Canning cheese and turkey bacon

How do you can cheese and can you can turkey bacon?

Buffy Oyler
Garfield, Arkanasa

Here’s a link for canning cheese instructions: http://www.backwoodshome.com/advice/ajo061220.html. Directions are also found in my book Growing and Canning Your own Food.

Yes, you can can turkey bacon just like you do regular bacon. I’d advise doing a small amount to see how you like it. Turkey bacon is made of processed meat where regular bacon is cut strips from whole meat. — Jackie

Raising pigs

I have a question about pigs — I believe you have some — what breed/s are they? Do you butcher them yourself and smoke the cuts or do you take it to an abattoir/slaughterhouse. We make all our own bacon and are going to try the Buckboard bacon recipe which was printed in BHM issues #131 by Tanya Kelly. Have you ever made buckboard bacon? Do you make any dry sausages like salami — that will be by next test as I already make raw sausages. We buy all of our meat from a local farmer who does CSA with vegetables too. Their farm is called Rock n Horse outside of Ottawa Ontario. He has no tractors and does all his work with horses including when he taps the maple trees for syrup. We just bought half a cow with another family and yes the taste of locally grown meat is fantastic. We also buy chickens and lamb from him and I am hoping to get some ducks for Christmas. His pork comes from Tamworth and Berkshire crosses.

Just got all of your Ask Jackie Clay books — love it — so much easier to find the answers now that they are categorized.

M. Blaney
Farmgirlwanabe

Yes, we have pigs: two sows, two gilts, two boars, plus assorted smaller pigs. We have Red Wattles and some crossbreds that are Yorkshire and Red Wattle. We really like our Red Wattles’ meat and their personalities, too. We have usually done our own butchering, but lately we take it to a local processing plant as we are so busy these days (and over the half century mark) and for 45 cents a pound, we feel it’s a good deal for all concerned.

No, I haven’t made Buckboard Bacon yet. But I do plan on it when we get our next pig butchered. I do can bacon, but usually can thick slices and pieces of slab bacon without the masking paper.

Yes, I’ve done smoked and dry sausages. They’re really not that hard; you’ll love them!

Working with horses is something both Will and I love. Will used to be a horse logger back in Washington, in fact.

You’re right; once you taste real homegrown meat, you’d hate to go back to store-bought meat ever again. It’s so good!

I’m glad to hear you like the “Ask Jackie” books. Boy, they do cover quite a few years, don’t they? — Jackie