Using One Ham for Four Or More Meals....

I recently went inside our local grocery store to pick up flour and sugar. I was not surprised to find how many items were missing. Shelves of chicken, hamburger, bacon and lunch meat were all empty. Spaghetti noodles, spaghetti sauce, ramen noodles, macaroni and cheese and cereal all gone. As I made my way toward check-out I was surprised to see several coolers full of ham, turkey, whole chicken and corned beef. I realized in that moment that now, during this time of crisis, is the time to talk about using whole cuts of meat over a period of several meals to feed your family.

As market farmers we have gained intimate knowledge of the eating habits of others. I had noticed prior to COVID-19 that cuts of meat sold out faster than their whole counterparts. I made the assumption that the choice for cuts was largely due to convenience. It is incredibly easy and time saving to unpack a package of chicken thighs, sprinkle with seasoning and set them on a grill for dinner. I have since realized that convenience is part of the choice but, the knowledge of how to utilize a whole chicken, ham or turkey to its full potential is often not known.

I had wanted to start our recipe posts with something light and fun but, in the current climate I have decided to dive into how to use a whole meat or a less chosen meat to feed your family. Over the next few entries I will be posting recipes that I personally use to feed our family of 7 a total of 4 dinners with one 12lb ham.

Let’s get started!

Preparing a ham is super easy. The hardest part is planning ahead to allow enough time in the oven.

I started with the whole 12lb ham and followed the directions that came with the ham. *Yes, this is a store bought ham. I didn’t have a farm raised ham at home and with COVID-19 I was not traveling to our normal source of pork*

It took approximately 3.5 hours to warm through covered in the oven at 250 degrees.

I uncovered it 30 minutes prior to the ham being finished and glazed it repeatedly with a brown sugar honey glaze. There is nothing special to the glaze. I mix the honey and brown sugar to a gloopy consistency and slather it on with a brush. More honey less brown sugar. It melts and gets in-between all of the slices… yummy!!

The ham turned out perfect. I love a nice spiral sliced ham as the ham slices are a perfect size to cut and serve as well as use for ham sandwiches and easy to cut up later for soup.

We paired our ham dinner with a brown sugar apple and butternut squash medley. This recipe has become a favorite in the fall when we have plenty of both from the farm. My kids often believe the orange colored butternut squash is sweet potatoes. This works for my youngest as, like most young children, think squash is terrible. Sweet potatoes however, he approves of. Mom win!

A note ahead of time. Butternut squash is a firm vegetable and can be difficult to peel, cut and cube. I will let my children help with peeling and cutting apples but, I do the butternut squash as it takes a bit more effort.

We started with a small butternut squash and 3 gala apples. I peeled, cored and cubed both the apples and the squash.

Place the cubed apples and squash into a baking dish. The squash and apples will reduce down while baking so pack that dish full! Then mix the following items and spread on top of the squash and apples:

1/2 packed cup brown sugar (I use just a little more than 1/2c)

1/4 cup of melted butter

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg or allspice.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for approximately 45min - 1 hour.

I finished our ham dinner with a simple salad filed with lots of cucumber, cherry tomatoes, cheese and mixed lettuce.

In total the entire meal did take patience as the ham does have to warm through for a significant amount of time but, the prep work is minimal and your family will thank you for a well put together family dinner.

A few final notes, I recognize that both the ham and squash apple bake call for brown sugar. The amount used is up to you and your tastes. An alternative to brown sugar would be local raw honey if you have some available.

I typically bake a ham on a Saturday and then get up a little early on Sunday before church, to use part of the remaining ham to put together my second meal using left over ham. Ham and Scallop Potatoes, a family favorite. I never have a single scoop left of Ham and Scallop Potatoes.

Look for part 2 of, Using a Ham to Make Four or More Meal, to be posted soon!

Stay Safe and Healthy and At Home!

If you liked this post please subscribe below to be notified of new posts and receive farm news and updates!