I was just looking back at last year's. I noted on the blog that I hoped I would enjoy this year's more. I didn't remember that I was near tears for much of the 2nd and fullest day of butchering. But that doesn't surprise me. On Sunday, Grant (our friend and co-butcherer) mentioned, as we were scrambling to get what we could done before dark, that at least I didn't have to work the next day. Last year butchering was squeezed in between Mom and Dad's final move from WV to VA and me wrapping up my last semester at CJP. No wonder I was near tears with all the changes and grief processes swirling around!! This year was just as exhausting, but I do think I was able to be more present to the whole process. Now, if I'm honest, I might have to admit that going to work and missing out on washing all the lard and meat covered things on Monday wasn't the worst deal ever. But, that said, I really do like seeing a project from start to completion and got to do that this year more than ever.
Other years I've detailed the whole process and so I think I'll just share a smattering of pictures from this year since it will soon be Thursday (3 minutes to midnight as I type this...). And what I'll comment on is that the thing that changes the most from year to year is our kids are growing up and move from watching to "helping" to really helping!!! It is very safe to say that our days would have been much longer and our nights shorter without their extra sets of hands over the course of the butchering days. They cut up a lot of lard and sausage, and Alida was having fun learning how to skin and break down a half and cut off meat for grinding into sausage. Terah was a big help when she could contain her excitement and desire for ponhoss right away! It was hard to be patient for that first bite of something that you haven't had in a year.
Each year Jason, Grant and I smooth out kinks in the process and make things run just a bit more smoothly. A big boost for us this year was the new butchering table that all 5 of us could work around together. And a small but significant "ah ha" was using a strainer basket for putting potatoes into the lard kettle to fry. Grant didn't have to take 10 minutes this year trying to find and fish out potatoes from a kettle full of hot rendering lard.
So here's some photos from Saturday and Sunday. For those not interested in seeing pictures of a butchering, go no further! I was selective in the ones I chose, but it still may be uncomfortable for some (like a younger version of myself, for example!). OR you can scroll to the very end to meet the three new little pigs!
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The coffee always tastes really good out in the dark, cold morning as we get a fire rolling and prepare ourselves for the day ahead.
The girls all wanted to get up before the first one was killed. Because we had been in town most of the day before, they had not had a chance to say goodbye to the pigs. This is how perky they looked initially:
Saying goodbye to Auburn, Pink Nose and Black Nose.
It's a pretty unusual occasion, so worth photographing, to have my whole family up before the crack of dawn!
There was a lot of steps between the above picture and the two below. If you are interested in more details, just ask! Or visit us next December...
Day 1's lunch was much more relaxed than day 2. There's not an easy way to even out the two days so we just try to enjoy the more leisurely pace of day 1, knowing what is ahead!
We even had time that first night to savor a delicious dinner of pork fish loin with rice and fresh steamed spinach!
The kids weren't up quite as early on day 2, but it was still an impressive feat to have us all out there chopping away by mid-morning!
Lard really is beautiful!
Emily and Ivy joined to observe (and taste test - Ivy was determined not to miss the pig tongue!) on parts of both days.
The ponhoss is exactly what we are aiming for - I'm so glad all our kids like black pepper now!
Filling lard jars in the dark.
Look how white it was by Monday morning!
I'll close with the words of Wendell Berry. These words always accompany our butchering in some way - this year as our table blessing for the meal pictured above.
“Let them stand still for the bullet,
and stare the shooter in the eye,
let them die while the sound of the shot is in the air,
let them die as they fall,
let the jugular blood spring hot to the knife,
let its freshet be full,
let this day begin again the change of hogs into people,
not the other way around,
for today we celebrate again our lives’ wedding with the world,
for by our hunger, by this provisioning, we renew the bond.”
P.s. Meet the three newest members of our farm!
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