Sorry, no dinner vlog tonight as I went off to my Mom and Dad's with the kids and enjoyed a great meal together with them. It was a bit of a mix of old and new with the centrepiece being the classic Mennonite farmer sausage "imported" from Waldheim, SK (or is it Winkler?) courtesy of the trunk of Bob and Ruth Boughen's Buick. They're also a great local dealer for "cracklings" or yreva (or, as the blogger from Planet Borscht called them, Jreewe—weird). We can talk about cracklings some other time, but as far as I'm concerned, there's no sausage like the stuff from Bob and Ruth. The "Mennonite" farmer sausage that you get at the supermarket just pales in comparison. Store-bought sausage is just too ... smooth. For me it has to be basically crumbling when the casing's off.
So, what do you think? Do you have a preferred line on that most essential of Menno fare: farmer sausage? Can Rempel's go up against Funk's (from the old days)? Does Neufeld Farms even do their own sausage? Has Lepp's elbowed its way in over the last year or do you >gasp!< make your own? And do you peel the casing off of sausage or is that just too much hassle?
My parents always get their FS from the Boughens. I used to be a huge fan of Funk's but since that's no longer an option, we've moved onto Rempel's. It's pretty good and no peeling the grown-up's pieces but for the 3 yr old...yep!
ReplyDeleteNow, are the casings still made from intestines, or was that over with long ago?
ReplyDeleteLet's not talk about that.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to add Premium Sausage from Seven Persons, AB into the mix. It's wonderful sausage and my dad gets them to make deer sausage for him when he hunts. I worked there for a summer. I guess it would have to come to BC in our trunk if we wanted it here.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, casings really are pig intestines
Graham.. pioneer sausage from Manitoba with an "easy peel" system is best.. Let me know when you want to film a crackles breakfast. I can probably round up some homemade plum jam and buns to go along with this delicacy. Ditch
ReplyDeleteDitch, on a rainy holiday morning like this you've inspired me to make cracklings. There's even some nice soft bread to sop up the fat that's left over!
ReplyDeleteOkay, guys - there's a reason many of our grandparents died from colon and stomach cancer! Save the fat for the holidays - like today!
ReplyDeleteGraham, I really like the blog - the look, the video, ... I hope to use you and other male guest posts as examples in my foods classes to inspire the potential guy cooks out there. Thanks!
Just discovered your blog, Graham, and am lovin' it. And I could not agree more. Bob and Ruth's sausage is simply the best. Terry
ReplyDeletePeel the skin off?? Only for the kids but why would you peel off the skin if you're an adult?? We're lucky 'cause where we are here in SW Ontario we can still find the real Mennonite sausages at the Saturday morning markets although real German Knackwurst, Weisswurst usw. are becoming hard to find. My dad's generation is starting to die out. Sad really!
ReplyDelete