jasdip, we've had some discussions here on this lately, it's becoming more popular every day, I think. I'll be doing some in the next month or so, when we have the pigs processed.

If you plan to render lard, just remember to keep your heat low and melt it slowly. I keep mine in the freezer in pint canning jars, 2 cups is a good amount that I can use up before it gets rancid. It does keep a long time, but will go "off" if left too long.

Isn't it funny how the "real food" has become good for you and the stuff that was supposed to be better (like shortening) is now bad for you? LOL Grandma used to tell me that if it wasn't a food 100 years ago, it's not a food today.

Annie

This post was edited by annie1992 on Mon, Feb 24, 14 at 21:30

I was given a quart mason jar of lard, rendered by a friend from his organically raised pigs. It was great.

If you do a lot of baking, you can't beat lard for crusts; especially prized is lard made from the leaf fat around the kidneys.

Annie, I didn't realize it's been discussed before. Shoot, I could have just searched it, instead of re-hashing it.

Do you like the idea of the slow cooker, or do you do it on the stove?

Here is one link.

Trailrunner had a great post about her lard rendering process, to which I have pointed before. I will see if I can find it again. May be a KAW (Kitchens at Work) post.

Here is a link that might be useful: How to render lard

Here is Caroline's post.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg111307161004.html

KD, your first link is the same one that I have on my post at the top. It's fascinating.

I'll certainly read the thread that you posted as well. I see that was on the Kitchens forum, and I don't go there.
Thanks so much!

This post was edited by jasdip on Tue, Feb 25, 14 at 9:19

jasdip, I've done it both ways. If I have a lot of fat, I'll use the big roasting pan, but if I'm doing a smaller amount that will fit into the crockpot, I'll use that, it doesn't have to be watched as closely, so that's a benefit.

Several here have rendered their own lard lately, so there are a few more threads.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cooking/msg111425404251.html

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cooking/msg091858563078.html?4

I hope those come out as clickable links, I'm leaving now to go babysit for Ashley's girls and she works 12 hour shifts, so I'm "working" a 12 hour shift too, LOL. I'll try to check back in tonight.

Annie

Oh, I'm so excited. I called a butcher shop and they don't sell pig fat etc, but he did refer me to a Mennonite butcher.
I'm in Mennonite country, here in Ontario.

I called the nicest guy and he sells the fat, skin on or off, but also sells the lard itself. Nice white lard that the Mennonites use for baking. Sold!! He also sells chickens (dead, LOL) and all of the vegetables home-grown, unwashed potatoes (they keep the best), etc etc.

I'm going out on Friday and can't wait!

Jasdip - I'm envious! How fun!

Now that sounds like my kind of shopping! Stock up, and be sure to take pictures!

Annie

We just got back. The chickens were packed in boxes, obviously he sells them to stores. Gorgeous, plump specimens of perfection. We're having that on Sunday.
The lard was in a container, 7 lb. I'll be putting it in sour cream containers for the freezer.

The potato is a Yukon Gold, we went to the cold storage area where he had bins of carrots, potatoes, cabbages, apples, garlic, 10-lb bags of beautiful large onions (I hate buying bags of onions and they are all small). I wish I needed onions, but I don't.

He took a 10-lb bag and filled it to the brim, where I couldn't even close it, of Yukon golds. The carrots are unwashed, really dirty, and he put a bunch in a plastic grocery bag. The cabbage is huge, for $1, I have to cut it in half to fit in the frig.

We had a great time, and will be going back!!
We bought a cabbage,5 lb carrots, 10 lb potatoes, a 7 lb chicken (huge!) for $20. The 7 lb of lard was $10.

He sells the potatoes at 50 lb for $15. Potatoes are expensive here, generally $4, easy or more for 10 lb bag.

Wow, you did well indeed.

Here I can get potatoes on sale for $1.99 for 8 pounds, there's no such thing as a 10 pound bag anymore. It's the "downsize the package and they won't notice it costs more per pound" theory and it drives me crazy. They aren't Yukon Golds, though.

And cabbage is 49 cents a pound, so you really did well, I'd be going back too.

Oh, and I'd definitely be packaging the lard in smaller packages, LOL.

Annie

Hi Annie!
I put all the lard in smaller containers; the smallest ones I have. 8-oz cream cheese and chip-dip containers. They are the right size.

I made dinner tonite using some goodies. I sauteed shredded cabbage, carrots and onions in a bit of lard. Lately the cabbage that we've been buying has been tough to chew. This cabbage was wonderful! Hubby says no more buying from the grocery store, we'll go right to him to buy them, and we love cabbage; there's always one in the frig.

I fried pork chops in a bit of lard and we loved them as well. So tender, which probably had nothing to do with the lard, but we were excited. LOL.

We're definitely going back again. He'll be doing lard again in the spring, he doesn't do it at all in the summer, too busy with his other vegetables etc. NOT that I'll be needing lard any time soon!

In the summer they have watermelons, cantaloupe, and more.

Isn't it fun when you find a new and relatively local source of produce or other food? And more cheaply too, double bonus!

I've long said that the closer your food is to home, the better it is. It only makes sense that a cabbage that's been grown next door and harvested last week is going to be better than one harvested 4 months ago and delivered by truck from thousands of miles away. It's one of the reasons I refuse to eat tomatoes when they are not in season here, I've never had a hothouse tomato or one shipped from somewhere else that was worth a darn, they're all picked green so they aren't mush by the time they get here.

Too bad I can't figure out how to grow coffee, Meyer lemons and figs in Michigan, LOL.

Annie