I have been thinking about this for a while. About 4 years ago we bough a whole pig and it came with about 7 lbs of lard. Or maybe suet. It's been in the freezer since. I'm thinking that I could use it for soap to make some lard soaps. I don't know what else to do with old lard. How can I tell if it's been rendered already? Or should I just melt it down again?
If it hasn't been rendered, it will have bits of meat, skin and parts of the pig in it.. Rendered it is clean looking.. and usually white or off white with no chunks.. and yes you can use it for soap.. To render it you put in a very large stock pot with water and boil.. the clean lard will float to the top and harden.. the bits of meat and such will sink to the bottom in the water.. Let it get cold and the lard will lift off the water in one big chunk Barbara
One thing you should know about soap made with lard though...it has a different smell. It smells a bit like bacon. At least mine did. I suppose some strong FO might cover that though. Christina
Yes, I know...eons ago the first few batches I made were lard soaps. I rendered it today and canned fruit juice. So 7 lbs of raw fat gave me 3 1/2 quarts of lard, plus a little bit more. I want to air the house out...alas my windows are frozen.
Oh dear! I would want to air out the house too if I were rendering lard. My windows are frozen as well and the door keeps freezing shut. Man, this cold weather stinks...I'm SO ready for some nice warm 30 degree weather. Sometimes the southern states look really inviting. Christina
Cracklins are wonderful in cornbread! When we raise a hog I plan of rendaring fat for the lard. Christina, you may be getting your lard too hot when melting, thus smelling like bacon.
I saw this post too late to warn you about that! Been there, done that! I use store-bought lard for my soaps, and they don't smell like bacon. I like soap with lard in it. susie susie
I use store bought lard also, and have never had a bacon smell to it. I like lard in the soap because it gives a harder bar and seems to last longer. No one who has used my soap has ever said anything about a bacon smell either. Theresa
I dislike lard soaps. Unscented lard soap smell awful... like bacon! :ick I couldn't sell soap if it contained lard. Sara
Well, maybe the store bought lard makes a difference. Perhaps it's processed like some coconut oils not to have it's natural scent, but the stuff I made smelled like bacon, and so does my mother-in-laws. My husband is from a remote mountain village in Romania and his Mom makes all their soap using lard. I remember the one she makes for clothes washing is very much like Felsnaptha (sp?) and has ground bone in it. We washed all our clothes by hand with it and boy, did we all smell like bacon. Once we got to Germany I rewashed everything so people sitting on the plane home with us wouldn't think we just got done at the slaughter house. :lol Twas and adventure. http://smileyshut.com/smileys/ Love that icon, very cute! Christina
