Easter Ham Sales Remain High in Frankfort

Frankfort residents enjoy their ham.

At least that's what the findings of a recent Crain's Chicago Business article indicates. The village spends almost 50 percent more on ham for Easter meals than the national average. Who knew?

owner Tom Fetherling did, saying he'd have to agree with the data. As of Wednesday, he'd already sold 70 Usinger All-Natural Applewood Smoked Honey Hams, as opposed to only a dozen legs of lamb, which used to be the main dish of choice for Easter.

"We probably sell twice as much ham now than we did 10 years ago," he said. "And we carry such a variety. Plus, I can order anything a customer wants."

Fetherling added that five years ago, spiral hams were all the rage. Now, though, people seem to prefer the boneless or semi-boneless whole hams.

"I think the spiral hams would dry out faster," Fetherling said.

But no matter what variety or size you want (they carry hams from four to fourteen pounds), Fetherling said ham is a tasty, versatile choice for a holiday meal. He serves it himself because it's one of the things all four of his children (now grown) will eat.

"We make a homemade glaze you can put on," Fetherling said. "But people like to do their own thing. Sometimes it's just brown sugar and pineapple on top."

In another quirky bit of trivia, Fetherling said that in his experience, the most traditional side dish for Easter ham is Polish sausage.

"We make it fresh here, and we get all kinds of calls off the Internet. We have about 400 pounds on order for this weekend," he added.

Check out what these Frankfort cooks have to say about ham on Easter:

Kathleen Jerding Stern: "Ham is to Easter like Turkey is to Thanksgiving! I've been asked to cook lamb ... but I couldn't do it! Plus, ham is easy ... and everyone loves it!"

Kathy Schroth: "If the crowd is big, I made a little turkey breast. But ham has become a tradition. It's gotten so easy with the spirals."

Laura Hausser: "It's easy! You can leave and have it ready later. You can have it with breakfast-y things or lunch-y things or dinner-y things. (If it's a lunch meal,) I usually serve it with scalloped potatoes, green beans or baked beans and a Jell-O salad."

Joey Buck: "We usually serve ham, but for the first time, we're not having Easter. We got invited to go out, but I bought one anyway. What's that old line about the definition of eternity? Ham and two people!"

If you still need to buy your Easter ham, visit Frankfort Meats and Deli at 11 S. White Street in the Trolley Barn or any of our local grocers. Fetherling says a four pound ham will feed about five to six hungry adults.