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Southern Foodways: The Hog Killing Workshop

Posted by Melissa Hall, February 8, 2008 at 1:30 PM

Southern Foodways appears on Fridays as part of our collaboration with the Southern Foodways Alliance, an organization based in Oxford, Mississippi, that "documents and celebrates the diverse food cultures of the American South." Dig in!

A few months ago, just as the weather was turning cold, I waxed nostalgic about hog killing. I included some pictures of the practice and an essay from Southern Food Alliance member Evan Hatch.

At The Old South Farm Museum and Agricultural Learning Center, they don’t just talk about, write about, or photograph hog killing—they actually do it. And, if you ask nicely, they’ll let you help.

The Woodland, Georgia museum traces Southern rural life from the 1800s to the 1960s. On the property you’ll find everything from wood burning stoves to steam tractors. With acres of buildings and displays, you can spend a couple of hours looking at items that were common just decades ago. Here you can pump water and see the type of equipment used to wash clothes as well as see a working smokehouse, grind grain, spin cotton and perhaps make sausage.

In addition to farming and gardening workshops, the museum hosts its annual Hog Killing Day on February 9, 2008. Other workshops teach the basic skills that enabled the farmer to become successful. Classes include Sawmill, Grist Mill, Mules, Curing Meats and much more.

The hog killing schedule includes workshops on killing and scraping, pork cuts, chitterling cleaning, lard and lye soap making, and sausage. If you’d like to join Paul and his crew for the ultimate in experiential learning call 706-975-9136 to register. If you don’t have the stomach for hog killing, be sure to visit the museum on other days and commune with your agrarian ancestors.

1 Comment | Tags: events, Georgia, pigs, SFA column, Southern Foodways Alliance