Farm feels oddly quiet today. Perhaps because 4 of the animals left yesterday for the butcher. Not comfortable enough in my skills to tackle that myself so I'm paying to have someone else do it. Still got the other cows on site and of course the chickens, such a joy to have them around, but it is getting late, I'm hoping they'll be ready by the end of November to hit the freezer. We are so not prepared to overwinter anything but ourselves on site. Maybe next year we'll have more opportunity to actually upgrade stuff on-site rather than just fixing what's here from previous owners.
Bit of a circus loading the animals as the steer nearly jumped the fence to get back with the rest of the cattle. Managed to find a potential solution, will check into it this weekend for next year, lots to learn I should have had them rounded up before the truck arrived but still wasn't as bad as it could have been.
Just been watching the wild animals this year, grouse population seems down, probably due to the number of coyotes around, deer seem to be common enough though I can't see them well enough to tell if I'm seeing the same 2 or 3 in a couple different fields or if there's really that many around. Locals are telling me there's a big black bear around but I so far have not seen it or sign of it being around, well unless you count the neighbours hives being behind electric fencing now as sign of the bear. Not sure if it was preventative measure or reacting to bear caused damage in the first place.
Off to the city this weekend for provisions, found a decent wholesale spot so time to stock up before the snow really flies and keeps me closer to home.
Be well all
So far, we've butchered our animals ourselves because I'm too intimidated to go talk to any local butchers who might be willing to do it for us. :) To each her own, I suppose. Do you think your butcher would be willing to let someone watch them do their job, to learn how to better do it on your own?
ReplyDeleteThe butcher I've been working with may consider it if I ever asked him. I found him through a local farmer who raises lots of pigs, but the neighbour who does bison uses another service, and the rabbit breeders want me to go through another one if I want to sell via their contacts/contracts. Surprisingly more service available than I realized when just starting out.
ReplyDeletePricing even having the butcher do it is way cheaper than buying at any grocery store so I don't feel too bad outsourcing that and keeping someone else in the area employed. I'll perhaps try the mobile butcher service next year so I can observe or take part on site, though if I take part I'll probably just slow them down ;)