1 barrel of fermented herring goes a long way and it is valued at as much as 2 barrels of any other kind. For a household of 12 people, a farmer will take 1/2 barrel of salt herring, from which he makes herring and turnip soup, but for the same household he takes 1 3/4 barrels of fermented herring and eats it as it is. He will not allow it to be boiled or fried since it does not go so far then. Herring intended for fermenting lies packed together for 3 or 4 hours before it is gutted, then it is washed just a little in a sieve so that there is some blood left. (Salt herring is well-washed as it will ferment if there is the smallest drop of blood left.) The fermented herring is then salted with 29 pounds of rock salt to each barrel of herring (for salt herring it is 1/4 barrel of salt to 1 barrel of herring). Layer upon layer of salt and herring are laid down and, as each layer is put in, it is stirred and worked with the hands until a sort of foam forms on it. When salt herring is being salted, however, they make a brine so saturated that the herring floats when it is put in the tub. Since the herring need to be stirred they do not put too many herring in the tub at once. If any fish stick up above the brine, a little salt is scattered on them and then they are left to stand for 24 hours. They are then gutted as follows: 10 or 12 fish are held belly up in the left hand and, using the right hand, the head is snapped back from the chest, thus pulling out the guts without using a knife. The herring are then quickly placed in rush baskets and salted as before. After being salted in this way for 2 days, they are put into fresh baskets for the brine to drain off and then they are placed in small new barrels without any more salt. A hole is bored above the bottom hoop so that brine can run off for, however many times the container is changed, brine still appears and if it is allowed to remain the herring will ferment. Fermented herring, on the other hand, is left in its brine. Fermented herring is best around the Feast of St James.