

Melissa Norris
Follow this easy apple pie filling recipe and can it at home to have it ready and waiting on your shelf for a quick dessert anytime of the year.
3.96 from 97 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 4 Quarts
Calories 753 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 12 cups apples peeled, cored, and sliced
  • 2 3/4 cups raw sugar
  • 3/4 cup Clear Jel. See notes if omitting
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 3 3/4 cups water
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice

Instructions
 

  • Place peeled, cored, and sliced apples in boiling water for 1 minute, working 6 cups of apples at a time.
  • Remove apples with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Cover to keep warm.
  • In a large stainless steel pot, combing sugar, ClearJel®, spices, and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat (don't use a hard boil), stirring constantly, and cook until it thickens and bubbles.
  • Add lemon juice and boil for 1 minute more, constantly stirring.
  • Remove from heat and fold in apples.
  • Ladle apple pie filling into warm prepared jars. Wide mouth jars work best for this recipe, but narrow can be used.
  • Leave 1 inch headspace, run a spatula down the inside of the jars to remove air bubbles.
  • Wipe rim with a damp clean towel. Center lid and screw bands down until tight.
  • Place jars filled with apple pie filling in  a hot water bath for 25 minutes.
  • Turn off heat, remove lid, and let sit for 5 minutes.
  • Using a jar lifter, carefully remove hot jars to a towel and allow to cool without moving over night.
  • The next day, check seals, remove bands, wipe down outside of jar and store in out the pantry of direct sunlight for up to 1 year.

Video

Notes

Altitude adjustment: If you're 1,000 to 3,000 feet above sea level, increase processing time by 5 minutes (30 minutes total), 3,001 to 6,000 feet above sea level, increase processing time by 10 minutes (35 minutes total).
Processing instructions WITHOUT ClearJel: To make this without ClearJel, omit, and fill jars to a 1/2 inch headspace and process for 30 minutes in a steam canner or hot water bath. At baking time, drain 1/3 cup of the liquid from the jar into a small saucepan, whisk in 3 Tablespoons cornstarch until combined. Add rest of jar and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer for 1 minute. 

Nutrition

Calories: 753kcalCarbohydrates: 192gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 19mgPotassium: 473mgFiber: 9gSugar: 176gVitamin A: 203IUVitamin C: 29mgCalcium: 51mgIron: 1mg
Keyword apple pie filling, how to can apple pie filling
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Filed Under: Food Preservation, Food Preservation - Canning, Fruit, Jam and Jelly Tagged With: apple harvest, apple pie filling, fruit jam and jelly, homebaked, homesteading, how to can apple pie filling, how to can apples, preserving apples

Salt Cured Ham: Old-Fashioned Preserving

January 28, 2020 by Lee Totten 83 Comments

How to salt cure ham at home has been on my homesteading bucket list for a few years now. Being able to preserve food with old-fashioned techniques, like salt curing pork, is a skill I find as fascinating as I do yummy. Bring me the bacon! And ham!

A ham roast in a salt cure.

When Lee from Tennessee Homestead offered to teach me and you how to salt cure a ham I got all kinds of excited. Lee, teach away!

What is Salt Curing?

Salt curing ham is an age-old tradition on our homestead.  We use a dry rub cure to make the best-tasting hams possible.  The salt/sugar mix adds color and flavor to the meat.  Additionally, some of our hams will also go into the smoker.  But, today I will discuss with you the first part of the process, how to cure pork with a salt dry rub.

Before reliable refrigeration, people would salt cure meat the old fashioned way because it was the best way to preserve pork.  Curing and smoking pulls the moisture from the ham to make it safe to store at room temperature.  We don’t cure for this purpose anymore, but rather to give the ham a great flavor and color.

Where can I buy a fresh ham to cure?

If you don’t have a fresh ham from your own hog you can find fresh ham at a meat market or packing house.  Remember the ham you buy at the grocery has already been cured and/or smoked.  A fresh ham is exactly that, a ham fresh from the hog.

You can also ask around in rural areas to see if you can find someone raising their own hogs. Many times families will raise extra hogs to sell in order to offset the cost of raising them.

Is Salt Curing the Same as Dry Curing a Ham?

Yes, salt curing is simply another term for dry curing. This is a process of coating the meat with a salt cure rub which draws out the moisture. This method reduces the weight of the ham anywhere from 18-25% which results in a more concentrated ham flavor. Many people prefer dry curing as opposed to injecting or immersing the ham with a curing solution. Once the ham is cured, it can be smoked, cooked or frozen for later cooking. Because dry hams are typically saltier than other products, they benefit from soaking in water for 1-12 hours (in the refrigerator) before cooking.

Supplies Needed for Dry Curing a Ham

  • Fresh Ham
  • Curing mix – you must use a curing salt to make this mix, not regular salt. (Salt used to cure meat has to be non-iodized.  If you use iodized salt it will make the meat have a metallic flavor.)
  • Plastic tray – to use during the curing process. (Do not use metal)
  • Sharp knife to cut in around joints
  • Refrigerator (preferably an old refrigerator that can be sacrificed to the salt curing process. The salt will ruin the metal parts inside of the unit including the gills that disperse the cool air.)
  • The Joy of Smoking and Salt Curing The Complete Guide to Smoking and Curing Meat, Fish, Game, and More (optional)

Homemade Salt Curing Mix

This dry rub mix recipe has been in my family and handed down for generations. It's a simple combination of four ingredients.

Does anyone else get giddy over these kinds of things? I may be a family recipe addict, it doesn't matter from whose family either. I know those recipes that get handed down are because they're just that good. ~Melissa

  • 2 cups Curing Salt
  • 1 Tbs Red pepper
  • 1 Tbs Black pepper
  • 1 cup Brown sugar

Most fresh hams will need a minimum of a triple batch, the recipe can be scaled up or down as needed, depending on size of the ham.

How to Salt Cure Ham at Home

  • For one ham start with 6-8 cups of mix.
  • The temperature will need to be between 36 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Fresh ham sitting on a cutting board.
  • Take a fresh ham with skin on, wash off in water and pat dry.
  • Put a layer of curing mix on the tray to act as a bed for the ham. This bed of curing mix should be ¼” – ½” deep.
  • Place the ham on top of the layer of mix.A man cutting into the joint of a fresh ham with a knife.
  • At each joint, cut slits down to the bone. These slits are needed because you have to pack extra salt around the joint so the fluid will draw out.  Otherwise, you could spoil the ham.  There are two joints, the H-bone (hip) and the hock.A man packing the joints of a fresh ham with a salt cure mix.
  • Pack the slits you made at the joints with the curing mix.
  • Rub and cover the rest of the ham with the curing mix.A fresh ham sitting in and covered in a salt cure rub.
  • Leave the tray in a cool place (such as a refrigerator or a cooler packed with ice) for 18 days at 36-40 degrees. If using a cooler, be sure to check your ice daily and replenish it as needed.
  • After 18 days check the ham.
  • If you are going to put this ham in the smoker it has to be firm to the touch. If not firm to the touch it is not ready to come out of the curing mix. (If it is not firm it is because there is still too much fluid left in the ham.)
  • If ham is ready to be smoked, thoroughly rinse off the salt and pat dry before smoking.
  • If you are freezing then firmness does not matter. You can go on to the next step.
  • If freezing, slice the ham and freeze or freeze whole.
  • If ready to eat, you can bake the whole ham. Alternatively, you can slice the ham, soak the ham slices in cold water for up to an hour, then cook. Or, simmer the ham slice in a little water in the frying pan and then remove the water and continue cooking.

Related Articles You May Enjoy:

  • How to Dry Cure Meat at Home
  • How to Raise, Butcher & Cure Pigs for Best Flavor Without a Fridge
  • Saving the American Guinea Hogs
  • 12 Tips for Raising Pigs for Meat
  • How to Cook Rabbit
  • Cooking With Wild Game (So It Tastes Good!)
  • 10 Ways to Preserve Food at Home

Salt Cured Ham: Old-Fashioned Preserving

Lee Totten
Salt cured ham has been around for centuries as an old-fashioned preservation method. It's simple to cure your own ham at home with this easy recipe.
3.97 from 66 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 18 d
Course Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine American
Servings 1 ham
Calories 69.7 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 6 cups Curing Salt
  • 3 Tbs Red pepper
  • 3 Tbs Black pepper
  • 3 cup Brown sugar
  • 1 Fresh Ham

Instructions
 

  • Mix salt, red pepper, black pepper and brown sugar in a bowl and set aside, this is your curing mix.
  • With a ham that's between 36 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit, rinse in cold water and pat dry.
  • Put a layer of curing mix ¼” – ½” deep on a tray to act as a bed for the ham.
  • Place the ham on top of the layer of curing mix.
  • At the H-bone (hip) and the hock joints, cut slits down to the bone then pack with as much of the salt mixture as possible.
  • Rub and cover the rest of the ham with the curing mix.
  • Leave the tray in a cool place (such as a refrigerator or a cooler packed with ice) for 18 days at 36-40 degrees.
  • Cure for 18 days (or more – see recipe notes).
  • Once the ham is cured, rinse well with cool water then smoke it, cook it or freeze it for later (see recipe notes for cooking tips).

Notes

  • If using a cooler, be sure to check your ice daily and replenish it as needed.
  • If you are going to smoke your ham, it has to be firm to the touch. If it's not firm to the touch, continue curing and checking it daily.
  • If ham is ready to be smoked, thoroughly rinse off the salt and pat dry before smoking.
  • If you are freezing then firmness does not matter. Slice the ham and freeze or freeze whole.
  • When ready to eat, you can bake the whole ham.
  • If you'd like to serve the ham in slices, we recommend soaking the slices in cold water for an hour up to 12 hours in the refrigerator. Then cook up in a frying pan. (You can also simmer the ham slice in a little water in the frying pan, remove the water, then continue cooking.

Nutrition

Serving: 1oz.Calories: 69.7kcalProtein: 5.2gFat: 5.3gSaturated Fat: 1.9gCholesterol: 15.9mgSodium: 364mg
Keyword Cured Ham, Dry Cured Ham, Salt Cured Ham
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Here on the homestead, cured hams are just one of the products we make from our own hogs. Other products include lard, bacon, ham, ham hocks, sausage and souse meat.  If you are unable to raise your own hog many local custom slaughterhouses can help you find a producer you can purchase a hog from so you too can have your own fresh pork and enjoy the process of curing your own meat.

Lee'sbiophoto

Lee is a writer/blogger who is also a self-reliance promoter.  They call her chicken “Mama” at home where she considers herself an expert pitchfork operator. For more self-reliance and homesteading tips from Lee go to Tennessee-Homestead.com

Filed Under: Food Preservation, Food Preservation - Other, Miscellaneous, Recipes Tagged With: food preservation, homesteading, preparedness, salt curing, survival

Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake without Jello & Homemade Cake Mix

June 19, 2017 by Melissa Norris 20 Comments

Strawberry rhubarb dump cake is one of my favorite recipes, in fact, I started with this recipe when I was seven years old. A neighbor served this dish and the next day, I walked up the street to her log cabin and asked for the recipe. She graciously shared! (I take it as a compliment when someone asks for the recipe and always supply it upon request)

But as we started moving away from processed and boxed foods, I had a hard time making strawberry rhubarb dump cake because the original recipe called for both strawberry jello (hello food dye and artificial flavoring) and a boxed cake mix.

Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake from Scratch

Since recovering my health and only using from scratch recipes in our kitchen, I struggled with giving up our beloved Strawberry Rhubarb dump cake or using the processed ingredients and cringing the entire time. I'm telling you, the dilemma is real people.

I'm not one to give up on our favorites, I was determined I could do this real food. Determined. It took a couple of goes, but I did it. This strawberry rhubarb dump cake from scratch now contains real strawberries, gelatin (totally a health food when sourced from grass fed cattle), and a homemade cake mix that is light and fluffy. Can I get an amen!!!

No more feeling guilty and it still tastes amazing.

So I did it, I came up with a completely real food version of our favorite. You're welcome!

If making things from scratch the old-fashioned way without chemicals and a ton of store-bought ingredients, including from-scratch cakes, biscuits, and more, grab Hand Made: the Modern Guide to Made-from-Scratch Living with over 100 recipes!

Keep rhubarb on hand all year-long

A great way to keep rhubarb for baking all year long is to chop it up and freeze it in a plastic freezer bag or freezable container.

The great thing about this strawberry rhubarb dump cake is you can use fresh or frozen fruit, so it can be served all year long.

Other easy delicious homemade dessert recipes

Close up image of a frosted chocolate cupcake on a white plate with a cake tray full of cupcakes in the background. Text overlay says, "Chocolate Mayo Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting".

Great-Grandma's Heavenly Easy Chocolate Mayo Cake

Easy Honey Banana Cake

Melt in Your Mouth Blueberry Cake

Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake without Jello

MelissaKNorris
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
Total Time 1 hr 5 mins
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups diced rhubarb
  • 1 and 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar I use raw organic cane sugar
  • 1 scoop gelatin 2 and 1/2 teaspoons gelatin I use this brand of gelatin that's from grass fed cattle and no fillers
  • 1 cup cold water
  • Homemade Cake Mix
  • 1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour we'll turn it into cake flour below
  • 3 Tablespoons organic non-GMO corn starch use 2 Tablespoons in the bottom of your cup, then spoon full with flour, use 1 Tablespoon for the 1/2 cup
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place rhubarb and sliced strawberries in pan, sprinkle sugar over it, then evenly sprinkle the gelatin over top.
  • Thoroughly mix your dry cake ingredients together and sprinkle evenly over rhubarb. Pour your 1 cup water over all of this and dot with 3 tablespoons chopped butter. Don’t stir!
  • Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Serve this warm by itself, or add a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. My husband says the rhubarb counts as a vegetable and eats it for breakfast, too.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Filed Under: Dessert, Recipes Tagged With: home baked, homemade, homesteading, Melissa K. Norris, Pioneering Today, preserving rhubarb, strawberry rhubarb dump cake, strawberry rhubarb recipes

29 Ways to Use Apple Cider Vinegar

September 22, 2016 by Melissa Norris 17 Comments

Apple cider vinegar is one of the oldest foods and it's been in use for thousands of years. Not only is it easy to make at home, but apple cider vinegar is one of the most versatile tools you have in your home and medicine cabinet.

As a modern homesteader and natural living pioneer lifestyle loving junky, yep, I totally admit it, I absolutely adore having an item I can put to use in many different ways. Especially when said item is one I can make at home with ease.

Here's how to make easy homemade raw apple cider vinegar with just 2 ingredients and 2 steps!

Click here–>Easy Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar Recipe

26 ways to use apple cider vinegar in your medicine cabinet, your cleaning cupboard, and your cooking for a more natural and healthy home! One of our favorite things to use on the homestead. These are great old-fashioned tips for natural remedies with apple cider vinegar

What are the Components in Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is fermented apples. We're quickly learning that not only is fermentation of our food a way to preserve it (our ancestors knew this) but it also has many health benefits as well. Apple cider vinegar is taking apples and water and letting them ferment twice to create vinegar, which is high in acetic acid.

Apple cider vinegar also contains pectin, some B vitamins, folic acid, niacin, Vitamin C, minerals potassium, magnesium, calcium and iron, though not enough to be your multi-vitamin. *Source

Apple Cider Vinegar in Your Health

Apple cider vinegar is thought to help with many areas in our health, and recently science is showing this to have real promise as well.

Keep in mind, not all apple cider vinegar is created equal. Look closely, some apple cider vinegar on the store shelves is really colored and flavored to look like apple cider vinegar. Read the fine print on the label.

If you're not making it at home (trust me, it's one of the easiest things you'll ever make in the fermenting world) then look for one with the mother, it's that kind of cloudy, stringy, cob webby thing floating inside the vinegar. And because apples have such a high pesticide load, go for organic.

Health Concerns with Apple Cider Vinegar, it's important to note that too much apple cider vinegar can cause a reduction in potassium levels and in bone density.

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor and this is not providing any kind of diagnosis or treatment. This article is for informational and entertainment purposes only.

With apple cider vinegar, a little bit goes a long ways. It's best thought to start with 1 to 2 teaspoons and always diluted with water or liquid if drinking it, some people work up to 1 to 2 Tablespoons, but it's not recommended to go over this amount.

  1. Apple cider vinegar with diabetes and blood sugar, showing to help improve insulin sensitivity in diabetic patients. In this study, people drank 2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in water 2 minutes before eating a high carbohydrate meal. They then tested their blood sugar levels at different intervals and showed overall improvement. *Source/study data
    H
    owever, before adding in any changes to your regular diet/protocol, if you have any health conditions check with your doctor and pharmacist first.
  2. Apple cider vinegar with blood pressure. Keep in mind, this study was done on rats, not on humans, but there was some promise. It showed that the rats blood pressure and renin activity were reduced. *Source/study data
  3. Apple cider vinegar with cholesterol. Again, this study was conducted on rats and not on people, but it does show promise in helping aid the body to maintain a healthier cholesterol level. The study showed some levels of cholesterol were lowered, but not all. *Source/study data
  4. Apple cider vinegar for weight loss. This was pretty minimal in overall weight loss, but in a study done in Japan with 175 people those who used apple cider vinegar lost 1 to 2 more pounds over 3 months.  *Source/study data
  5.  Indigestion or stomach acid. If you have stomach acid issues, sometimes its caused by an imbalance of the ph levels in your stomach. Some people swear by drinking a teaspoon or two of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water helps with indigestion or stomach acid issues. Again, consult with your doctor if you have health issues or concerns.

Using Apple Cider Vinegar for Your Skin Care

Apple cider vinegar should always be diluted before being used topically. Start with a 25% vinegar to 75% water ratio first to see how your skin reacts.

6. Facial Toner/acne. Apple cider vinegar is acidic and has anti-bacteria properties, making it a perfect skin toner. It helps with bacteria and the acetic acid in the vinegar helps maintain the ph balance of your skin, especially if you've used a cleaner with soap.
7. Hair rinse. Mix 1 cup of water with 2 to 4 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and rinse your hair with it. It helps removes any build up of product and also increases shine.
8. Scalp Treatment for Dandruff. Because apple cider vinegar is acidic and has anti-microbial properties, it can work wonders for  your scalp. Apply the above rinse to your scalp, working it into the roots of the hair, then rinse.
9. Under arm treatment. Many people want to use natural deodorants, but a lot of these deodorants use baking soda and a percentage of people break out from the alkalinity of the baking soda. Using a pre-rinse under the arms of diluted vinegar helps create a more natural ph level and allows some people to use the baking soda based deodorants without irritation.
10. Sun Burn many people swear by dabbing apple cider vinegar diluted with cold water onto a sun burn.
11. Athletes foot. Some people say soaking your feet in a diluted mixture of water and apple cider vinegar helps with athletes foot.
12. Bug bite.Many people like to use diluted apple cider vinegar as a treatment to help take away the itch from a bug bite.

Apple Cider Vinegar in the Cleaning Cupboard

13.Clogged drain cleaner. Take about 1/4 cup of baking soda and dump it down your drain, chase it with vinegar until it stops foaming. Wait about 15 minutes and then pour boiling water down your drain.
14. Multi-purpose cleaner. Use 1/4 to 1/2 apple cider vinegar and dilute with water. Use as a multi-purpose cleaner for windows, mirrors, counter tops, etc.
15. Laundry cleaner. Oh yes, place vinegar and water into the fabric softener dispenser of your washing machine. It helps kill odor causing bacteria.
16. Faucet cleaner. You know that gunk around the handles of your sink faucet? Place a paper towel with vinegar around it, leave for a few minutes, then come back and wipe clean.
17. Floor cleaner. Instead of using soap to mop your floors (hello soap scum build up) add some vinegar to your warm water and mop the floor with it.
18. Fruit Fly Killer. Fruit flies drive me bonkers. Fill the bottom of a small glass jar or bowl with apple cider vinegar and add a couple of drops of dish soap. Fruit flies will come flocking, fall beneath the surface of the soap, and drown.

Apple Cider Vinegar in the Kitchen

19. Soak your beans. We all know beans can create a little bit of… ya know, gas. When soaking your dry beans, add a Tablespoon of vinegar to the water and soak for at least 8 hours to help decrease the gas.
20. Soak your grains. Vinegar helps break down the phytic acid in grains and flour, which helps many people digest it easier.
21. Flakier pie crust. Oh, yeah, melt in your mouth pie crust happens with vinegar. Here's my great-grandmother's flaky pie crust recipe with the secret ingredient- apple cider vinegar!
22. Better no-knead bread texture. Yes, add a couple of Tablespoons to your no knead bread recipes for a lighter texture, like this no-knead bread in 5 minutes a day recipe!
23
. Quick buttermilk. Let me tell you, buttermilk makes the best breads and biscuits, but if you don't have buttermilk, don't despair, just add 1 Tablespoon of vinegar to 1 cup milk and let sit for 2 minutes.
24. Salad dressing. Make your own salad dressing with 3 parts oil of choice and 1 part vinegar and spices to flavor (I kind of like garlic myself).
25. Homemade Mayo. Whip up some homemade mayo!
26. Flavored Vinegar. Don't spend money on those flavored vinegars, make your own! Here's how to make blueberry basil thyme vinegar You can toss just about any fruit, berries or cherries work really well, let them sit in the vinegar to infuse it, then strain and store in the fridge until ready to eat it up!

Bonus! 3 Extra Ways to Use Vinegar

27. Produce Wash. Make a vinegar wash to clean your produce before putting it up in the fridge, use 3 parts water to 1 part vinegar, but of course, your sink needs to be clean before filling it with this mix to wash the veggies and fruits with. Let them sit for 5 to 10 minutes, rinse, dry and store in the fridge.

28. Homemade Electrolyte Drink. Don't waste your money on sugar filled sports drinks. Hydrate with this healthy Old Fashioned Switchel instead!

29. Wash your winter squash. When you bring in your pumpkins, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, butternut squash and other winter squashes, wipe off the outside of them with a towel dampened with vinegar. This will help kill any bacteria and remove any dirt on the surface to help them last longer while on the shelf.

I'm not a doctor. This post isn't meant as a diagnosis or a treatment plan for you, just so we're clear, it's for educational and entertainment purposes. I believe this to be true for modern and holistic/natural medicine, each person has to be responsible for what they use and do their own due diligence. I talk about treatment plans with my doctor, my naturopath, my pharmacist (who happens to also be my boss in my day job), and do further research online or in books. I recommend you do the same.

 

Filed Under: Frugal Living, Homestead-Life Tagged With: homesteading, natural medicine, self-sufficiency

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Melissa K. Norris

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