Charcuterie can be all different kinds of sausages, salami, pates, and terrines. My favorite to eat and make are dry cured salami. They make an incredibility satisfying meal on a hot summer day or night when you want to eat light and have something that will go down nicely with crisp white wine or ice cold beer. It is easy to carry and can be sliced and eaten without having to turn on any appliances. It is not a salad, it is meaty deliciousness is one small bite. Packing a dry cured sausage, a baguette, and some of your favorite cheese and beer to a cool spot can be the perfect solution. Be it the living room or under a tree, it is a very rustic and simple way to enjoy food.

The best are salami and sausages that are made with pure ingredients, the old fashioned way. This type of sausage making is a great way to preserve meat for many months. The meat is mixed with salt and maybe a little garlic and other spices, then left to hang and dry cure for many weeks. This process gives the sausage an incredible depth of savory flavor. Just a small thin slice has so much flavor.

Charcuterie is a vast category, technically hot dogs can be considered in the charcuterie family (another great hot weather food). At the Hollows we have been butchering, grinding, curing and hanging a great number of different kinds of salami and sausages that are ready for the board.  We currently have dry cured chorizo, fennel salami, landjaeger (a traditional hunter sausage made from venison), as well as duck pate, and duck proscuitto.  The other great thing about snacking on charcuterie is the variety of mustards, pickles and bread that you can eat with it. The possibilities are endless.