[muawiyah]

The Indians around the MidAtlantic were big on smoked meat. When the English came the Indians were already well equipped to do any meat you wanted, plus EUROPEAN PORK.

The Spanish had been in the habit of turning breeding pairs of pigs loose all up and down the coast and the consequence of that was that by the time they got around to doing something they already had cured hams ready and waiting.

Between 1598 and 1604 most of the Spanish settlers/explorers/miners moved out of this region to better pickings elsewhere. But the Indians kept on making Virginia ham for the newer settlers to come.

[RegulatorCountry]

I'm aware. I'm legendarily descended from Powhatan's half brother Opechancanough who was himself fathered by a priest from a Spanish fort further up the Chesapeake. All manner of interesting, little known history going on in the very early years of Virginia and Carolina.

Hogs are uniquely well suited to being set loose to forage in the woods, and that's what they did, regardless of how they got here, at the hands of whom. The Indians did it, the frontier English, German, Scotch-Irish and Huguenot settlers did it, the Spanish did it, it just worked for the realities of that time time and place.

[mamelukesabre]

Pretty good idea. I like it. I wonder if they scattered any seeds around too? Wild grapes? Wild barley?, turnips, wild cabbage?