SQ4: In yet another few months...

[Charles Heath]

...at some other event in the distant future, an opportunity exists for a slaughtering and butchering session to provide vittles for the troops. Given this freshly slaughtered animal will probably not be equine, which of the following animals (as if you'll have a choice) would you choose to provide you with a still-quivering, steaming, bloody chunk of flesh:


About a 150 pound pig
A calf of maybe 175 pounds
Three 50 pound goats
Two 80 pound sheep
Eight 20 pound turkeys
Five Guinea hens
A double sawbuck of Capon
I like my chicken frying size. Those laying hens are much too wise.
Bunches of rabbits.
A passle o' Pea hens!
There is a 12 Days of Christmas joke in here somewhere, but I just don't get it.


What do you prefer, and why or why not?

Note: I've seen perfectly sane people dig around in the slop bucket for pieces of fish, so let's not go there just yet.

[Malingerer]

Might this be at an event say... located somewhere on the Virginia Peninsula set in the early summer of '62?
For what its worth, Tarheels have always maintained that 'the other white meat' is the only meat truly fit for the consumption by all but knuckle-dragging Texans who will stoop to cooking a steer and call it BBQ - oh the humanity.

[Suppelsa]

I'll keep dreaming, but when I brought my deer into the processing joint here, there was a 1500 pound cow on the floor.

[Charles Heath]

Peter, you get partial credit for thinking Interstate 64, alas the trip will be westbound. Heck, I may find myself taking I-70 for a good stretch of the ways, since I-64 is so pitiful and poor in the mountains. As you know, BBQ is a religion, and the different synods tend not to agree on meat, preparation, saucing, and a whole host of liturgical points.

Chris, we might have to deal with sides and quarters a little while longer, but keep dreaming. This hobby is much about dreams.

[Rmhisteach]

Charles,

I have cooked a few rabbits at events they are easy to clean but you would need alot of them.

We had a 150lb pig roasted for us at the Park City Greys muster in Kenosha and it was super! They stuffed the belly full of wild rice stuffing it was great.

RM

[bAcK88]

About a 150 pound pig
A calf of maybe 175 pounds
Three 50 pound goats
Two 80 pound sheep
Eight 20 pound turkeys
Five Guinea hens
A double sawbuck of Capon
I like my chicken frying size. Those laying hens are much too wise.
Bunches of rabbits.
A passle o' Pea hens!
There is a 12 Days of Christmas joke in here somewhere, but I just don't get it.



Can we have the entire list for that event? Though if I ate that much I might puke.

Bill

[Charles Heath]

Though if I ate that much I might puke.

Pukin' Bill,

You gonna eat all that? Yikes!

I don't think I want to be there for that regurgitation. :eek:

Just for that, some additional questions may be in order. Oh, the humanity!

[ryanbmm]

I beleave i would choose the 3, 50 pound goats, thats a good supper! Great now i'm hungry!!!

[WestTN_reb]

I know it's not on the list, but deep fried possum would be good eatin'.:D

[Becky Morgan]

Well, he DID say he'd be traveling the interstate on the way there...

[paulcalloway]

Well we did the goat once, courtesy of Matt Woodburn and Joel Dale in Bentonville 2000. People kept remarking what a beautiful goat we had in tow and laughed when we said it was dinner.

That fine goat met its maker Saturday night and a few of us had a very fine meal - the rest of the boys stood off in the background, eating their hardtack and staring at us as if we had committed some mortal sin.

Keep that in mind though - some of these fellas need to get out of their meat market mentality and realize that fresh beef didn't come to our ancesters wrapped in wax paper.

[Matt Woodburn]

Pig or a calf. The fowl are easy to clean and anyone can go bird hunting, unless maybe you are from New York City. Shooting pigeons off the buildings would likely be frowned upon, although the gunfire might not be noticed. I slaughtered a goat we hauled along with the blue column at Bentonville years ago, so that's played out for me. A pig or calf is big enough that you don't see that much in our modern "you get meat at the grocery, right?" world. Either would provide a good experience, butchering or just viewing, and both would provide a fine meal.

[Charles Heath]

Notice barn cat was not included as an option. Those who were at OP2K will get this joke.

I guess Matt & Ed are no longer in the hobby.

[Rmhisteach]

If this scenario involves Matt he may just pull a pig out of his coat.

At I-600 ,food would just appear in his haversack and or lantern?????

Very strange

RM

[AZReenactor]

Sheep sounds god to me. Especially, since I plan to issue mutton on the hoof at one of our future 1st California events here in AZ.

An awful lot of mutton was eaten by troops out here in the Southwest, especially by the Coloradans under Kit Carson when they slaughtered the Navajo herds before forcing that Nation to capitulate and embark on "the Long March".

[Dale Beasley]

Matt,
You can't go jumping into slaughtering a hog. That is a several day job. I remember years ago on my Grandfathers farm they had a hog / couchon killing. I bet there was 40 people there, they made it into a big party. You have to kill, drain, boil, burn, scrape, gut...I just remember it took two days....plus they killed about 10.

[Hank Trent]

Matt,
You can't go jumping into slaughtering a hog. That is a several day job. I remember years ago on my Grandfathers farm they had a hog / couchon killing. I bet there was 40 people there, they made it into a big party. You have to kill, drain, boil, burn, scrape, gut...I just remember it took two days....plus they killed about 10.

Linda planned to have the soldiers forage a pig for Struggle for Statehood, and that's what several people told her. The pig was only about 60 pounds though for thirty men. She looked at period accounts and saw soldiers were going from live pig to pork dinner in a few hours on Sherman's march, and in fact, at the event, one man and a few helpers turned it into edible meat in an afternoon.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Charles Heath]

You can't go jumping into slaughtering a hog.

Hawg? What hawg? We are are talking pig. I sure am glad we didn't use some fancy term like "shoat." :rolleyes:

[Spinster]

Matt,
You can't go jumping into slaughtering a hog. That is a several day job. I remember years ago on my Grandfathers farm they had a hog / couchon killing. I bet there was 40 people there, they made it into a big party. You have to kill, drain, boil, burn, scrape, gut...I just remember it took two days....plus they killed about 10.

Dale, the difference in the process here is due to the fact that your folks (and mine) preserved eveything, including the squeal. Here the desired outcome is just big pork chunks---essentially the 19th century version of 'fast food'

When one wants cracklins and sausage and chitlins and soup bones and jarred meat and save the hide for slippers is where the two day party comes in.

Last did one of those kinds of put-ups in 1977.....and Mama got unhappy with me about how the hide was done,

[Charles Heath]

"...and in fact, at the event, one man and a few helpers turned it into edible meat in an afternoon."

Funny you should mention Don. ;)

[LindaTrent]

She looked at period accounts... from live pig to pork dinner in a few hours...Here's one account that I had found that shows they devoured everything except the squeal in one 24 hour period. :D

After an hour or so of recoisance among the farms of the neighborhood, he came in with about a peck of meal and a fat pig weight about 30 lbs. He preferred that we should not be too inquisitive as to how he came into the possession of the pig, and without arguing the question with him, we soon had a camp kettle filled with fresh pork on a good fire, while we converted the meal into old time ashcakes. It may hardly seems beleivable, but before mighnight [midnight?] there was little or nothing of that pig or peck of meal to be found, and eight fat sleek soldiers lay down for sound sleep without the annoyance of "Knawing stomachs".

Civil War Memoirs of Kingman Porter Moore, M.D. of Pike County, Georgia (http://www.rootsweb.com/~gapike/CWMemories2.htm)

Linda

[Spinster]

Here's one account that I had found that shows they devoured everything except the squeal in one 24 hour period. :D



Miz Trent--the squeal is considered to have been devoured when someone sez "WWWWooooooooeeeeeeeee, that was some fine dinner":tounge_sm

From that account, those boys got the job done, even if they did not have souse nor slippers to show for it.:D

[Matt Woodburn]

I forgot about that barn cat I brought to into camp. Matt and Ed Kirsch were the only ones to help me eat it. I caught fresh meat for the officer's mess, but they were so squeamish about the whole affair I said pass the word to the ranks. Ed Kirsch came in from the darkness shortly after I pulled Miss Kitty from the fire. I'll never forget him saying, "I hear you have fresh meat," and I said help yourself. The leg bones began cracking as he pulled a hind quarter loose, and I thought a couple of the city officers were going to puke. Big laughs!

[Charles Heath]

Matt, I have been blamed for killing, cooking, and eating one of Lee White's Grandma's barn cats for years. I'm glad the true and unvarnished story finally came to light from the actual culprit at OP2K. That is Post of The Decade Material.

Ed was always a hoot. He has to be getting close to 70, and has probably retired from MSFC on Redstone Arsenal. I wonder what happened to the other Matt? Hmmm.

[Spinster]

Chawls,

Folks will still blame you.

Doesn't matter what known honest feller owns up with his hand on what stack of holy books, folks will still blame you.

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Stevie-the-Ox, we hardly knew ye, but your tail made good soup at Bentonville 2000.

And your cousin made good soup at Arcade 2003. After Goat Willis ripped the hide off it and used it to scare small children from the interpretive area.

Fresh meat--as in the type that walked into the event--is under-represented in the hobby. :D

[Charles Heath]

Stevie-the-Ox, we hardly knew ye, but your tail made good soup at Bentonville 2000.

O'Bee,

That tail is still in the Columbia Rifles' museum in John Tobey's basement, and in great condition I might add. Located right next to your can of "ass sap," as I recall. Next time I visit, I need to bring up that 29th Mass. marker for inclusion in the holy relics.

[DougCooper]

In order:

oink

baah

moo

bleet

ahhh, what's up doc?

[Charles Heath]

Survey says it's likely to be oink at two, and moo at one. Maybe.

Roadkill is always an option.

[Rob Murray]

I like veal.

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Charles,

Would "pie on the hoof" be an option? If so, that gets my vote.

[Charles Heath]

Kevin,

At one event you may indeed get your fill of blackcaps, red raspberries, and ripe cherries. The latter being well documented, and I need not explain to you the need for more than just a modicum of control when it comes to ingesting fresh fruit. A certain causal relationship exists not wholly unlike being able to "hit a dime at ten paces." The collective marchers believe you became familiar with the masked battery unleashing its considerable fury somewhere along the Wilson-Newfane Road not all that long ago.

Many moons ago, in a hobby far away, the event organ grinders thought it cute and fun to put the "camplaigners" in a briar filled valley. Said valley was surely cumbersome and desolate looking during the winter site visits, and much to their surprise (and our collective delight) the 200 yard wide by half mile long valley was filled with perfectly ripe red raspberries in July.

My favorite berry picking had to be the "Valley of the Dewberries" at Raymond I. Cornbread, Roach, Rat, Cotton, Tomski, Pappa Wainwright....I know you are out there somewhere.

[mslaird]

I forgot about that barn cat I brought to into camp. Matt and Ed Kirsch were the only ones to help me eat it. I caught fresh meat for the officer's mess, but they were so squeamish about the whole affair I said pass the word to the ranks. Ed Kirsch came in from the darkness shortly after I pulled Miss Kitty from the fire. I'll never forget him saying, "I hear you have fresh meat," and I said help yourself. The leg bones began cracking as he pulled a hind quarter loose, and I thought a couple of the city officers were going to puke. Big laughs!

How on Earth did you manage to catch the barn cat? Those critters are mighty mean things and they aren't to partial to being caught much less et.

[Spinster]

My favorite berry picking had to be the "Valley of the Dewberries" at Raymond I. Cornbread, Roach, Rat, Cotton, Tomski, Pappa Wainwright....I know you are out there somewhere.

While I cannot account for all your berry filled brethren---Pappa Wainwright is now picking an instrument this very night, with a little minstrel band called Kracker Dan, on the ground of a wonderful 1840's home. Since the weather is nice, I imagine the grand babies came out a-dancing as well, for it is pretty much a family band, with extras.

And, just in case there is a woman out there somewhere who feels underappreciated or unremembered for her efforts in this hobby---Pappa Wainwright still carries a now-tattered silk ribbon, tied to his buttonhole by a pretty gal on the Raymond March.

[Rev]

While I cannot account for all your berry filled brethren---Pappa Wainwright is now picking an instrument this very night, with a little minstrel band called Kracker Dan, on the ground of a wonderful 1840's home. Since the weather is nice, I imagine the grand babies came out a-dancing as well, for it is pretty much a family band, with extras.

And, just in case there is a woman out there somewhere who feels underappreciated or unremembered for her efforts in this hobby---Pappa Wainwright still carries a now-tattered silk ribbon, tied to his buttonhole by a pretty gal on the Raymond March.

Yes, that is precisely where he was. And, a good time was had by all. Stephen really knows how to lead a dance! The weather was gorgeous. And, the setting is always nice. It's more than just and 1840's house, you know ;)

If everything falls together, Kracker Dan will be at Fort Gaines this coming weekend.

Oh, that ribbon is still there. I just saw it a few days ago.