Page 13 - Guide_EN

Once smoked or cured, this meat would keep for a lot longer. Roast pork, escalopes, knuckles and innards were much coveted delicacies. The trotters were gnawed upon and the cheeks provided an excellent source of fat. The life of a pig was determined how the farm was running. As long as enough skimmed milk and whey was being produced as by-products of the cheese making process, the pigs would be fattened up on this as well as grass. When the milk and therefore cheese production decreased, due to a cow being preg- nant for example, it was time for a pig to be slaughtered. This was often timed to coordinate with a special occasion like a wedding. The invited guests, family and neighbours dined on the fresh meat and sausages. As mentioned, meat was only eaten on special occasions – weddings, the parish fair in October, at Christmas and other holy celebrations. Below is a description of a typical work day: The day began at around 4am – the farmer would go to the animal shed to milk the cows, feed the pigs and smaller livestock and muck out etc. Although the animals did help to warm the animal shed up a little, it must have been a shock to go from a warm cosy bed to the animal shed on a cold winter’s day! The farmer’s wife would light the fire and prepare the kitchen utensils.The farms were mainly subsistence farms. The produce was used immediately. The farmers and the farmhands were a well-coordinated team who worked quickly and efficiently to complete their tasks. The cream was separated from the milk by a centrifuge. The cream was then converted into butter. The centri- fuge and butter churn can be seen in the kitchen. When there was more milk available, cheese was produced – the milk from the previous evening was often mixed with the fresh milk in order for there to be enough. The skimmed milk and any other milk left over from the cheese making process was either fed to the pigs or made into “Schotten” which was kept, dried and sometimes smoked. 11