I was given a great gift from Jeremy a while back and decided to do something with it.
Yes I was given a whole goose breast which was frozen.  I found a recipe, so I thawed the breast and then soaked it in water to draw out some of the blood.  This also helps when I have chicken livers.  I usually soak them as I process the bird or if I have gotten them from someone else I will soak before using.  I then marinated the breast but for only 8 hours. Next time I will be more organized and do the full 24 as the directions recommends. Okay yes I did add bacon to the top of the breast because I have been told wild came can be dry. :-)  I did over cook it going by time instead temp of breast. Will definitely watch temp on the meat next time.  I would definitely fix this again and the stuffing was awesome.  This recipe for Stuffed Goose Breast with Caraway and Apple stuffing came from Food network. Recipe courtesy of Mario Batali. below are my few adjustments. 

People ask how do I know what to get from a Pork when I order the whole thing.  I have broken it down this way to help you out. If you see anything that needs added please let me know.

There are five main sections to Pork, remember there are two of each section (one
for each side of the animal), they are as follows: you can have one side one way
and the other side different.

 The Loin
– We can cut this one of two ways, Pork Chops or Loin Roasts (bone IN or
Boneless The boneless is your tenderloin), For Chops the thickness would need specified (average is7/8”) and then you have the "IOWA chop" at 1 1/2")  and/or
the Roast size in pounds (average 2-3lbs) or larger. There is roughly 9# depending on size of pig.

 We are working with our locker to make loin bacon. But for right now just the above
cuts.

 The Side meat 
-(or also known as the Bellie)  This is the section for bacon (reg or
 thick). Nitrate free (just salt and sugar) or nitrate. Whole
pork belly or They could just fresh slice it, which would be no brine or smoke
at all. Or grind it to add to the ground which is a shame.

 The Ham
- These can be either left fresh, cured with NITRATES some lockers will do it nitrate free (we are working on ours or ground up to add to the
ground/ sausage. Once the above has been decided then you may choose to leave it whole,
cut in half, cut into specified sized roasts or cut steaks. Also, it is popular
to cut center cut ham steaks and leave the ends as roasts. Just specify how
thick to cut the steaks and a weight for the end roasts.

 The Shoulders
– This section is made up of the top portion or known as the Boston Butt (This
is the better of the two roasts) and the lower portion known as the Picnic Still
good for roast. We can leave them as whole shoulders, cut them in half as a whole
boston butt and a whole picnic. They can be cut as specified boston butt roasts
(2-5#) , shoulder roasts Skin on or off.  They can be cut as
steaks specifying the same things or ground up to add with the
ground.

 The Ribs
– This can be left Whole Ribs or otherwise known as Spare Ribs or cut into
smaller portioned  sized pieces which is Short Ribs. Or they can be ground
up to add to the ground. If you get a tenderloin then the ribs that are left are
called baby back ribs.

 Ground
Pork / Sausage
– With the Sausage we have a special blend we have them use and it only has
Salt, Pepper and Sage NO Sugar.  The other one they can do
that is nitrate free is salt, pepper, sage, sugar and red pepper. 
They do have other flavors but are not preservative free. They need a 15#
min for other flavors.

 Jowls
can be made into bacon sliced or left whole or put into ground. If you do this you will not have the other parts of the head.

 Organs, Liver, heart, tongue, you can have these packaged as they are or have them make
it into pork pudding ( like Scrapple without the flour and corn meal).  They will cook down the head for pork pudding.
There is the stomach and chitterlings (the locker we work with now can save the stomach) I haven't had this before but would like to try if anyone is willing to cook some up? 


Hocks and feet/toes These are great for making broth or the hocks putting it into beans.  If you really don't want to mess with them you can have the hocks put into ground.  

Fat back fat and leaf fat 
We take in 10 Pigs at a time so we can have the lard made with just our pigs fat
and the pork pudding also. So you will get your portion with your
order.  It can be about 10 Quarts.  SO IF you are getting lard from another supplier and they are grass fed or are on a specific diet you want, see if they are getting their fat mixed in with all the other pigs they process or are they doing it separate.
 If you want something else we can see what they can do.

Then there is the Head.

Just send an email or call me and I can give you the details of some pork.
December 2014

Barb

I had to make this again, darn so I could take a picture.
By Barb Haigwood with adjustments using  Jennifer Segal, adapted from Rustic Fruit Desserts by Cory Schreiber & Julie Richardson

I halved this recipe and make it in a deep pie dish.  So much easier and faster than a pie (unless your not making a crust :) )
Servings: 8-12
Ingredients For the Dish

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the Topping

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off  (Barb uses 1 cup Almond flour with 2 tlbs arrowroot powder)
• 1-1/3 cups packed light brown sugar  (Barb cuts it down to a little more than 3/4 cup sucannat)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted or salted is fine
• I added a handful of Pecans crushed after mixing the rest of topping ingredients !!!

For the Fruit Filling

• 8 large baking apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick (or More I use a variety)
• 2 cups (8 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1-1/3 cups granulated sugar (Barb cut it down to a little less than a cup)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch ( Barb uses Arrowroot powder)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 3-quart, or 9 x 13-inch, baking dish.
2. To make the topping, mix the oats, flour, brown sugar and salt together in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter, then press the topping together with your hands to form small clumps. Put the topping in the freezer while you assemble the filling. ( oops I did not do this and it turned out well)
3. To make the fruit filling, toss the apples, cranberries, sugar, arrowroot powder and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Transfer the filling to the prepared pan and spread it out, pressing the fruit down into the corners.
4. Press (I didn't press ) the oat crumble evenly over the fruit, then bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the crumble is lightly golden and the filling is bubbling up in the corners. Cool for about 20 minutes to temper the heat before serving, then top with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.
5. Note: This crumble is best served the day it is made, but any leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Reheat in a 300 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until warm.  ( we thought it was also good cold a few days later)

I was given a bunch of tomatoes and finally was able to try a tomato pie.  This may sound weird to some of you but I have never had one.  I have been missing out, but no longer and here is the recipe I found with a little tweaking. It was a hit.  And I am going to make another one to put into the freezer for this winter.  I will let you know how that turns out.
Original recipe from www.Yummly.com the name they have is Tomato Pie with Jalapeños and Bacon.  We ate most of the pie before I remembered to take a picture.
Ingredients:

For the filling:
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, sliced (I peeled by blanching in boiling water first.  Then I gave them a gentle squeeze to get some of the seeds and juice out.)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups (12 ounces) pepper Jack cheese, shredded ( I only had a plain cheese)
(I layered a handful of basil leaves on top of tomatoes)
4 cloves garlic, minced ( I only put in one)
1 jalapeño, seeded and sliced
8 ounces cooked bacon, diced (I didn't have but would be very good also)

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
3/4 cups buttermilk ( I used a runny yogurt that I had on hand) 

Place the sliced tomatoes in a colander and then place the colander in a mixing bowl. Toss the tomatoes with the salt, and allow them to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to extract some of the juices. (I did for an hour or so then patted them dry with a paper towel)

Meanwhile, to make the crust, stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper. Cut into the flour the chilled butter, until the flour has a crumbly, pea-like texture. Stir in the buttermilk and mix until well combined. On a lightly floured surface, turn out the dough and roll it out into it’s about an 11-inch circle. 

Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a deep-dish pie pan or a large cast-iron skillet. Gently lift the dough and place it into the pan, working the dough until the pan is evenly lined with the crust. (Unlike regular pie crusts, I don’t do anything fancy with the top of the crust since it’s puffier than most as it’s a biscuit crust, I simply make sure it goes to the top of the pan.) ( I went up on the edge not all the way enough so the tomatoes don't over flow)

To fill the pie, ( I put a light layer of mustard on the bottom then) sprinkle half of the cheese along the bottom of the crust. Layer in the tomatoes, garlic, jalapeño slices and bacon, topping with the remaining cheese. 

Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and place the pie pan on top. (This is to catch any juices if it boils over.) Slide the sheet into the oven and cook the pie uncovered for 30 minutes or until the crust and cheese are lightly browned and the pie is bubbling.  I used a cast iron pan so didn't need the baking sheet.  (Served 4 of us a nice dinner.)

Yield: 4-8 servings

Here is our recipe for waffles which I make using a cast iron waffle maker.  I got my first one (brand Griswold) from my mom which was originally my grandmothers.  I reconditioned it after my mom had painted the outside. In the picture here I used one of our other cast iron waffle makers.  I have 3 of them, one day I will give Lee and Aleesha each their own.  It is a little heavy for them to be hauling around right now. :-)
This is the easy version but when I have sourdough going I alter the recipe.
1 1/2 C flour 
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
mix dry together 
melt 6 Tlbs butter
1 cup milk
1 Tlb honey or sugar
3 eggs separated  (take the 3 egg whites and whip to stiff peaks)
So add the butter, milk, sweetener and 3 egg yolks to dry. Mix well but don't over mix.
Fold in egg whites, okay if some white clumps show.  
Optional cinn, nutmeg, vanilla etc  you can even add a few berries, fresh do better than frozen. 

I have always used a gas stove top when cooking with my cast-iron waffle maker (WM). Right now I have an electric stove top, so today I used the side burner of the grill to make them.   When cooking them it gets a little smoking in the house.  So outside today was great.
Heat maker on low on grill, about medium a little lower on a gas stove. ( Its been a long time sense I've made them) Flip to pre heat both sides.  Once heated brush with a little lard or olive oil on each side. 
Add a little over a half cup to the hot griddle, close, and set timer for 1 min if temp is right it will take 1 min ( a few seconds longer sometimes TIP set the timer)  Flip and cook another 1 min.  Open slowly and if it looks gold brown it is ready to open and take off. 
Leave the WM in the same position to grease the bottom then flip over to grease less hot side.
repeat with batter....Makes 4

Baked Oatmeal or Oatmeal cake  
  1C. Kefir or Yogurt  (may need more)
  3C. Rolled Oats   mix and soak over night or 24 hours in warm place (this releases the enzyme inhibitor in the oats so you can digest better)

Then mix in 
  1/2 -1c. Maple syrup or honey      
  2 beaten eggs    
  1 tsp Cinn    
  1tsp Redmonds or Celtic salt
  1/2c. Butter melted
  last mix in 2 tsp Aluminum free Baking Powder
 optional ingred. Raisins, Chopped apple, Blueberries, nuts, etc 

Pour into a buttered 9"glass Pan.  Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 min. 

We have had this for breakfast hot out of the oven, put in bowl and pour milk or cream over(like cereal) Or have it like cake.  Bountiful Blessing Barb 

You can leave out the baking powder and eat it raw.  And someone else has baked it without the Baking Powder.  This can be doubled and put into a 9X13 pan also

Barb Haigwood 2007

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