Frustratedearthmother's Journaling Journey

[NH Homesteader]

Yay! That's about what we do when we butcher, except DD1 won't watch the shot part. I'm glad you went for it! Wasn't so bad right? When are you gonna do another one??

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I just went back and added a pic of the heart that DD sent me - it's cool!

It wasn't that bad but I was working alone for a large part of it. They were all out there with me but I wanted to do the gutting procedure alone...didn't need too many cooks in the kitchen for that part of it. I was really slow and careful with that part because I knew if I punctured an intestine or bladder that they would all go EWWWWWWWW and that pig would have been turned into dog food at that point! Once we started skinning, SIL and I worked together. Once he was gutted and skinned harvesting the meat went fast! I cut out the loins, we took the shoulders off each side, the hams, the ribs, the bellies and what other pieces of "stew" meat we could get and that was it. Kiddos were fascinated that we started with a whole hog hanging from the tractor and when we were finished there was only a head and a spine. I won't say it was a "pretty" job but it was a great sense of accomplishment and will add some meat to their freezer.

When are you gonna do another one??

That's a great question, lol. I probably won't tackle another one that size on my own. With help I would. We had that one done in less than two hours, but it would have taken a lot longer if I didn't have help skinning. SIL was a big help - especially with keeping the knives sharp!

But, I want to start doing some of the smaller ones as weather permits. I have enough room in my freezer to do a couple of them fairly soon. I need to get my numbers DOWN and I wouldn't have any problem doing the 50 - 60 pound ones alone. I briefly thought about trying one tomorrow - but I think I'm going to take tomorrow off - I'm tired! Maybe next weekend.

 

[NH Homesteader]

It's really not so bad to cut up a pig. Unless they're huge, ugh that gets annoying. We grind a lot of ours, I really like sausage and ground pork! A 50 lb piggie would go real fast!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I'm almost out of ground pork and sausage from the last one so I need to get (another) one done. I was gonna split this one with DD, but I let her take it all. I mean, I've got the "factory" and there's no shortage of product around here lol. And, I feel much more confident about doing my own now.

 

[baymule]

How neat that the whole family participated. Good for the grand kids to know where meat really comes from!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

It really was a great experience for them. They've seen me butcher quail before and were fine with that. Speaking of quail - I think I may tackle that today. DH is just not stepping up to take care of 'em and I've got enough to take care of sooooo…. there should be quail in the freezer by tonight if time permits. I've got some catching up to do on animal care. Been kind of slacking while I had family here. I need to move some hay from the big barn up to the smaller barnyard area. It's getting cold again tonight so they need their hay. I'm being stingy with hay this year since I just don't feel like I've got enough.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I've got 8 less mouths to feed. Here's what 8 nekkid quail look like:

 

[Mini Horses]

Good job!!

 

[tortoise]

How many mouths are you feeding now @frustratedearthmother ? Are you down to goats, pigs, and dogs now?

 

[NH Homesteader]

Don't forget the horses!