Hey, people in Virginia have been eating (and fixing) it that way for 300 years or more, so it must be ok. After all, you get mold on and in your cheese, too. The whole ham is so dried and preserved with salt, it's not like it's gone "bad." If kept in the right conditions, it can't go bad. Last year I read about some old ham that has been around for years, I forget how long, but it was some kind of record holder. Of course it hadn't been soaked and scrubbed, but it was still fine. You might go to some restaurant and eat Smithfield ham and think it was divine, and never know it had been soaked and scrubbed before being served. Nancy ------- I was never lost, but I was bewildered once for three days. --Daniel Boone On Jan 10, 2007, at 10:09 PM, Diane Ethridge wrote: > Scraping the mold off? Soaking to remove excess salt? Think > I'll take a pass & stick with the buttered bisuits! > > Diane in TX > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the > instructions > at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html