Hello all!
I don’t have a regular post for you today, just been a bit busy around here. 🙂
Saturday our family butchered 2 pigs and they are now residing in our freezers.
Butchering is usually pretty fun for a couple of reasons. One, it’s just fun to have the family together, even though most of the time we are arguing. 🙂 In a good way of course. The guys all say they are having discussions and it is done in fun. But the outsider would likely think us the most dysfunctional family ever!
The other reason maybe isn’t so much fun as just good. We buy the pigs from a farmer who raises his animals in a human way and on non-gmo/organic feed. Healthy animal = Healthy human. We also pay less per pound of meat, than we would at the store.
My brothers did the killing on Friday night, Jason got hung up at work so he didn’t make it down there to help.
We were supposed to be there at 8am to start cutting up the meat, but I was so tired when I set my alarm the night before that I accidentally set it for the time we needed to leave, instead of the time we needed to get up. Ooops!
Kolton is teething and a bit clingy. I tried leaving him the house with my grandma but 30 minutes later she calls me to say that he has cried most of the time. Poor baby 🙁
Fortunately it was a nice day, and even though the shop was cold, he stayed warm on my back. Later he was okay being carried around by his young uncles and his aunt wore him for a while too. He was really a trooper through all of it, but boy was he ready for his bed that night!
Peek-a-boo grandma!
When we butcher, supper consists of fresh sausage. Yum! (Looks like Kolton wanted some too!)
In the end we brought home a huge cooler full of pork and our freezer now contains 1/2 a hog. 🙂 Yummy eats y’all!
Ok…we haven’t done pigs before but have really been thinking about it seriously this year. How long do you think that 1/2 pig will last your family?
Well….. That’s a loaded question 🙂
Typically we get 1/4 hog and I just stretch it out to last us most of a year. We get chickens from my mom and beef every year as well, so I just ration it.
However, we still had enough beef left from last year that I didn’t want to get another 1/4 this year. But I wasn’t sure how well the remaining beef would last till next year. So when I found out how cheep the pork was right now we decided to get a 1/2 instead of the usual 1/4.
See what I mean? Confusing! I will point out this: If you don’t vacuum seal your meat, plan on using it within 6 months. It starts tasting old after that. We vacuum seal and it still tastes fine at a year. Usually it’s all gone at that point anyway though.
Well, that helps me for sure. We are farmers and we do chickens and beef already, and purchase pork.
I hear what you’re saying I think: You don’t know how long it would normally last because you make it last, essentially? That’s smart. Taking it into consideration Kendra. Thanks for replying.
Blessings,
I think if you’re raised around something like that it probably becomes easier. I never was so I can’t imagine killing a chicken or a hog or a cow, etc.
Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem eating it but I am squeamish. I will eat it but someone else has to do the deed, lol!
When my kids were little I did what I had to as a mom to take care of them, and I really did not have ANY problem with blood or anything because my concern for *them* was so great. Although when my 3 year old got stitches I couldn’t watch the guy putting them in. His finger was just SO little!
But when it comes to anyone else I get grossed out, lol! Thanks for hosting today.
You know, if you gave me an animal, or a gun and told me to kill it, I wouldn’t be able too. However, if someone else kills it, I can dress it out and cut it up no problem. 🙂
What we did Saturday (cutting an packaging) is really no different than getting ready to cook it. But yeah, over the years, I’ve come to learn I have a pretty strong stomach. Not much bothers me. 🙂
What great family event! The health benefits and the cost benefits are so great! But I have to admit that I wouldn’t have a strong enough stomach to help out with any of it. 🙂
Thanks for hosting! That’s great that you all have meat to fill your freezer and spent some quality time with family.
We have butchered rabbits and chickens that we used to raise. I enjoyed seeing all your pictures of your fun time. Kolton is so cute and getting big too!! Thanks for hosting the linkup today!!
Living in town the way we are, the only thing we could raise for meat would be rabbits. However, I cannot kill anything, and Jason says he wouldn’t want to kill rabbits. lol So we buy everything. But I do miss rabbit meat.