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Head, heart, hams, and health
Rutherford County 4-H’ers learn the lost art of meat preservation
| Story and photos by Mark E. Johnson |
9/28/2012 |
Eyes widened and mouths gaped. For several seconds, there is total silence among the stunned fifth- and sixth-grade 4-H’ers as they get their first look into a large, commercial cooler where fresh hams — hundreds of them — are stacked like cordwood.
“Here are your hams,” says Bob Woods, owner of Murfreesboro’s The Hamery, a small company that cures, cooks, and packages pork products. “What do y’all think?”
“Wow…,” someone whispers.
It is a cool January evening, and the 2011-2012 Rutherford County 4-H Country Ham Project Group has gathered for its first hands-on session. The group initially met the previous October at The Hamery to get an idea of what they would be doing over the yearlong project that would culminate with their hams being shown at the Wilson County Fair, Tennessee State Fair, and Spring Hill Ham Festival. But this night, they are actually getting their hands dirty — er, salty — as they choose their hams and start curing them.
“OK, who wants to pick out their ham first?” asks Bob, a longtime member of Rutherford Farmers Cooperative. Ten hands shoot up. One by one, the kids pick out a ham and, with Bob’s help, thoroughly rub salt into the pinkish-white skin.
“This is the first step,” he explains. “You’ll be amazed how your ham will change.”
Some eight months later, the group is back at The Hamery after meeting several more times to perform other steps in the curing process — hanging, trimming, and smoking their hams. Now seasoned country ham “veterans,” the 4-H’ers make final preparations before their cuts are judged at the Wilson County Fair in mid-August. The room brims with tense excitement as the kids, outfitted with white aprons and plastic gloves, rub pork grease on their hams to make them shine and bring out the golden color. For some, though, winning a blue ribbon isn’t a priority.
“I just want to eat it!” says 11-year-old Sam Johnson of Murfreesboro. “It’s cool to know that I’ve made my own food in an old-fashioned way. I’m sure it’ll be awesome!”
Indeed, the process the 4-H’ers use is essentially the same as their American ancestors from several centuries ago, says Bob.
“The process of salt-curing meat dates back into antiquity, although the American tradition can be traced to the late 16th century,” he says. “Not much has changed.”
Native Americans, he says, taught settlers in Jamestown, Va., how to use “magic white sand” to cure the meat of area wild hogs — descendants of the original herd of 13 domestic swine brought to the New World by explorer Hernando de Soto in 1539. Because the coastal climate and food source were so conducive to hog reproduction, the animals soon became the main protein source for settlers and created an urgency for preservation.
“Obviously, people didn’t have refrigerators back then,” Bob says. “They had to find ways that didn’t involve cold air to preserve meat. Even less than 100 years ago, folks were using this same salt-curing method to preserve meat; the refrigerator didn’t become popular until the 1930s.”
Salt-curing, he says, became most popular in the Southeast U.S. due to particular weather conditions.
“Our region of the country was blessed with the climate that allowed pioneers to salt their meat down and cure it in the winter,” he says. “When spring arrived, the meat was preserved and wouldn’t spoil, even if you just hung it up on your back porch.”
Rubbing salt on a fresh ham, Bob explains, draws the moisture from the meat to a level where the bacteria that spoil foods cannot grow. The process of aging in an environment of consistent heat and smoke helps cure the meat while locking in flavor.
“It’s what makes a country ham a country ham,” says Bob with a smile. “We try to do it right, and we want other people to learn how, too.”
Bob’s philosophy was the genesis of the project group, which came about in 2007 as he manned a booth for his company at the Murfreesboro Farmers Market, then located at Historic Cannonsburgh. Bob says he struck up a friendship with Rutherford County Extension agent Barbara Davenport, whose 4-H booth was located near his.
“We would talk while business was slow,” recalls Barbara, the project group coordinator. “We agreed that something needed to be done to teach the lost art of curing to the current generation of kids. Born from that discussion was a program first called ‘Heritage Skills.’ It later became the country ham group.”
Bob says he was eager to help educate school kids — and their parents — about not only the curing process but also the heritage associated with country ham.
“This product is all about traditions,” he says. “As refrigeration became commonplace and processed foods have become the norm, cured ham has decreased in popularity, although it is still closely associated with the holiday season. But if we don’t continue with these traditions, chicken tenders and pizza will replace country ham and sweet potatoes. That would be a shame.”
Much to the delight of Bob and Barbara, the project group caught on right away. Since 2007, more than 75 youngsters have participated in the program, one of only two 4-H country ham project groups in Tennessee (the other is in Henry County).
“We’ve had a huge response,” says Barbara. “By 2009, we had to restrict each child to one year of participation because several were repeating, and we quickly ran out of room. Each year we have 10 kids. We want as many children as possible to experience this process because they not only learn about curing a ham, but they also learn more about agriculture and business.”
Participants pay $34 for their hams, which retail for $75 at The Hamery, Barbara explains. When the program is over, each 4-H’er is the proud owner of a fully-cured and aged country ham to take home and cook themselves or have The Hamery prepare. This point seems to be a popular benefit of the project.
“I like the fact that there was a reward at the end,” admits Laura Beth Morgan, an 11-year-old Murfreesboro resident. “Plus, I thought it would be fun, and it was!”
Twelve-year-old Olivia Hayes, also from Murfreesboro, says a penchant for pork was her deciding factor in joining.
“Country ham is one of my favorite things in the world,” she says with a laugh. “I wanted to see how hams are prepared so I could help pick out good ones for Thanksgiving. I’ve learned a lot.”
Avonley Powers, an 11-year-old from Smyrna, agrees and adds that she was surprised at how enjoyable the project proved to be.
“I wanted to try it because I am usually up for almost anything,” she says. “But this turned out to be more fun than I expected. It was neat to hang out with some of my friends, craft something, and then be able to bring it home. I’m thankful for Mr. Bob for taking the time to help us.”
Barbara says that she and Bob have received as much enjoyment from the project as the 4-H’ers themselves.
“When you see the look on the kids’ faces the first time they get a look at the hams in the cooler — you just can’t put it into words,” she says. “There is so much excitement because they have no idea what’s going to happen next. It’s wonderful to see their confidence level increase as the year progresses.”
“These 4-H’ers are the most enthusiastic kids I’ve ever seen,” adds Bob. “They have no qualms in grabbing a moldy ham off the rack or doing something they’ve never done. They are real workers! I’m proud that we can be associated with these kids and with 4-H in general, and it’s wonderful to know that this tradition is being passed to another generation.”
To learn more about the Rutherford County 4-H Country Ham Project Group, email Barbara Davenport at bdavenp4@utk.edu. For more information about The Hamery, visit online at www.thehamery.com or call 615-893-9712.
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