Sunday morning on the homestead. . .
Waking up to the roosters before dawn. They start crowing about 4 am and that’s when I know it’s time to start my prayers. My bed is outside not to far from their coop. I enjoy sleeping under the stars and breathing the fresh air. For more than half the year- my bed is a mattress outside of my bedroom just next to the garden. Right now there is a Samhain altar outside with me with offerings and prayers for all my guides and beloved ones on the other side.
I usually begin my day with meditation and Breathwork before even getting out of bed.
Then as I am making my morning cup of Chai I see my 11 year old son taking care of feeding the birds.
“Do want to go to Yoga class this morning before the farm market?” I ask.
“Naw, let’s get straight to taking care of the chickens.”
So he goes bare feet and all and begins gathering the old birds that are ready for harvest.
With love and prayer he ties each one up and slices straight through the jugular. The sharper the knife the better when butchering an animal. You want a clean deep cut so that they bleed out as quickly as possible
He then brings the birds to me where I cut off the heads, feet and the last joint on the wings. Then I skin them. If I only have a few birds to do- skinning is fastest. If there are lots of birds to butcher it is nice to have a plucker and scalder machine for getting the feathers off.
After all have been prepared this way- then I gut them- saving the livers, gizzards, and hearts. The gizzards are my favorite and make great tacos!
The best part of old hens is the fat that is all around the area where the eggs come out. Inside their body is a thick layer of fat that can be gathered. I save the fat from all the birds and render it down into frying grease. This is my absolute favorite oil to fry potatoes in- it tastes amazing
After we clean up- we go to the farm market and proceed on with the day.
To me- harvesting the meat for my family is sacred prayer. We consciously raise the animals with love- feeding them the most nutritious and healthy foods. We honor and give thanks for their life and we nourish our bodies with their vitality.
Many people today are not connected to the cycle of life in this way. It is my intention to continue to share the skills I know so that others may learn and grow connected to the web of life and become an integral part of their food production.
May we honor all beings on this earth
I give thanks for all my relations
Thank you
I love you