Well, we got ourselves all excited about spring coming, and now winter has returned with a vengeance. Right now we are in a winter storm warning, with three to eight inches of snow expected, along with 40 mph winds. Since I last wrote, we've had four storms, dumping some much-needed snow on our parched pasture. We are thankful for the moisture and don't mind delaying our spring outdoor activities.
We have radishes and peas growing in one of our hoophouses, and even with the very cold temperatures (lows of around 5 degrees), the peas seem to be making it. The radishes look a bit frost-bitten, and probably won't make it. Since we are getting our typical March weather in April instead, we will probably delay more plantings for a few weeks.
One exciting development recently is that we've been experimenting with charcuterie (artisan sausage making and meat curing). We have for a couple of years offered bulk fresh sausages in three blends: sweet Italian, medium Italian, and breakfast. Well, we finally bought that stuffer we've been contemplating for a number of years, and the sausage making has greatly expanded.
Over the past couple of months we've worked up recipes for several new sausages. We now have an andouille that is very good and has received very positive reviews. We also have a tasso ham that is very good (a Cajun ham, not a stuffed sausage, but inspired by our experimentation with andouille). While also not sausages, we have two types of pancetta and two types of guanciale (both types of Italian bacon) now curing in our cooler. We also have three excellent bratwursts, three very different sausages patterned after different regions in Germany. Next on the list are a dry-cured Spanish chorizo and a fresh Mexican chorizo.
You can see that the ethic base for our interest in charcuterie is broad: Cajun, Italian, German, Spanish, Mexican. I am of German descent, and we have traveled over much of Europe over the past few decades and sampled the cuisine in many countries. Sausage is wonderful stuff. It's interesting to see how many totally unique flavors a person can make with three things on the ingredients list: pork, salt, and spices. It's of course the spices that make it interesting.
Sausage makers are a dime a dozen, and I can think of at least five in our immediate area, plus the grocery stores that make their own. Is there really a need for another? We believe what makes us unique are three primary factors: 1) We use our own pork, which is mostly Berkshire, and we know what's gone into the animals. We also don't just use scraps and trimmings -- the last batches have included most of the cuts from the pig, including the fresh hams. 2) We have a passion for developing delicious recipes that are as close to the ethnic intent as possible. 3) We don't use fillers such as soy protein powder, or ingredients like MSG or high fructose corn syrup. Certain types of dry cured sausages will initially have to have nitrates, but once we perfect a recipe we will start to experiment with making them like we make our bacon, with no added nitrates. We'll keep you posted on how that goes.
