Processed 1st rabbits, 1st big step up

16 years ago

ASK ME ABOUT MY GARDEN! Easy to talk about.

For those of us "inching toward self suffiency" (to borrow a phrase) processing meat for the first time really ratchets things up a notch.

Over the last year, I've read a number of testimonies about peoples first experiences. I wondered if ours would be first fowl or hide, how I would feel in comparison, and if the experience would cause me to turn back.

1st, I found it frustrating that upon two phone calls to the county ag.extension, no classes are offered on butchering, so if you have no one to teach you, a good book and forum voices like this one is the best you'll get. More to thank my rabbits for.

2nd, overall, and for anyone else approaching this for the first time, there is an extreme comfort in knowing that the animal was treated very, VERY well during it's time on the earth we share. Frankly, from here out, it may be harder to contemplate the meat we have NOT processed ourselves. It does cause you to look deeper at your plate.

3rd, We pretty much let anxiety propel the preparation to the point that we were as logistically prepared as possble. Every bleach bucket laid out, every knive sharpened, every surface sterilized, you know...this helped us too.

4th - The overwhelming feeling of satisfaction MAY NOT trump the feeling of betrayal - at first. It's tough. It will linger. Stroll through the meat market at Safeway, and defer to #2.

I can not share that it was the same "eureka" moment as pulling that award winning carrot out the ground, but it has certainly rounded out our farming life expereince, and we now have a PROFOUND respect for our meat. Discouraged? no. But definitely more committed to our livestock, and strangely, so much more intimately connected to life and this earth... much more deeply than our city counterparts- who recoil in horror, and to whom we have difficulty explaining.

Now ask me about that monster zucchini!

LF RJ

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Comments (6)

sullicorbitt
16 years ago
Hi LF and RJ,
Congratulations on such an accomplishment! I admire your commitment and purpose. It sounds like you have had a very heavy experience both educationally and emotionally. I'm glad you came away with a deeper commitment and respect to your livestock.

This internal battle of raising, processing and eating home grown meat is something I continue to battle. My dh has 4 turkeys out back that I have been really careful not to make friends with.....that's not working out so well. To make matters worse, when I had my kids at the pediatricians office for a check-up, they mentioned their turkeys, my daughter mentioned she was going to eat one and the Dr. looked at us like we were crazy, "you can't eat a turkey from your backyard?"

That's our plan but I don't think it's going to be easy.

How are those monster zucchini's doing? :)

-Sheila
therealshari
16 years ago
Congratulations to you. I still remember the first rabbits I butchered back in 1981. I later went on to own a rabbit processing plant, and butchered 1000's, but continued to insist that the animals were raised in the best possible conditions, and that our employees treated them with the utmost respect.

Something I learned many, many moons ago. Once you take an animal's life, the meat can get no better. If you treated it well, and killed it instantly and kindly, you'll have the most tender meat possible.

On the other hand, if you were sporadic in your care (lack of food and/or water for as little as 24 hours), or if you traumatized the animal by wounding it, or severely frightening it... well, you'd have "off-tasting" meat that would often be tough and stringy.

We butchered 11 of our cockerels yesterday afternoon. While we had a pretty primitive setup, the meat was from live to kitchen on ice within about 20 minutes per bird.

Oh, and we never, ever let the awaiting animals see what we were doing. They were in a large (3x6) pen and covered with a blanket.

Here is a link that might be useful: Shari's Gone Country
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claraserena
16 years ago
I think you put this difficult subject beautifully--about respect and committment and connection. Thank you.
lfrj
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you all, for all the advice and encouragement that has helped us get this far.

The meat rested for two nights and so did we. Tonight, we vacuum packed and froze it. Looking more like regular cutlets, it was a lot easier to handle.

As for that zucchini, it was colossal! Want to know my secret? Rabbit dung! Absolutely!

LF RJ
Maggie_J
16 years ago
Hi LF and RJ! Haven't been over here for a bit, but let me say: Well done, indeed! Not only did you manage to carry out the butchering, you have presented the emotional and moral issues very well. I particularly liked this passage: "...definitely more committed to our livestock, and strangely, so much more intimately connected to life and this earth... much more deeply than our city counterparts- who recoil in horror, and to whom we have difficulty explaining."

The distancing of people from their food sources and the amount of denial that goes on among many people who get all their food from the supermarket is appalling. So much of today's supermarket food is overpackaged, overprocessed and downright disguised, to the point where it is impossible to see what the raw ingredients are. It allows people to conveniently "forget" that all food comes from animals or plants and to raise their children in profound ignorance of what food really is. I guess turning a blind eye is the only way that they can handle contributing to the horrors of factory farming.

Sorry, I didn't mean this to turn into a rant. I mainly wanted to say that you did really, really well!
cpp6318
16 years ago
Yep, I hear you. I'm currently raising turkeys to sell for Thanksgiving. People come running with cash in hand but when they find out they have to kill and proccess them, they turn this neat new shade of green and treat me like I'm a monster... Pure hipocrisy. While i can't stand the politics involved, I actually have a world of respect for vegans becuase they practice what they preach instead of cussing me and then paying someone else to do the deed! Thank you so much for sharing your experiance with us. It does get easier as time passes but your respect for life will only grow.

Processed 1st rabbits, 1st big step up

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Processed 1st rabbits, 1st big step up

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sullicorbitt

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