Eat Country Ham Month

That’s right. You heard correctly.

Eat. Country. Ham.

If you’re wondering whether I like country ham or not…I love it. So much so in fact, when I realized what this month was about my initial thought was, “shouldn’t this be November?“, but then remembered I’m in the minority with my stance on turkey.

SPOILER: I can’t stand it. *except when my partner’s mother makes it because there’s a lot going on there*

But back on track with the country ham because I learned a LOT:

~ Virginia is famous for their country ham

~ it’s dry cured with a mix of salt, sugar, nitrate as well as other spices

~ the majority are cured in family owned and operated facilities

~ there is a ‘ham belt’ (Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia)

~ the whole time I was thinking of honey baked ham

So it might of taken me a bit to work through my confusion since I truly thought we were talking about honey baked ham (don’t know why), but it all came together. Even though I don’t live in the ham belt I’ve still had my fair share of country ham- normally during breakfast at a good diner.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely. Give it a shot and share your thoughts since I’ve been told it’s a bit of an acquired taste.

Photo by Jeff Covey on Unsplash

October