[AT] Scrapple & Head Cheese

[Ralph Goff]

Cecil, great story on the chickens and hog butchering. I guess its a part of
most farm kids education to help out with those jobs. My earliest
recollections of it was the amazement of just how lively a headless chicken
could be.
After I got a little older I graduated to the job of holding the chicken
while my Dad chopped off the head. Amazing how strong some of those roosters
were and how they struggled after their head was cut off. That part and the
plucking of feathers never bothered me. But if I had to get involved in the
gutting I don't think I could ever eat chicken for a long while after that.
My preference now is the Colonel's fried chicken.

Ralph in Sask.
http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/lgoff/latestpage.html

----- Original Message -----
From: Cecil E Monson <cmonson at hvc.rr.com>
To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2004 6:09 PM
Subject: Re: [AT] Scrapple & Head Cheese


> Bear, all these stories bring back memories to me too. > So far, no one
who lived on a farm has mentioned chickens and
> sending the kids out to "get a nice rooster for supper". I have to
> believe a lot of us went thru the routine of catching a "nice rooster"
> for our mothers.  We never bought chicken in a butcher shop or in a
> store as long as I lived on the farm. We raised chicks every year and
> the roosters were fair game when it came time to get one or two to eat.
> Generally when we got company we knew we were in for a nice meal and
> were waiting for the chance to go catch one. We never failed to ask if
> we could use the rifle instead of a wire with a hook on the end but my
> mother would never allow that. She was always afraid we would shoot them
> and mess up the meat. The drill was to get a "nice" one. I don't know
> why that term was always used unless it was that she wanted one that was
> lively and healthy. We were always glad to oblige with the catching. When
> it came time to chop the heads off, that was my job as I was the oldest.
> We had a stump over by the machine shed for this purpose and one of my
> youngest brothers would hold the chicken by the feet while I performed
> the hatchet job. Then I either had to grab and hold the chicken quick or
> my younger brothers would drop the headless rooster on the grass to see
> him jump. This infuriated my mother who didn't want the chicken "all
> messed up". Once we brought my mother the headless chicken, that was the
> end of our work. All we had to do then was wait for the meal. For some
> reason, chicken has never tasted quite as good to me as it did there on
> the farm as a kid. Maybe my taste buds aged by the time I left but I
> just have a feeling that those chickens raised free roam and fed nothing
> but good grain, besides never being over a year old, were better eating
> than any you could buy in a store. Maybe it had something to do with
> eating the meat within an hour or so after killing it, whatever it was
> I sure liked those fried chicken meals of my mother's.
>
> So thanks for the stories - all of you. It woke me up too.
> Sorry this is so long but I hope some of you stayed for the chicken.
>
> Cecil
> --
> The nicest thing about telling the truth is you never have to wonder
> what you said.
>
> Cecil E Monson
> Lucille Hand-Monson
> Mountainville, New York   Just a little east of the North Pole
>
> Allis Chalmers tractors and equipment
>
> Free advice
>
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