We haven’t always been polished and pretty like we are now.
In fact, I picked this video so you can look at where we were working 3 years ago. Those beef were Calvin and Hobbes, and it was hard to harvest those characters. Mark was grumpy for a day or two in advance and slept poorly the night before. I told you about Endeavor last week. Harvesting animals should never get “easy,” but you get used to knowing it has to happen and following through. You don’t need fancy or polished to process your own meat. As you can see here.
What do you need for DIY meat processing a beef?
a gun
knives: skinning, boning
Sawzall with a carbon tipped 12″ pruning blade for halving and quartering
a place to hang the quarters or thirds (hear Mark’s comments on this in the video)
a sturdy table for cutting
packing materials (plastic wrap, ziplocs, and a permanent marker will do!)
That’s the bare bones. Anything more is bonus and makes your life easier. One family we know really rocked it by rearranging their kids into one bedroom, hanging the beef in a colder bedroom and cutting it on the kitchen table. You don’t need fancy and polished to DIY!
Tell us what you want!
We didn’t do a beef class this year, so you didn’t have a chance to learn this DIY meat processing skill for yourself. However, we’d love your input on what to offer next year! Watch for the Chicken processing class in June, and Homestead Hog Harvest class in November. But, what else, besides the DIY meat processing classes? Contact us back and give us your workshop wish list. What’s on your “learn to do” list for 2024?
As he raised the rifle and drew the bead on the massive forehead, Mark realized that he didn’t hate this animal, the bull who was tipping his head to keep a wary eye on that guy who drove the hated tractor. Endeavor often did that to all of us, side eyeing us to keep close tabs on who was where doing what. He had trapped Mark a couple of times up on the tractor as he butted at the bucket and back blade, or banged the barn door around, effectively locking one cow or another inside. He could shove sod into a trench with that same massive head, leaving my mama heart quaking imagining if he ever got a human pinned there.
But he was just being who he was made to be: a bull. The champion and protector of his harem. And he did it well! We didn’t hate him for it, most of the time, but we certainly respected his power and potential and dedication to his job.
This is the nature of things on a sustainable farm. Nature is our partner but not always a friend. And sometimes we have to do things we’d rather not as a result.
The photo below marks the culmination of much thought, effort, a restless night’s sleep, and a few tears.
The rail was one of this year’s big construction projects, built for processing the larger animals. This was the first time Jim and Frank were in charge of dealing with a cow. And we all shed a tear and thanked Endeavor, grateful for his faithful service and the gift of sustenance he was now giving us.
It was a momentous moment. Some of our animals will live in memory for years beyond their natural lives, and Endeavor has now entered that hallowed hall. Anyone in sustainable farming is in it to grow food, but also to be a husbandman of nature. That’s a very old word meaning “to take care of.” That’s what we do, because we’re as much a part of the system as a leader in it.
This is a tribute to Endeavor. We’ll honor him by using every bit of the gift he’s given.
Blood to enrich the soil
Lungs to create delicious and healthful seasoning mixes
Heart, liver, tongue, and spleen in various recipes
Tallow to be rendered for skin care and frying, or ground in with the meat for better flavor and digestion
Ox tail for soups and stews
All the bones for bone broth and a new experiment: marrow boats
The powerful and rich muscles for all the fabulous beef
Anything left over goes to the dogs, chickens, and pigs
Life is a precious gift and the universal law is “more life to all.” Therefore, nothing gets wasted. We’ll appreciate and be grateful to Endeavor for a long time to come yet!
So, this picture isn’t just a “trophy” shot. It’s a reminder of the poignant drama of life on a sustainable farm and the intricate responsibilities of being a “husbandman.” Endeavor’s spirit lives on, echoing in the sustainable harmony of our farm, a lasting tribute to the profound interconnectedness that defines our journey as farmers and custodians of nature.
Check out another story about Endeavor here: Bull Adventures
