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Sunday, December 28, 2014

Sunday is the new Friday

Happy Sunday!

Not usually my favorite day of the week but because I am on Holiday until January 5th so I will enjoy today as if it were a Friday.

I spent yesterday morning making venison snack sticks.  I started early.  In fact I was in the garage by 8 AM.  I had to get the meat weighed and mixed and then stuffed into casings early enough so that they could rest for awhile before putting them in the smoker.

I took the meat out of the freezer the day before to thaw.  Which left me with a feeling of dismay because I had worked so hard to get it in the freezer and here a few short weeks later I was pulling it back out.  I know, I know, I just wish I would have had the time to skip that step.



After stuffing
I made 15 lbs of regular snack sticks and 7 lbs of pepperoni sticks.



(On Monday I will be stuffing 20 lbs of summer sausage with cheddar cheese in it.  I will smoke this on Tuesday.)

I put them in the smoker around 2 pm and took them out around 8 pm.  I have to cut and package them this morning.


That is before I head to the woods to cut some more firewood.  My neighbor secured a little woodlot down the road just a few miles that we can get a few loads of wood out of.  It will be nice to be so close to home.
The firewood collecting task can be tricky.  There is a little bit of math to it.  If your collection spot isn't close you need to start figuring out how much fuel your equipment will consume.  Gas for the truck, gas for the saw, oil for the saw, bar oil for the saw as well as overall effort to get the wood out of the woods.  Some spots you have to haul it on a snow sled or carry it out by hand.

If the costs associated with collection start to inch up close to the price of just buying it you need to re-think.  I can only carry so much wood in my truck and trailer.  (safely)
So I make sure I haul as much as possible at one time to offset the overhead enough to make it justifiable or I don't go.

Today's spot is just over two miles away.  It also has great access.  I can drive the truck really close to most of the wood.  I plan on spending the whole day out there.

Almost the whole day.  The Lions are playing the Packers today and if they win they get a bye week in the playoffs and home field advantage.  We haven't had a year this good in a long, long time.
Of course we haven't beat the Packers at Lambeau field since 1993 so we have our work cut out for us.

Go Lions


I will be home by 4:30 and I will have my new Lions shirt on as well as my hat.  I will have a cold beer in hand and I will most likely be screaming at the TV.  Stop by if ya want.  LOL
There will be plenty of beer.  As they say,


Happy Sunday to all,
-Bushman

2 comments:

  1. Okay, what is it about your pics - that one with the containers of meat from the freezer - well, I've got the writing wheels turning and some dead dude, nicely hacked up is being shipped to his relatives all over the country. Damn, the photo prompt demon is bad today! As I've been out and about visiting other blogs the same thing happens. I've created my very own monster - in my own head no less!

    I am salivating at the thought of some of those sticks with a cold one. And whenever you mention the Lions playing I have to remember they are not my BC Lions, but yours from Detroit. hahaha
    I'll be rooting for your Lions today! And, enjoy a dog beer (or two, hahaha) for me!

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  2. Wow, I had no idea the Lions were doing so good this year. Good for them.

    Also, I got the meat sweats just reading about this post... in the best way possible. What's that overall, 42 lbs worth of meat? Delicious, delicious meat. Post some pictures of that summer sausage when it's done, will you?

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