Mon. July 18th
SMOKING FISH
Bonjour Grann,
You'll be proud of me Grann, I separated the wood in the woodpile, into two separate piles, separating the Alderwood for smoking from the heating wood.
The fish I caught should only take a day or two to fully cure, they're not overly large.
I filled a large stainless-steel tub with saltwater from the bay, by taking the wheelbarrow and a tub to Sea Lion Sand and wheeling them back to Marvella. I'm letting my catch soak overnight in a saltwater brine. I'll do as you and Grandpapa taught me by removing the backbone and spreading the fish with wooden sticks.
Tomorrow I'll smoke the fish over a slow-burning green-alder fire; the meat should take one or two days to fully cure. I'll smoke the meat the way Grandpapa taught me, slowly, on sharpened sticks, with the flesh facing the heat, and allowing the smoke to cure the fish rather than cooking the fish to cure the meat.
I'll let some of the meat smoke long enough to make jerky that won't spoil and mold; that way it should last through the winter months.
