German-Russian Grandparents
Electronic mail message from Opal White
My maternal grandmother was noted for her delicious head cheese that was packed in cleaned hog stomachs. Tied in neat bundles, strung on a broomstick and suspended in a boiler to cook. The lard that rendered out formed a coating that preserved them all winter in a cold cellar.
Sausage was made last with much input from the Grandpa's of the correct proportions of beef, pork and seasonings. We still have my paternal grandmothers' black iron sausage stuffer that cranked out yards and yard of sausage ready for the smoke-house. Sixty years later, I visited that farm smoke-house and that faint, lingering aroma of German sausage made my mouth water.
I still marvel at their ingenuity and knowledge of food preservation. My Mother always said the ony thing they discarded from a hog was the squeal. We no longer need to work as hard as our parents to provide and many of those talents are lost. I'm glad I have them in my memory bank---and I remember how to make pickled pigs feet!