"Slaughtering Hogs" and "Curing and Smoking Hogs" Summary

In "Slaughtering Hogs," the author begins by stressing the importance of hogs as meat for early settlers of the Appalachian Mountains. Many individuals kept hundreds of head for use in the winter months, and Bill Lamb, a local resident, notes that the best hogs were fed with chestnuts from the woods, since the area used to be a free range. Now, since open ranges no longer exist, the hogs are raised on local farms.

Generally, hogs for winter are killed in November, during a full or near full moon, due to the traditional idea that such a slaughter will result in less lard. To slaughter a hog, one begins with a container of scalding water. While the water is heated by the fire, the hog is killed...