History of Country Ham
Hello! My name is Willa Blanchard and today I’d like to give you a brief history of country ham and how it plays a part in Kentucky’s history.
Curing meats has been important throughout history, with the earliest recordings of dry cured hams being around 160 BC in Europe giving rise to prosciutto and other such meats. The origin of American cured “country ham’ goes as far back as our founding. Spanish explorers released hogs into the wild in Florida around 1539 and they made their way up through the south. Before this time, pork didn’t exist in America. Then in 1607 English settlers, and their hogs, settled in Jamestown Virginia where they combined Native American and European ways to preserve the hams.
What makes a ham “country”? It’s being dry cured through smoking or salting. The settled areas of Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee share a similar climate to Western Europe and made curing hams easy. This area became known as the “ham belt”. Any hotter and hams would rot, any colder and they would freeze.
In the 1800’s refrigeration came around and “city hams” became more popular. Causing curing methods to get lost and country ham to decline. In the 1980’s country ham had a brief period of popularity until it gradually fell off again.
Country ham is important to Kentucky’s history. We are a ham belt state. We’ve been curing ham in dry methods since before we became a state in 1792. Many family farms raise hogs and have country ham businesses. Country ham has sustained working class families for generations.
In 1999 The Kentucky Ham Curers Association and 4-H launched the Kentucky 4-H Ham Project. This has helped to keep this age-old curing technique alive as more than 800 students learn how to make country ham each year through this program. That’s me!
There are no bids for the lot at this time
Information for buyer:
1. Buyer will take possession of the ham only after the 4-H member has completed all project requirements and completed the state level judging.
2. Hams will be delivered to the buyer by the 4-H member after all project requirements have been met.
3. Buyer will receive an invoice from Barr Realty & Auction via email for the Meade County 4-H Council and must be paid prior to receiving the ham.
4. After you receive your Invoice;
Please make checks payable to Meade County 4H Council.
Mail to the Meade County Cooperative Extension Service
1041 Old Ekron Road, Brandenburg, KY 40108
Contact Deana Reed at 270-422-4958 with any billing or payment questions.
Brandenburg, Kentucky 40108
United States
Information for buyer:
1. Buyer will take possession of the ham only after the 4-H member has completed all project requirements and completed the state level judging.
2. Hams will be delivered to the buyer by the 4-H member after all project requirements have been met.
3. Buyer will receive an invoice from Barr Realty & Auction via email for the Meade County 4-H Council and must be paid prior to receiving the ham.
4. After you receive your Invoice;
Please make checks payable to Meade County 4H Council.
Mail to the Meade County Cooperative Extension Service
1041 Old Ekron Road, Brandenburg, KY 40108
Contact Deana Reed at 270-422-4958 with any billing or payment questions.