My lard has mold

[Nanna]

Went to make soap for the first time this year and found this in my lard. Thank goodness my tallow is good
It’s probably bird food but hoping is salvageable

 

[Obsidian]

I wouldn't use it for soap, sorry. I keep my lard froze until I need it

 

[Hermit]

Oops, I've left mine on the counter since it wasn't refrigerated in the store.

 

[MellonFriend]

Aww man that's too bad. I'd maybe scrape as much visible mold off before giving it to the birdies.

 

[Hermit]

I just bought my lard a few weeks ago and have been baking with it too.

 

[Arimara]

I would honestly toss it. You don't know what kind of mold that is and you don't know how, if at all it would affect them.

 

[AliOop]

Gosh, so sorry! Typically mold like that is caused from water or food particles getting into the bucket, perhaps from a utensil used to scoop it out while baking, or melting the whole bucket and putting the lid back on before it cooled to room temp (causing condensation inside).

Honestly, I’d remove the visible mold and dry render the remaining lard to “clean” it. Then add ROE to prevent rancidity. But I’d only use it for personal soaps, and I’d keep a close eye on them and be ready to toss them at the first sign of DOS.

 

[Nanna]

Aww man that's too bad. I'd maybe scrape as much visible mold off before giving it to the birdies.

I for sure will do that

Gosh, so sorry! Typically mold like that is caused from water or food particles getting into the bucket, perhaps from a utensil used to scoop it out while baking, or melting the whole bucket and putting the lid back on before it cooled to room temp (causing condensation inside).

Honestly, I’d remove the visible mold and dry render the remaining lard to “clean” it. Then add ROE to prevent rancidity. But I’d only use it for personal soaps, and I’d keep a close eye on them and be ready to toss them at the first sign of DOS.

I’m pretty sure I put the lid on too soon
I will try clean it and only use for personal. At least it won’t be wasted.
Thanks for the suggestion

Aww man that's too bad. I'd maybe scrape as much visible mold off before giving it to the birdies.

I sure will, wouldn’t take a chance on my poor little birds

 

[janesathome]

That’s a shame. PLEASE don’t give any spoiled /mouldy food to the birds!!

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I always wonder how wild birds can survive in the wild if they are unable to tell what is good for them to eat or not. With all the mouldy food they might find, it's a wonder we have any birds left at all.....

....or maybe they do know when something is off and no good for them, much better than we do!

 

[Nanna]

I always wonder how wild birds can survive in the wild if they are unable to tell what is good for them to eat or not. With all the mouldy food they might find, it's a wonder we have any birds left at all.....

....or maybe they do know when something is off and no good for them, much better than we do!

Some stores are still selling hummingbird food with toxic red dye. Hopefully the birds do know what’s good for them.

 

[DeeAnna]

Home rendered lard can get moldy if you don't remove all the water in it and especially if you don't entirely remove the non-fat bits -- connective tissue, collagen, gelatin, etc. These bits can be transparent, which is why they can slip through, especially if you don't strain the fat after rendering. In this case, moldy bits might be scattered throughout the lard, not just on the top.

If your lard was commercially produced lard, it might not have had added preservatives (BHT is one example) to protect against mold growth or somehow the preservative that was added has failed. If so, the lard can also get moldy from contamination in the air or from contaminated utensils. If this is the case, the microbial growth is most likely going to be limited to the areas where the contamination is.

I agree with AliOop's advice to scrape off and discard the moldy layer on top and purify the fat that's left.

I'd melt the fat and strain it through fine cheese cloth to remove any remaining foreign material or fungal colonies. Then I'd heat the fat to 212 F / 100 C or a tiny bit hotter to drive off any remaining water. This will also pasteurize (sanitize) the fat. As long as you can hear any crackling and popping sounds, there's water still in the fat. Once the sounds stop, the water is gone. I would store the fat in the fridge, rather than at room temp as extra insurance.

 

[Nanna]

Home rendered lard can get moldy if you don't remove all the water in it and especially if you don't entirely remove the non-fat bits -- connective tissue, collagen, gelatin, etc. These bits can be transparent, which is why they can slip through, especially if you don't strain the fat after rendering. In this case, moldy bits might be scattered throughout the lard, not just on the top.

If your lard was commercially produced lard, it might not have had added preservatives (BHT is one example) to protect against mold growth or somehow the preservative that was added has failed. If so, the lard can also get moldy from contamination in the air or from contaminated utensils. If this is the case, the microbial growth is most likely going to be limited to the areas where the contamination is.

I agree with AliOop's advice to scrape off and discard the moldy layer on top and purify the fat that's left.

I'd melt the fat and strain it through fine cheese cloth to remove any remaining foreign material or fungal colonies. Then I'd heat the fat to 212 F / 100 C or a tiny bit hotter to drive off any remaining water. This will also pasteurize (sanitize) the fat. As long as you can hear any crackling and popping sounds, there's water still in the fat. Once the sounds stop, the water is gone. I would store the fat in the fridge, rather than at room temp as extra insurance.

Thanks DeeAnna. It was stored in the cold room. It was just one thin layer that separated easily. I remelted on the wood stove all day and left the lid off and it’s back in the cold room.

 

[paradisi]

I always wonder how wild birds can survive in the wild if they are unable to tell what is good for them to eat or not. With all the mouldy food they might find, it's a wonder we have any birds left at all.....

....or maybe they do know when something is off and no good for them, much better than we do!

In the wild they wouldn't encounter masses of human-caused moldy garbage. Nature isn't meant to be a garbage can for humans to use.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

In the wild they wouldn't encounter masses of human-caused moldy garbage. Nature isn't meant to be a garbage can for humans to use.

Decaying animals are often found around in nature, have been for a long time. The birds seem to know what they should eat and what not to eat /hijack

 

[AliOop]

Thanks DeeAnna. It was stored in the cold room. It was just one thin layer that separated easily. I remelted on the wood stove all day and left the lid off and it’s back in the cold room.

If you can add some ROE that would help, too. DeeAnna’s soapy stuff pages provide guidance for usage rates.

 

[Nanna]

If you can add some ROE that would help, too. DeeAnna’s soapy stuff pages provide guidance for usage rates.

Great idea

 

[Arimara]

I always wonder how wild birds can survive in the wild if they are unable to tell what is good for them to eat or not. With all the mouldy food they might find, it's a wonder we have any birds left at all.....

....or maybe they do know when something is off and no good for them, much better than we do!

I thought birds can smell. Any who, It's one thing if you know the birds are scavengers where they can eat almost anything but it's another to feed moldy foods birds that are known not to be and tend to stick to insects and berries and the like.

 

[SoapLover1]

Went to make soap for the first time this year and found this in my lard. Thank goodness my tallow is good
It’s probably bird food but hoping is salvageable

It looks like contamination from a utensil (spoon)! Try separating large quantities into smaller, more workable sterilized containers so you will not contaminate your whole container. I also suggest spraying your already clean utensils with alcohol before use to sterilize it and prevent cross contamination. Blessings!

 

[KC451]

Gosh, so sorry! Typically mold like that is caused from water or food particles getting into the bucket, perhaps from a utensil used to scoop it out while baking, or melting the whole bucket and putting the lid back on before it cooled to room temp (causing condensation inside).

Honestly, I’d remove the visible mold and dry render the remaining lard to “clean” it. Then add ROE to prevent rancidity. But I’d only use it for personal soaps, and I’d keep a close eye on them and be ready to toss them at the first sign of DOS.

Can you explain what ROE and DOS are please?