The Night Before Pig Butchering

…I am writing this late on Friday evening…..am I think I’m a little tired, but here goes.

‘Twas the night before pig butchering and all through the house,
Hubby and I were stirring and I hope there’s not a mouse.
The tubs are all scrubbed and the bags all prepared
in hopes of being filled with pork in morning air.

The children were snuggled all up in their beds
while visions of pork chops danced in their heads.

With me in my home clothes and Hubby now in bed,
I sat to the computer a blog or two to be written and read.

I’m definitely tired and my poetry skills are very much lacking so how about on to the days happenings….We are butchering hogs today.  Friday afternoon Hubby helped kill and skin them.  I never take part in that..Last night we did some prepping things.  We washed tubs and sharpened knives.  We have five pigs to do and that makes for a pretty busy day so I spent Friday evening doing some cooking.  We’ll likely be done cutting just after the noon hour so there will be hungry people to feed.

I knew I wouldn’t have time to cook so Friday night I made….

Chili.  I’ve changed up my old recipe and started making it like this….

1 1/2 pounds of venison browned with a whole onion
2 15 ounce cans of beans- I’m not picky whatever is here.
1 quart of my homemade salsa
1 can of beer
chili powder to taste depending on the salsa

We had this earlier in the week and it was my favorite chili ever.  Hubby who doesn’t care for chili liked it…(it was likely the beer that made him like it)

I made a pot of homemade vegetable beef soup.

I use the pressure cooker to make it and really love it.  Typically I add barley but Kelli is coming tomorrow and she eats gluten free.  She won’t be able to eat the chili because of the beer so I made the soup without barley and added a little rice instead.

I made this often.  The childcare kiddos don’t eat a whole can of veggies at a meal so I freeze whatever is leftover. That all goes into soup.

I made a cake…..

I made Monster Cookie bars (recipe here-also gluten free).  Hubby had to test them to make sure they weren’t poisonous-that’s why there is a big chunk out of them.  When the kids were little and there was a fresh pan of bars Hubby would always tell the kids that he had to test them to make sure they weren’t poisonous before he’d let the kids eat them….silly guy.

I also made my version of layer bars…mine only have five layers.  My mom made these and they have always been a favorite of mine.

Kelli is bringing cheese burger dip…Kalissa is bringing meat and buns for a sandwich.  I think that covers it.  Nothing fancy..just good cooking.

I only have to help with the cutting and wrapping.  The guys hang meat in the smoke house and have to tend to it so they have a longer day.  I should be done by 2 pm and then the day will be spent hanging out with kids who are home.

Sunday morning the meat comes out of the smoke house and then I’ll be wrapping meat again.

It’s not my favorite job but I don’t mind it if there is help.  The part I really love is having a whole hog in my freezer…Depending on the price of market hogs at the time, we usually can get it entirely paid for with $175-$200.  That’s good eating.

I sprang from the computer and gave my Ruby a whistle,
And away I flew up stairs to bed like the down of a thistle.
But soon I exclaimed, as my eyes shut tight-
“I am butchering hogs tomorrow, I hope I get some sleep tonight.”

….ever get silly tired…I think I am.