Proud!

[tortoise]

I'm so thrilled. Tonight will be the second meal this year where we grew/caught everything on the table! (I'm not counting spices this year. )

The first meal was walleye my fiance caught and cleaned, with mashed potatoes and cucumber salad.

Tonight is a rabbit I raised with garden potatoes and onions, and that addictive cucmber salad.

I butchered 2 rabbits this morning an put on in the freezer. NOW I feel like I've really accomplished something!

If canning feels this good, I have to learn how to do that!

Thank you guys for all the support and information. I am feeling very encouraged. I feel like I'm finally making some SS progress. Since I've joined here, I've learned how to catch and clean fish; raise, breed, and butcher rabbits, card and spin rabbit wool, compost, garden.

You guys are all awesome. This would not have happened without you!

 

[big brown horse]

Yea for you girl!

 

[framing fowl]

You should feel proud! Those are huge steps! Isn't it such a feeling of freedom to eat a meal like that!

 

[freemotion]

Wow, canning will be EASY after that! I'd rather pressure can all day, in the schrapnel zone, than butcher anything....you go, girl!

 

[urban dreamer]

YAY YOU!

 

[noobiechickenlady]

You go girl!! Feels great, doesn't it?

 

[TanksHill]

You did the deed?? How did it go? You must tell me all about processing rabbit. Congrats on your accomplishment.

gina

 

[tortoise]

You did the deed?? How did it go? You must tell me all about processing rabbit. Congrats on your accomplishment.

gina

I did it. I had never butchered a rabbit for human consumption before. I butchered for dogs before but that was easy - off them, let them bleed and feed or freeze.

Killing them was nerve-wracking. I did the stun with blunt force trauma, slit throat and let them bleed out. The second one started having seizures and I freaked a little bit.

(Remember, these are my spoiled rotten babies we're talking about!)

Skinning was the most tedious part. I'm not strong enough to pull the skin off, so I did it with a knife. The second one went faster than the first!

I have a hard time cutting the bone too, so I just used the legs and backstraps. That's most of the meat anyway! If I get a better knife to use, I might try using the ribs for something. I cooked up the fat and misc bits for dog treats.

It took me a ridiculously long time - like 3.5 hours! That includes shearing the wool off of one of the rabbits. The other I had sheared in advance.

I have another pair feeding out right now that should be ready in a month. The doe has the sweetest temperament I have ever seen in a rabbit and I might give her to the neighbor girl that helps me take care of them. It's her favorite rabbit and her mom will let her have a rabbit if she continues to help me take care of my rabbits through winter.

I have 4 that will be ready in 2 months. I won't butcher all of them. I need at least one for breeding.

 

[tortoise]

I just realized I butchered my "avatar rabbit" today. Do I need a new avatar now?

 

[Farmfresh]

Two suggestions.

First ditch the knife and get some good poultry shears.

Second you need a hock hook. Some very secure hook that you slip one hind leg on between the tendon and the bone.

Clip around each back hock to loosen the skin, clip around the anus and clip off the tail then split the back leg from hock to hock. When you have the hock hooked to a solid place you can apply gentle pressure until the hide starts to come and even nick the meat away if it is clinging in places when it starts to pull you should be able to skin the hide inside out all of the way down, off of the neck stump and down the front legs. Then finally you clip the front feet off.

Cut at the joint not the bone and bend it backwards first to help pop it loose.

You will get better and faster. Remember those nerve movements are just that nerves. The animal is already dead. I used to (and often still do) drop them in a 5 gallon bucket after the killing blow and walk away during the twitchy part.

Once you get a taste of this "I grew it ALL myself" cooking it is hard to go back to the way things used to be. I am proud of your accomplishments!

I already ate my "avatar peaches" as well! So I say NO .. you can Keep the avatar!