Nowadays you don’t know any better, you buy meat at the supermarket or at the butcher. That used to be different! At the end of November, in fresh and clear weather, the house butcher came to the farm to slaughter a pig. He cut it in half and hung the pig on a ladder to curt. After the slaughter, the women were busy with it.
From the blood they made bar mush. Lard was ground and melted out. From the cup they made head cheese and a portion went into the liver sausage. The hams were salted, put in jars and put in the cellar. They rinsed the intestines clean and filled them with ground meat for liver, blood, dry or sausage.
After 10 days of brining, they hung the hams in the attic or in the kitchen to dry. Some of it was smoked. From the thirties of the last century people switched to wecken, pickling in glass. The meat was first boiled or roasted and then sterilized. In the basement of the farm there are still those glasses. In the kitchen above the stove you can see the hams hanging.
November Slaughter Month! On the Locht we want to honour the past. That is why a butcher will be present in our museum on Sunday 12 November. Among other things, he shows how he bones a ham and processes meat. Come and have a look and feel free to ask all kinds of questions. He will be happy to explain his profession.