Chicken Bologna Day with the Amish

I got a last minute call from the Amish to butcher 140 layers.  They called me while they were killing, skinning and gutting.  I was not expected to help on that part.  I ended up getting 40.  Today we cut all the tiny bits of meat off the bone and ground it up for chicken bologna.  So yummy.  It was a very long day.  I got up early and prepared for the day.  Left here around 8 am.  Made a green bean casserole to pass.  We cut meat off the bones (which I should mention amounts to about 1 pounds of meat per hen-not much!) all morning and afternoon. About 3 pm we were grinding my 45 pounds of meat after seasoning it.  We used salt, pepper, brown sugar, liquid smoke, mace, garlic powder, onion powder, and water.  Molly and Megan helped me as well as 8 other Amish women and girls.  This way of doing things just makes sense.  You have many hands to make the work so much easier.  Their saying is “many hands make light work”.  It is fun to sit there and visit with your kindred friends for hours while you are accomplishing so many things.  Miles stayed by Harry (our Amish friend) and helped him with field work, worked with the horses, cleaned barn, and helped gather hundreds of eggs.  It was a good day for him.  Miles road the horse 2 times through the thick woods on the trail which is about 1 miles or so to visit and check on me.  Wow, that was a thrill for him.  Anyhow, after the grinding we stuffed the 25 quarts worth of chicken bologna in the cans.  It has to cure over night.  I will be canning it all here tomorrow.  Edna Ellen, my Amish friend, did 100 pounds herself.  She also canned up the legs.  I did not want legs because I was thinking those old hens would be tough.  I figured we would get the best use out of the leg and breast meat for the bologna.  I will use it for Mark’s lunch meat.  I just need to add some mayo and mix it up and put it on his bread. Very good.  It works well for a quick lunch during the homeschool days as well.  I was blessed with a 100 pounds of red potatoes, too.  Martha (another Amish friend) had a ton dumped from a nearby potato farmer.  So, as you can see, we had a full day. There were about 8 women working together.  Thank goodness I did not have to do the kill, skin and gutting.  I would not have held up for the next two days.  Tomorrow we are on our own (me and the kids) to do the bone broth and can that.  Also the canning of the bologna. Today, we picked Edna Ellens bones for hours after they pressure cooked them.  The Amish are so helpful.  They know I have a difficult time with physical labor, so they always make sure I am sitting and I can put my foot up.  They carry all my loads to and from the car.  I did not get home until after 6pm and then had to make supper.  I made some fresh chicken bologna patties.  That was very good.  I also made some more green beans and a piece of homemade bread that I baked yesterday.  It was a very nice meal but I am so beat.  It is such a good feeling to know that you are putting up more food for the long winter.  In these uncertain times, it is wise to prepare for losses of jobs, or fuel and food prices that seems to be on the incline.  These old hens do not seem worth it to bother with for some, but to us, they are gold.  That is the beauty of homesteading, you make use of everything.  Nothing goes to waste.

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2 thoughts on “Chicken Bologna Day with the Amish”

  1. Came across this post because I was looking up “chicken bologna”. I used to live in Amish country myself and remember recipes like this. 🙂 I’m planning to try it using wild turkey.

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