Hillside Homestead (Suttons Bay, Michigan) Blog

Pork Preservation Success!!!

March 10th, 2013 by Susan Odom

We’ve had a huge success here at Hillside Homestead with our historic meat preservation experiments. Hog butchering was Dec 13, 2012. Much of that meat was salt cured and some of it was stored in crocks in between layers of lard. And the larded meat has been a big success. Yesterday we opened the crocks and took out the first layer. One crock was packed with raw pork chops and another with cooked pork chops. All beautiful and good! A third crock with raw bratwurst in casings went bad, I think that was because there was some air in the casings. More on that later and plans for butchering 2013

Packing meat in lard is a very old food preservation technique. This meat will stay good as long as they lard is cold and firm down in the cellar, i.e. probably till May. Here is the story in pictures….

This is back in December. The cooked pork chops are in the crock on the left and melted lard has been poured over the first layer. The raw chops are on the right and again liquid lard.

And here is another cooked pork chop going in

and now for the beginning of the unveiling….. looks like and smells like fresh pork!

two of the raw pork chops excavated from their lard layer and ready for extraction!

First beautiful pork chop comes out o the crock just as good as it was 3 months ago, without any electric refrigeration or freezing!

Here are two raw pork chops ready for the oven and two cooked pork chops. The lard only stuck to the cooked food and not the raw

The 3 month old pork chops are dressed with my homemade kraut, caraway, sage, pepper and salt and a little lard. Ready for the oven

The final results! Yum! We forgot to take a picture before we helped ourselves, an honest mistake.

The pork chops were Delicious and preserved perfectly sweet! I feel a great success in recreating this historic food technique!

Tags: butchering, farm, food, homesteading, pork. lard, preservation
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Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference

January 31st, 2013 by Susan Odom

Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference

I was fortunate and able to attend the Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference this past Saturday January 26 in Grayling, Michigan. It was an educational day and a chance to see old friends and meet new people. I attended 3 sessions

Dairying without antibiotics
Regenerative Soil Care
Basic Meat curing at Home

In the Dairy session I learned all kinds of interesting things that can be done to raise a herd of dairy cow without frequent doses of antibiotics as is the mainstream method. I give these farmers a lot of credit, it is not an easy path they have chosen but they are committed to it. I attended this session because someday I hope to keep a dairy cow and I was just gathering some info as I begin to think how I might ever achieve the dream of a milk cow. Some of their discussions were a bit over my head at times but I took away that there is a lot that can be done with feed and supplements to promote health. For different situations they use doses of Vitamin C, diatomaceous earth, minerals missed with kelp and probiotics. Sorry I don’t have much more detail than that but it did open my eyes to the possibilities of medication free dairy. Something to think about for the future.

Craig Schaaf’s Soil session was amazing. I really am not a great gardener and he gave me a lot of good ideas, or rekindled them in me. He very passionately explained why double digging at first and then followed up broad folk when needed is best, it does not break up the soil profile and especially the webs and fibers of mushroom colonies under the surface. I came away with the idea in my head that mineral depleted soils produce bland and flat tasting veggies. He thinks his veggies taste so good because of his mineral dense soils. And we need to focus on carbon, growing carbon producing plants like wheat, barley and oats. He thinks that should be 60% of your profile and 30% root crops and 10% in veggies. Growing your own carbon to return to the soil is better than bringing in ‘carbon’ from some other land, i.e. purchased comost, manure, straw. The biggest idea I came away with is to strive to be a net producer instead of a net consumer. I have a lot of improvement to make.

Chef Steven Grostick was very informative and filled with experience based knowledge. I know Steven, so perhaps I am biased! He covered basic meat curing focusing on bacon. He likes diamond krystal kosher salt best! I might switch. We had a long discussion on the pink salt… which is nitrites and why he has to use in it retail/restaurant settings. But Salt will naturally produce nitrites and nitrates during the salt curing process. There was a discussion that this is not a bad thing and that the quantity is not over the top as it is in cheaply made, mass produced bacon and other cured products. White mold is good and green and black are bad. Good lessons to live by. He helped me with some questions I had as I am actually salt curing some meat down in my cellar right now!

The Keynote speaker, Jason Rowntree, did a great job of explaining his ‘middle of the road’ understanding and appreciation of ‘triple bottom line’ agriculture. That means that the bottom line is not just profit, but it also includes sustainability, especially in regard to resources and community building. Lots of fodder to think about! He invited everyone to his research station in Lake City where they are doing some interesting cattle grazing research.

It was a great day and I recommend going if you are able. Next year it is Feb 1, 2014 and it is being held in a new location, the Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City.

Info on the conference can be found at http://smallfarmconference.com/

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Not your mother’s Granola

January 12th, 2013 by Susan Odom

Spending some time tonight with a new cook book, well new to me; it is called “Science in the Kitchen.” I have a second edition which was published in 1904 I think. I’m trying to find some new and exciting ideas for dishes to serve to vegetarians! Of course it is uncommon to abstain from meet during the 19th and early 20th centuries, but some of my guests don’t eat meat so I must find ways to please them.

Cook Book focusing on cooking without meat. Published 1904

This cook book came out of the wellness movement that was started in Battle Creek, Michigan circa 1880. It was written by Mrs. Ella Eaton Kellogg who for more than 10 years organized the cooking school and meals served to the hundreds of ‘inmates’ at the health sanatorium in Battle Creek. Preserving and promoting health through the proper diet and foods that could be completely digested were primary goals of Mrs. Kellogg and her meals did not include any kind of meat or animal flesh.

An important chapter in the book all about Legumes. I do love the graphics!

I’m narrowing in on some dinner options. Black bean soup, squash a la Parmesan which are good recipes I already make. From the cook book I am considering, bean patties, marbled beans, bean and lentil patties, dried corn, crisps, sweet potatoes baked, parsnips and potatoes, mashed split peas. The cook book also has lots of recipes for entrees made with Protose and Granose and Granola; all of which were manufactured foods one purchase through the Sanitarium Food Co. in Battle Creek, Michigan. They were made of nut and grain products.

Protose is a ingredient used is these dishes. It is a manufactured food available from the Sanatorium Food Co. in Battle Creek, Michigan. They also sold Granose and Granola.

It is a great book to read and it certainly illustrates an interesting health food movement that we have long forgotten. It is the first time I have ever seen the word Granola in an historic cook book and how interesting that is a manufactured food you have to ‘send away for’ all the way to the sanatorium in Battle Creek, Michigan.

The short story is from the book and certainly states the bias of the book and even wags a finger at one of my favorites, mince pie!

Woman (to tramp) – “I can give you some cold buckwheat cakes and a piece of mince pie.”
Tramp – (frightened) “What ye say”
Woman – “Cold buckwheat cakes and mince pie.”
Tramp – (heroically ) “ Throw in a small bottle of pepsin, Madam and I’ll take the chances.”

The book also includes canning instructions. Great stuff!

Science in the Kitchen also bemoans the custom of serving jams, preserves and pickles. Here is a tray of those very things, apple butter, apricot jam, asparagus pickle, rummage pickle, euchered plums, butter and cream.

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Thankful

November 7th, 2012 by Susan Odom

As Thanksgiving approaches many folks start thinking of all their blessings. I have many. I sit here this morning drinking coffee with yummy local milk and cream. I am thankful for my farming neighbors who work so hard. The sun is shining and I am thankful for this big beautiful world I live in and especially thankful for my little corner here on the Leelanau peninsula.

I am thankful that I have such a great job/life here at Hillside. I am thankful that I have the energy and stamina for the hours that I work and the gratification it gives me. I am blessed.

I am thankful for the kind guests who come through my door and share my home and food with me. I want to share a nice note I received from one of my guests lately. It made me feel so good…

Just wanted to let you know how much our group enjoyed the dinner at Hillside Homestead. It was a delightful and delicious evening. The careful research and execution you bring to your home and dinner, as well as your warmth and gracious hospitality make for a memorable event. We wish you success in your exciting venture. And, we’re thinking maybe a smaller group of ham-lovers might make a return trip!

And her comment at the end about ham made me laugh out loud! I love good ham too. I hope they are able to come back for some good old ham! So thank you for reading! And I hope you find reasons for thanks-giving.

I’m thankful for the wonderful seventh graders who came here recently on a field trip and had a great time using the hand pump in the kitchen.

Tags: food, lifestyle
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Ways to Stay at Hillside Homestead – a historic farmstay.

October 18th, 2012 by Susan Odom

There is always something good for breakfast at Hillside Homestead

Hillside Homestead is a historic farmstay. You are probably now wondering what a farmstay is. A farmstay is sort of like a B&B (a new word in the 1970’s) but it is more than just a bed and a plate of breakfast in the morning. At Hillside you can spend the night and have that wonderful plate of breakfast, but you can also schedule a historic dinner experience, have a group party, meeting or field trip and even classes. There are many ways to stay at Hillside. Contact me, Susan Odom for more info. I would be glad to help! phone is 231-271-1131 or email me here.

The Maple room is the largest of the 3 guest rooms at Hillside. Plain, simple, uncomplicated. no issues. what a relief.

My wonderful wood cook stove, a Round Oak Range. Busy doing her thing on a recent morning.

Tags: food
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