Was just in the kitchen with my lovely wife and getting ready for bed when she asked me what she should do with the grease left over from cooking ( it was in a peach can ). No, I forgot to ask her what she's been doing with it up to this point. We've been on our land for only eight months and haven't found a use for it and I suppose she's been dumping it in the bags I've been hauling to town to throw in the trash there. Any suggestions?? So far all we have are 5 goats. Have all the outbuildings ( and intentions ) for a cow, chickens and possibly a couple of hogs. Don't really need to make great use of it, but really don't want to spill it in transit either.Thanks. Brian Brian

-- Brian McCabe (scout@kanokla.net), June 05, 2000

Answers

Well, that depends on how ambitious you are, and what kind of grease it is. Bacon grease I save and freeze to put in any type of dry beans when they are boiled. The thick white lard from beef or pork, I render down and freeze to use when I make soap. Chicken fat can be used just the same as any cooking oil, freeze or refrigerate. Grease from hamburger I don't use, it's not good for chickens, they get diahrea, so I pick an out of the way spot in the yard and dump it. May not be what you're supposed to do, but I've done it for years. If for all of it you just want to carry it to town and toss it, save your glass jars, of any sort with lids, put the grease in that, trying to keep it upright on the way, and toss it!

-- Jill Faerber (lance1_86404@yahoo.com), June 05, 2000.

Brain, as a vegetarain--I have no greese problem! You could become a vegetarain--& then you won't have any fat or greese to get rid of! I use a small amount of olive oil, or cold press oils when I need to, but have no greese problem--just one more benifit of not eating meat! (ha!) All jokeing a side Brain---if I had that problem, I'd dump it also! Sonda in Ks.

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), June 06, 2000.

Our dogs love a little fat on their dry dog food. Adds a real sheen to their coats. Probably people out there who say you shouldn't feed table food to dogs, but these three will eat road kill so I don't believe a little fat will hurt them. If you could recycle into soap like the other post said that would be great, if not you can just dump it as posted, I think there is plenty of critters out their that would enjoy it, birds and such.

-- Betsy (betsyk@pathwaynet.com), June 06, 2000.

Ditto Betsy's answer, we add it with eggs also to our dogs food every day, if I don't have grease from cooking I use vegetable oil. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), June 06, 2000.

If its the kind of grease that hardens when cook, i put it out for the birds as suet.

-- Mary (mlogan298@yahoo.com), June 06, 2000.

If its the kind of grease that hardens when cool, i put it out for the birds as suet.

-- Mary (mlogan298@yahoo.com), June 06, 2000.

Well! Since I no longer eat any excess grease---I save it to burn in my wood burning furnace in the shop. It's much better in there than in my arteries! Have had 6 way heart bypass 3 years ago and don't really wanna go through that again. I also don't feed the cat grease. If it clogs my arteries it's bound to do harm to animals too. Matt. 24:44

-- hoot gibson (hoot@otbnet.com), June 06, 2000.

'Tisn't the fat that causes the clogged arteries, Hoot, its the sugars and carbohydrates. Look up the research on the low-carb diets.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), June 06, 2000.

I save it in a tin can until it's full, then I freeze it. When I remember to, I put it in the trash on garbage day. At least it's not messy.

-- Jean (schiszik@tbcnet.com), June 06, 2000.

Make suet cakes for the birds! I save it till I have enough and than mix with sunflower seeds and put in any square container or baking pan. When cold and solidified, cut into sections for suet feeders or put inside onion mesh bags and hang out for the birds. Can be stored in freezer till bird feeding time.

-- Kate Henderson (sheeplady@catskill.net), June 07, 2000.

We mix it in with the dog food, i have used it to start fires in the wood stove or just burned it with the waste paper. I would mix it with cornmeal or rolled oats put it in cans and freeze it, then in the winter I would feed it to my dogs.

-- Hendo (redgate@echoweb.net), June 07, 2000.

It is high density lipids (read lard) and a low level of estrogen that causes clogged arteries, which is why premenopausal women are relatively protected, but post-menopausal women, and men, are not. Low density fats help to clear out the HDLs, which is why polyunsaturated fats are good for us, and saturated fats are not. Of course family genetics has a large role in heart disease. My family history, sadly, is strewn with heart problems and high blood pressure. My father had a triple bypass at 37, and died of a heart attack at 53. I run 3 miles a day and eat a selective diet.

Now, back to the question. I put grease into the scraps for the animals. The dog eats this, too. I also put in cooked bones, fish scraps, whatever. But all you have are the goats, right? They won't be too keen on grease. I would just dump it out back, then.

-- Rachel (rldk@hotmail.com), June 07, 2000.

I agree with Rachel regarding the saturated fat. My cardiologist said to stay away from it. High blood sugar [diabetes] does contribute to heart attacks etc. it's the "bad" chloestrol that does the damage. I was 53 when I had the ole oil pump redone-the youngest on the floor at one point. The oldest was a lady 96 years old! Newer ways are being used now-laser bypass from inside the heart walls into the muscle. No need for the horrendous scar, pain and terrible expense involved with "crackin" the chest. With all the knowledge being compounded by the day it's hard to guess what will be revealed to man within a year. Almighty God got my attention and called me back to His service. I'm living on borrowed time now and want to help everybody however I can. I didn't mean to start preachin but I sometimes it just happens. Now, regarding the grease again. I would NEVER dump it on the ground. It will eventually kill the soil, get into the water supply and really look nasty. I want to leave my farm as good as or better than it was when I acquired it over 20 years ago. We are to be good stewards of what we have loaned to us.

-- hoot gibson (hoot@otbnet.com), June 07, 2000.

Diabetes causes heart attacks because the high blood sugars cause circulation problems. This is why older diabetics have foot ulcers and have to get toes amputated. A blood sugar averaging over 180 for 6 months can cause some of these problems. The blood sugar , not the insulin, causes these side effects. Older people come into the hospital and say they never had diabetes until 'that silly operation' that had nothing to do with diabetes, when actually they have had high blood sugar several months or years and the doctor doesn't find out until he does that admission lab work. My 9 year old daughter is diabetic, and her doctor says as we get older, our pancreas gives out, so almost everyone will become diabetic if they live long enough. some pancreas's poop out at 60, some at 90. genetics and obesity are the biggest contributing factors. Not to be a smart- aleck, but I see some really intelligent people in the hospital with misconceptions about this disease, and if they knew earlier, they could've saved themselves some problems. Carol

-- Carol (fchambers@mail.janics.com), June 09, 2000.

Carol! You're absolutely correct about people not knowing about diabetes. My sawbones never caught it even after I'd told him of some symptoms I'd developed. Looking back, I now know what it was--but apparently he didn't. Thats why we trust our doctors--to know more than we do. The big thing is -they don't have to undergo the physical, emotional and financial pain caused by this disease eventho they missed it! Not all heart attacks are caused by diabetes. I know of several people that just don't fit the bill for one and still they've had to undergo bypass surgery because of clogged arteries. I don't know it all, don't pretend to but I'm a whole lot smarter than I was before the graft surgery! I'm not griping-just thankful to Almighty God for pulling me through something that I wasn't supposed to have survived! Matt. 24:44

-- hoot gibson (hoot@otbnet.com), June 10, 2000.

I'm with Vicki, Betsy, and Hendo. Puppies really like it on the dry food, which incidentally, we always add a little something to, even just hot water. I am a beleiver that good eating leads to good health, but that's only a small part of the story, in my never to be humble opinion. Genetics, exercise, life style, determination (as in when the animals need attention and you are flat on your back sick- you get up and do it on pure willpower!), and character all play a part. I don't overdose on "bad" stuff, but I eat what I please - in moderation. But my goodness, have we digressed? Give the fat to the puppies! They'll love it! Try to turn your dog into a vegetarian, and he will bite your ass first chance - as God intended! GL!

-- Brad (Homefixer@SacoRiver.net), June 10, 2000.

Brian, To go back to the first answer, use it to make soap. The soft grease makes soft soap and the firmer grease makes the cake soap. that way you won't have to worry about polluting the ground or the body. I do give it to my dogs, they like the hamburger grease on their food. My dobie needs some high energy food as she is a high energy dog! a lot of hunting dogs need it too. Brad is right of course dogs are not vegitarians unless forced into it. karen

-- Karen Mauk (dairygoatmama@hotmail.com), June 11, 2000.

HOOT, Love your little plug on MATT.24:44. AMEN,BROTHER!!!!!!!!!

-- UNCLEJAKE (lulafred@cs.com), June 11, 2000.