Potted Meat (Historical Food Preservation)
Preserving Meat Before Electric Refrigeration
Potted meat is a historical form of food preservation that’s still used in many parts of the world today. Meat is carefully cooked and then sealed with fat or butter, and then stored for many months at a time without spoilage.
If you’ve read my writing for any length of time, you know that I’m a huge nerd for historical food preservation methods. I’m especially attracted to those that are not only effective but delicious, and potted meat fits that bill wonderfully.
Like traditional charcuterie, potting is no longer necessary from a strict food preservation standpoint. However, it’s still practiced because the results are incredibly delicious, even if you don’t use it as a food preservation method.
If you are hoping to preserve meat by potting, there are some very important things you need to know in order to make it work. Don’t worry, I’ll walk you through it…
Read More: Potted Meat (Historical Food Preservation)
Things You Might Need This Week
Foraging Turkey Tail Mushrooms ~ They’re out there all winter long all over the world!
60+ Dandelion Recipes ~ I know y’all in the Pacific North West are already seeing your first dandelions, or so I’ve heard. We won’t see them for many months yet, but if you’ve got ‘em, enjoy ‘em!
How to Make Lotion Bars ~ If winter skin has got you down, these are a great way to banish it for the season.
Seasonal Preserving
Recipes to keep your larder full all year round…in season now:
Preserved Lemons are cured in salt, and develop an intense flavor that’s well known in Mediterranean cuisine (and they last forever that way)
Kumquat Jam is unique and downright delicious while citrus is in season
Pickled Garlic is a great way to use up any bulbs sprouting in your pantry right about now.
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Things I’m Loving
When I sent out my long list of homestead book recommendations on every topic under the sun…lots of you asked for other options to source books…besides you know who. Here are some good options (that still support my work in the process):
Chelsea Green Publishing ~ Many of my very favorite books come from this small publisher right here in Vermont, and you can buy direct. They have multiple warehouse sales per year, ranging from 30 to 50% off.
The Book Depository ~ If you’re not in the US, this is the best place to order books online. Shipping costs can be prohibitive from other retailers, but Book Depository warehouses books in countries all over the world to eliminate those international postage charges.
Bookshop.org ~ A way to buy online from local independent bookstores in your area.
Books A Million (BAM!) ~ Another online retailer that carries most titles.
What are you harvesting, preserving, building, or exploring on your homestead this week? I’d love to hear about it!
Leave me a note in the comments…
(Comments only, please. Emails tend to get lost in my inbox, and as much as I’d love to get back to each and every one, my screen time is very limited…and things fall through the cracks, and emails get buried in my inbox. If you comment here, they’re all in one place, and it’s much easier to get back to every single one.)
Until Next Time,
Ashley at Practical Self Reliance
Hi Ashley, I love historical food preservation methods. We have green beans preserved in salt and my husband made salt pork the old way. We just hung a few jugs for sap season. I've been sorting my garden seeds and planning our garden. We are going to try to grow a year's worth of at least three vegetables: potatoes, winter squash and cabbage. Of course, that could change. We might end up with a year's worth of tomatoes, corn and onions. 😂
Can you speak to the medicinal qualities of garlic being preserved or damaged in the pickling process? I too, can relate to planting hundreds of bulbs, having planted 30 cloves, 2 yrs ago, to 300 last fall, and planning to use my bride's front suburban front lawn to plant more this coming fall and spring. Useless grass for garlic and other veggies is a no-brainer for me, a little harder for my sweetheart. "What will the neighbor's think !?!" My reaction: I wish they would "think".