What’s on your mind these days? 

Are food shortages and rising prices high on the list as they are for many?

We’re looking into almost empty freezers and thinking about Hog Harvest and Beef Butchering. Food shortages and rising meat costs are not as concerning when you have essential skills and can put meat in your freezer yourself.

Homestead Hog Harvest classes are coming up. The Charcuterie and Pork Preservation (you can skip the freezer part with your pig!) is on the schedule. This is the first year we’ve offered the Beef Butcher class, and seats are very limited, but we’re really excited to share the opportunity to learn this skill with you.

History is on your side

“Back in the day” every community had a small butcher shop. And every homestead and farm would have a hog butchering weekend. However, around us, the small butcher shops are closing. Butchering on the homestead is a lost art. But being able to process animals is an essential skill. In a world that promotes “plant based meat” (whatever that highly processed laboratory material is), if you can convert raw materials into food for your table, you’ll be in time honored, healthy, and secure company. “Back in the day” that’s how it had to be. We’re not there yet, but that’s why it’s a good time to learn how to can food, grow crops, and process animals. Food shortages don’t mean as much if you can use the abundance around you and get the chickens, pork, and beef into your freezer and pantry shelves no matter what happens around you.

If not now, when?

Is this the year for you? If busy weekends have held you back before, you have a weekday option this year. All our classes are unique in that you’ll get to experience the process hand’s on. We don’t believe in demonstration only classes. “Do the thing,” Emerson said, so you can have the power to control your food supply.

This is a fun video our son Joe made last winter, and some of the folks in the class shared their reactions at the end.  Check out what they had to say:

Hope we see you soon at a class here on the farm!