Britesea
Sustainability Master
I like sleeping in a cold room too.... until it gets SO cold that my nose ends up frozen while the rest of me retreats under the covers.
What are you all doing to prepare for winter?
- Thread starter sumi
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frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
Ditto all that! Cold room - warm bed. Ain't nuttin' better!
NH Homesteader
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We have two pigs, 42 meat chickens, 2 heritage chickens, and 9 turkeys to process before winter. That sounds exhausting.
Going to freeze pasta and pizza sauce if my tomatoes ever ripen, I already have tons of beans and corn in the freezer, along with some excess goat milk.
We need to move most of our remaining animals to winter housing, stock up on wood pellets and hay. We need to get plastic for our windows and finish the skirting on our mobile home.
I'm pretty sure I have more to do. I'm looking forward to burning the brush piles that have accumulated this summer. As soon as snow flies we can burn away as we please!
Oh yes and we need to get a deer in the freezer, and I need to get some applesauce made to go with our pork chops! Mmmm
Going to freeze pasta and pizza sauce if my tomatoes ever ripen, I already have tons of beans and corn in the freezer, along with some excess goat milk.
We need to move most of our remaining animals to winter housing, stock up on wood pellets and hay. We need to get plastic for our windows and finish the skirting on our mobile home.
I'm pretty sure I have more to do. I'm looking forward to burning the brush piles that have accumulated this summer. As soon as snow flies we can burn away as we please!
Oh yes and we need to get a deer in the freezer, and I need to get some applesauce made to go with our pork chops! Mmmm
frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
Wow - I'm tired just reading that! I have a pen of roo's to do and one hog to butcher and some hay to procure....but that's about it. Living south of Houston means we don't have much winter anyway!
baymule
Sustainability Master
@NH Homesteader are you going to can any of the meat? For the first time, I canned some chicken meat, off the bone. Do you keep the heart, liver, gizzard, neck and feet? We love the heart, liver and gizzard fried and I packaged them up in baggies. I made both from the feet, then canned them with bony back pieces for dog food. I still have 3 baggies of necks in the freezer that I am going to can with rice for the dogs. With that much poultry, you will have a bonanza of possible dog food!
NH Homesteader
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I know! I am new to the whole concept of keeping those parts. I just started keeping necks. Every year my parents buy 10 whole chickens from us, and the rest are for us. But they don't use the spare parts either 
I know this is sad but iI have never made broth. But I want to! And, I really want to make dog food to supplement their store bought food (it is so expensive). One can really use the extra protein (she's a giant ball of crazy energy). Please tell me what I need to know! Haha!
I know this is sad but iI have never made broth. But I want to! And, I really want to make dog food to supplement their store bought food (it is so expensive). One can really use the extra protein (she's a giant ball of crazy energy). Please tell me what I need to know! Haha!
baymule
Sustainability Master
We butchered 32 Delaware roosters (mean things) and the only thing we threw away was the heads and skin with feathers. I canned 48 pints of broth, 14 pints of thigh and leg meat and 16 quarts for the dogs. I cut the breast meat off and vacuum packed it for stir fry, it's in the freezer. I sold 10 of them, dressed whole, bagged and frozen.
Do you have a pressure canner and do you know how to use one?
https://www.amazon.com/Ball-Complete-Book-Home-Preserving/dp/0778801314
Do you have a pressure canner and do you know how to use one?
https://www.amazon.com/Ball-Complete-Book-Home-Preserving/dp/0778801314
NH Homesteader
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I heat access to one (my mom has one) but have never used it
what parts go to the dogs? We have always bagged them whole but I asked if we could please not do them all that way this year! Such a pain when you don't want a whole chicken.
what parts go to the dogs? We have always bagged them whole but I asked if we could please not do them all that way this year! Such a pain when you don't want a whole chicken.
baymule
Sustainability Master
Ok, this is how I break them down. When I drag the guts out, I carefully cut the little green bile sack off the liver first. Toss it. Set aside the liver and heart. Cut the gizzard open and wash. Toss all of them in a bowl of clean water. Note on the gizzard; the yellowish lining will peel off, toss the lining. I cut the neck off and toss in the bowl of water. I bag them up, put on ice until I am done with how ever many I am butchering. I also bag up the feet. The intestines get tossed to the waiting dogs. DH makes me cut the butthole off, he doesn't want his dog eating chicken buttholes. 
My husband had never had the fun of butchering chickens, he sure got initiated!
It took me several days to process 22 roosters, so be prepared. I cut the breast meat off and packaged in in vacuum bags, froze them overnight, then sealed with my Food Saver. The reason for that is because the vacuum pulls juices from the meat and it won't make a good seal when raw and fresh.
Cut off the thighs and drum sticks. Set these aside and cut the meat off the bones. Cut off the bony back piece and cut into two pieces. The bony back pieces go to the dogs, not much meat on them anyway. If you don't eat the neck, liver, heart or gizzard, these can go to the dogs too. Don't waste these by throwing it away. Now you have the bony breast bones and leg bones, boil these for the broth along with the bony back pieces. Reserve the broth. Pack the bony back pieces in quart jars (I packed 4 pieces per jar) along with 1 cup cooked rice and any vegetables you have in the garden. I used squash and green beans. Pour boiling water in the jars, 1/2 teaspoon canning salt, wipe the rim of the jars and cap and seal. Place in pressure canner and process according to canner directions. Now you have dog food and a nice pot of broth to can for you!
I hot packed the thigh and leg meat. I canned it per instructions of my canner. We have eaten fried liver, gizzard and heart twice now. These won't stay good in the freezer for a long time, so need to be consumed.
This was the first time I saved the feet. I usually tossed those to the dogs. So I scalded them all wrong. It was terrible trying to get them peeled! NOW I know better and can tell you the right way to scald and peel. Scrub and wash them, cut off toenails, toss in trash. NOT for the dogs! Scald in boiling water for 15 to 18 seconds, dunk in cold water and peel the outer membrane off while still warm. DON'T scald them all at once! ask me how I know......
Scald 2 at a time, peel them then scald 2 more.... When you get them peeled, simmer in a big pot for hours. This will make gelatinous broth that when cold, you'll have to dig it out of the jar with a spoon. Sooooo good for your bones and joints! I canned the feet for the dogs, after making broth with them.
Buy the Ball Complete Book of Canning and read, read, read it! You can do this! Hope this helps. If you have questions, just ask, you will get answers!
My husband had never had the fun of butchering chickens, he sure got initiated!It took me several days to process 22 roosters, so be prepared. I cut the breast meat off and packaged in in vacuum bags, froze them overnight, then sealed with my Food Saver. The reason for that is because the vacuum pulls juices from the meat and it won't make a good seal when raw and fresh.
Cut off the thighs and drum sticks. Set these aside and cut the meat off the bones. Cut off the bony back piece and cut into two pieces. The bony back pieces go to the dogs, not much meat on them anyway. If you don't eat the neck, liver, heart or gizzard, these can go to the dogs too. Don't waste these by throwing it away. Now you have the bony breast bones and leg bones, boil these for the broth along with the bony back pieces. Reserve the broth. Pack the bony back pieces in quart jars (I packed 4 pieces per jar) along with 1 cup cooked rice and any vegetables you have in the garden. I used squash and green beans. Pour boiling water in the jars, 1/2 teaspoon canning salt, wipe the rim of the jars and cap and seal. Place in pressure canner and process according to canner directions. Now you have dog food and a nice pot of broth to can for you!
I hot packed the thigh and leg meat. I canned it per instructions of my canner. We have eaten fried liver, gizzard and heart twice now. These won't stay good in the freezer for a long time, so need to be consumed.
This was the first time I saved the feet. I usually tossed those to the dogs. So I scalded them all wrong. It was terrible trying to get them peeled! NOW I know better and can tell you the right way to scald and peel. Scrub and wash them, cut off toenails, toss in trash. NOT for the dogs! Scald in boiling water for 15 to 18 seconds, dunk in cold water and peel the outer membrane off while still warm. DON'T scald them all at once! ask me how I know......
Scald 2 at a time, peel them then scald 2 more.... When you get them peeled, simmer in a big pot for hours. This will make gelatinous broth that when cold, you'll have to dig it out of the jar with a spoon. Sooooo good for your bones and joints! I canned the feet for the dogs, after making broth with them.Buy the Ball Complete Book of Canning and read, read, read it! You can do this! Hope this helps. If you have questions, just ask, you will get answers!
Britesea
Sustainability Master
probably shouldn't add rice to your canned dog food- that's a no-no according to Ball and other canning experts. It can cause uneven heat transference which could lead to much nastiness. I would just do the meat and veggies, then add to cooked rice when the jar is opened.
