Monthly Archives: April 2010
Bresaola Update – Tied and Drying
The bresaola is now in its final stage, that of drying slowly. I took the eyes of round out of their cure bags from the fridge, rinsed them to remove most of the curing spices, then let them sit at … Continue reading
Farmer’s Market Season is Upon Us – Hurrah!
I’m excited that our local Farmer’s Market starts up again this Saturday. I’ll be ready to go order my chickens (even if the farmer’s not ready for me!). I hope I’ll have time before our WAQG workshop to go down … Continue reading
Grumpasaurus Sightings
I received some photos this week of the latest grumpasaurus sightings in the mountains of Virginia. All photos are copyright 2010 by Janet Sanborn Jonas. (Thanks, Janet!) I think the first one would be great for a caption contest. … Continue reading
Cured Meat Update
Now that the jowls have cured, I rinsed and dried them, and they are now hanging for 1-3 weeks until they are completely firm. I’ve tied them with butcher string, and they are hanging in a cool dry place- in … Continue reading
My Quilts are Traveling to a Gallery Show
Thanks to Facebook, I recently re-connected with my best friend from summer camp during my tween years. We discovered that we both did graduate school at the University of Maine, we are both quilters, and that we share an admiration … Continue reading
Bresaola Update
Now that the beef for bresaola has been curing for a week, this morning I went through the next steps in its process to dry cured deliciousness. Saving you from the boredom of sanitizing the counter top, let’s move straight … Continue reading
New Tool for the Curing Chamber
Here’s a new tool I got from Allied Kenco, from a link I found on Jason’s Cured Meats blog. It is a tool that will allow me to override the temperature on my curing fridge, controlling it from the outside. … Continue reading
New Quilt In Progress
At our Winona Area Quilters Guild (WAQG) guild meeting last week, we were discussing the kinds of tools that we use in our quilting projects that aren’t sold at quilt shops. Some of my favorite tools for this discussion are … Continue reading
Guanciale
La guancia is the term for cheek in Italian (meaning the one on your face). Guanciale (pronounced gwan-CHALL-ay), therefore, is cured pig cheek, aka jowl. It is used much like bacon, to add flavor to dishes like stews and soups, … Continue reading
Bresaola in Process
Bresaola (pronounced Breh-say-OW-la) is beef that has been rubbed with spices and cured, then hung to dry. The dry cured beef originates from Valtellina, an area north east of Lecco and Bergamo, in the Lombardia region of Italy. It is … Continue reading


