Barn Raisings and Roasted Pig Stomach

FOOD FOR A BARN RAISING

At the end she adds on second thought:

I want to add:

20 shoo fly pies

3 roasted Pig's Stomach

(called Dutch Goose-this was a speciality of hers and people would ask her to fix it. We really loved it!)

3 gallons cole slaw

This should serve 175 men and 25 women.

I remember this event like it was yesterday. We began to cook days before and stored some things in the spring cellar in her basement. We got up before daylight and what fun! I had to be her legs and so were a few more kids. But we loved it. By daylight men were rolling into the long lane. Each had a gallon or two of drink,something their wives had made for the meal in addition to the above and their own tools. You heard a lot of laughter coming from the barn and at times they would sing hymns.

I remember catching tears coming down my grandma's face as the shape of the barn began to take place....instead of the black mess that was there from the fire was a new barn taking shape and all built by the love of friends and neighbors that had farms of their own to work on but that did not matter this day!

I think back and see how the neighbors and church family would help in times of need. When a neighbor was sick grandma would make sure soup,dessert,and food was sent. When a baby was born the church family cooked the meals for the family for two weeks. When I had the girls this still was happening! When my dad had polio and was in the hospital for 5 1/2 weeks my mom did not have to take care of the chickens and we had 5000! Other church members did or gave their hired man for a week. Mom did not want for a ride to Lancaster, a hour away to see dad daily, they were provided. The farm was worked and so often meals were brought in. Nobody worried that one family would have more than the other. Nobody worried about themselves but rather took care of the rest that needed help.

Here is the recipe for ROASTED PIG'S STOMACH or DUTCH GOOSE:

1 pig stomach

1 1/2 pound ground sausage

1 quart diced potatoes,raw

1 onion,chopped fine

2 cups shredded cabbage

2 tablespoons salt

1 teaspoon ground pepper

Remove the inner linning of the stomach and discard. Wash stomach well and than soak in salt water several hours. Drain and fill stomach with stuffing. Sew securely.

Use either recipe for filling:

Filling One: Make a filling of raw diced potatoes, chopped onion and shredded cabbage. Add seasoning and mix well.

Filling Two: Make a bread filling by browning diced onion and bread crumbs in butter. Mix with egg.fresh chopped parsley and some milk. Stir in diced potatoes and sausage. Mix throughly.

Place stuffed stomach in a large roasting pan and bake at 350 for 3 hours. Serve with gravy made by adding flour and water to drippings in roasting pan.

Now I am going to add a few of Grandma's secrets....she added poultry seasoning to the ingredients under the pig's stomach. She would par boil the potatoes in water that she added saffron to. What a wonderful addition.

I know this sound awful but it indeed is wonderful. Grandma made the best turkey for the holidays but always made this pig's stomach also. It smelled wonderful and was so good and crispy. The inside stuffing was so good and full of flavor. It is a very wonderful memory for me. I helped her cook it but never made it on my own.....imagine asking a butcher for a pigs stomach....I think they would call the men in white coats.....

Hope you all enjoyed this walk down memory lane.