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PORK il 251 



Keeping fresh pork.^In the South we are unable to 

 keep fresh pork as they do in colder cUmates, where 

 carcasses and cuts are frequently hung in outbuildings 

 to freeze, and from which fresh pork is taken as needed. 

 This can be done only to a very limited extent in the 

 South. \A'e must therefore look to other means of keeping 

 fresh pork. The most common method is artificial cold 

 or cold storage. This preserves the pork in the most 

 palatable and nutritious form. For keeping pork fresh, 

 a temperature of 40 degrees or below should be main- 

 tained. At this temperature, with good ventilation, fresh 

 pork cuts can be s;ifely kept for a week or ten days. 

 Dampness is especially to be a\-oided in the refrigerator. 

 Ice houses of proper construction may also be used to 

 advantage in the keeping of fresh pork. Another method 

 that is employed by some Is partial cooking. By this 

 method the pork chops or Icin or sausages are partially 

 cooked, packed down in jars and hot melted lard poured 

 over the whole. The packed jars are then kept in a dark- 

 cool cellar. Pork preserved in this manner is not as good 

 as freshly cooked fresh pork, but the method has several 

 advantages to commend it. It is applicable to all parts 

 of the South and may be employed where cold storage 

 is not available. Another method used to a limited ex- 

 tent to preserve fresh pork for a short time is to pack it 

 in salt. 



Curing pork on the farm. — When a man raises hogs 

 he should by all means cure sufficient pork to meet the 

 needs of his family, and any additional, which he may 

 cure, can always be disposed of at a good profit. There 

 is and alwavs will be a ready market for home-cured 

 pork products, and but few farmers will meet with any 



