Experiences from country living; self-sufficiency; Christian values; amateur-ham radio; a hard working good life; and Humor is the Essence of Survival.
We butchered one of our wethers, or castrated bucks,
today. Butchering chickens has been part of our yearly routine for many,
many years. This is only the second time we have butchered a goat, and
the last time was about two years ago. There are many people that have butchered many an animal that will
Frank
be able to help point out things that would make this task easier, more effective, and safer. A good friend of ours, OP, who has hunted and dressed out deer for years, came over today to help us out and give us some pointers.
If you do not want to see pictures of this butchering process. Please do not view the remainder of this article. We will show our set up, process and end result. It's a little long, so sit back and enjoy the latest adventure in the life of Frank and Fern. We always begin a butchering process by thanking the Lord and the animal for providing us with sustenance and nourishment.
First, get things set up and ready. The table that held the drying sunflowers earlier in the summer was hosed down, brought in, and given a good washing.
The butcher paper, plastic film and masking tape were brought in the kitchen along with a bus tub. The last time we butchered goats I tried using waxed paper for the first layer of wrapping followed by the butcher paper. It didn't work well. It did not make a good seal against the meat and allowed for some freezer burn. So, this time I am going back to the plastic film as the first layer. The grinder was set up, then all was ready in the house.
The knives were checked for sharpness. We have several knives we have accumulated along the way that I wanted to try out, just to see how they worked on a project like this.
I have used this trusty skinning knife for many years. It is a good fit for me and works well.
Once we had everything in place in the kitchen, we set up the area where we would hang the goat to dress it out. We used the tailgate of the truck as a workbench for our knives, towels, bucket of water, and bus tub to hold the meat. We used a reciprocating saw to cut through the bones of the neck, back, legs and pelvis area.
We use a gambrel and pulley for hanging the carcass.
Now it's off to the barn. The last time we butchered, we put the goats in the stock trailer overnight with only water to help empty their stomachs. Then we drove the trailer down to the garage and hung them in the same place we are using today. But to do this we had to catch the animals, put them in the trailer, catch them again, and bring them out to be shot. Well, we don't plan on wrestling the goats through this routine again. We now have to be more careful with Frank's back, so this is not something we will be doing again.
This time we shot the goat in the pasture, loaded him into the bucket of the tractor, then used the tractor to lift him up to the pulley to be dressed out. This worked kind of well. Unfortunately, we didn't drop him with the first shot, but it ended up okay in the long run.
Now for the butchering. As I noted in the title of this article, this is butchering by a novice. One of the things I used to learn how to butcher is this book. And one of the techniques I looked up again is how to tie off the bung (anus) to prevent any leakage from the intestines. When I asked OP what he thought of our techniques, one of the things he hadn't seen before was this process. He didn't think it would be necessary when dressing out deer, but commented on how full this goat's stomach was and that using this technique was a good idea.
Here is a pictorial of the process.
After I got the meat in the house, I washed it thoroughly to remove any hair and blood.
Here is all of the meat including all of the scraps and organs that we saved for dogfood. There really isn't much meat on a goat, and especially a dairy goat. Since we raise Nubians and not meat goats, the comparison is like butchering a Jersey compared to an Angus, there is a big difference in the amount of meat you get.
The only whole pieces of meat we kept were the hind legs, backstrap and tenderloin. The neck and front legs were boned out to grind.
After we had enough ground up, we stopped and had burgers for lunch. OP had not had goat meat anywhere except in a restaurant, and his first comment was, "This tastes just like meat." It's a very true statement. Many people turn their noses up at the thought of eating goat meat. But if you cook it just like you would any other meat - beef, pork -
then it does taste just like any other meat. I realized just how much I
had missed having some goat in the freezer after the first bite. It is
very good. The only thing I did was add salt and pepper to the meat
before cooking, just like I do with any other ground meat. One thing
about our ground meat, it doesn't hold together like other ground meats
when you make burgers. I have to be a little more careful with it or it
will break and crumble. It is also fairly lean, so I put some oil in the
pan as well.
We ended up with a good amount of dogfood from this
butchering session. We keep the fatty scraps, the thin layer of meat on
the ribs, heart, liver, kidneys, and lungs all as dogfood. If times ever do
get hard, we want to have things set aside for Pearl, our dog, as well as for
ourselves.
Besides the hind leg and one pound of ground meat we sent home with OP for helping us today, and the burgers we ate, we ended up with one hind leg, backstrap, tenderloin and nine pounds of ground meat. Not much, huh? While we were processing the meat our friend Grace and her husband stopped by for a visit. Grace helped me cut up the last of the meat for grinding and while we were visiting she made an interesting comment something like this. "This is a lot of work for only a little meat. But, if times get hard, you'll have meat and know how to process it." She's right. It is a lot of work, and we wish it was more meat, but we are very happy to have meat on the hoof out in the pasture and the tools we need to process it. This is also the reason we raise goats. If the time arrives when we no longer have access to refrigeration and freezers, then a goat has a smaller carcass, therefore, less meat. It is easier to process and preserve without the worry of spoilage.
After trying out the knives, these three worked out very well. The others were okay, but not near as effective or comfortable to use. This is another good thing for me to know. I think it's important to have tools that fit your hand and do the job, and the only way to find that out is through experience. One of the important safety factors that I like about these knives is the finger guard. With these knives I don't have to worry about my hand slipping down the blade while working with wet hands. It's been a long, busy day. It's also been a very good day. We had good visits from friends and family. We learned a few new things about butchering, and we now have more meat ready to eat. Life is good. Until next time - Fern
Aren't carrots pretty? It's nice that some foods that are good for you are also attractive and appetizing. Now that we have had some success at growing a small patch of carrots, the nutritional benefits of home grown, non-chemicalized carrots can be at our fingertips, either raw, cooked fresh into a meal, canned or dehydrated. Another added benefit is the possibility of using them as a supplement to our animal feed.
Since we are growing another fall crop of carrots and hope to be able to eat them fresh through the winter, another experiment and learning opportunity, I will start off with the nutrients for raw carrots.
I was surprised at the increase in most nutrients from the cooked carrots. I always thought it would be less because of the leaching of nutrients into the water, although this list does include the liquid. The only reason I can come up with is that maybe you can get more cooked carrots vs. raw carrots in a one cup serving.
We are very curious to see how our fall crop of carrots turn out. So far they are growing pretty well and weren't affected by our first frost. We will be having a few more frosts over the next week and I expect the cooler temperatures to slow down the growing process. They were very slow to get started, but I planted them when the weather was still pretty hot and they didn't seem to appreciate the temperatures in the 90's.
The opportunity to learn new things that will benefit both man and beast is an enjoyable experience for us. Not only that, but it could mean a few more things to increase our chances of survival should things collapse and we have to live by the sweat of our brows, instead of by the availability of food on the store shelves. And besides that, we prefer to eat food that has been grown without any chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers or herbicides. We are grateful we have the freedom to choose. Until next time - Fern
P.S. Patrice Lewis, from Rural Revolution, has started doing podcasts about homesteading and prepping over at The Survival Mom Radio Network. If you haven't had a chance to listen to them, we would recommend you do so. They are informative, encouraging and convey the message Patrice brings us regularly in a way that the printed word just can't project. We enjoy listening to them weekly.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to offer you my opinion on a product that I have used for over 30 years. 30 years has been a long time. What I'm about to share with you is not pretty, but it works. It stands the test of time, and it does a good job. What I'm going to talk about are Old Hickory knives.
Old Hickory has been around a long time, it has changed owners a few times, but they're still being made the same way with the same materials, in the United States of America. Here is a link to their manufacturer's site. Old Hickory is currently being manufactured by the Ontario Knife Company. You will notice that Ontario Knife Company makes many different types of knives and tools. The purpose of this article is to talk about Old Hickory kitchen knives. As with most
products, it behooves you to look around as prices vary sharply from the manufacturers site. There are a number of retailers that carry these knives. When I purchase Old Hickory knives, I purchase them in a set of five. They come in a cute little box, and it is identified by No. 705. I've included below a couple of sites, don't forget to figure in shipping. Of course, one of the sites is Amazon, and one of the sites I've included is KnifeCenter.com, which is where I get the vast majority of the knives that I buy.
Did I mention that Old Hickory is made in the USA? I'm not going to tell you that every knife I buy is made in the USA, but most are.
Okay, let's talk about the knives. The set of five I mentioned above comes with five individual knives, an 8" slicer; a 7" butcher; a 6" boning; a 4" parer; and a 3 1/4" parer. The two biggest knives, the slicer and the
butcher, we seldom use, but we do use them on occasion. The other three we use daily. These knives are made of carbon steel and have hardwood handles. Now, I am not a knife expert by any means, and have other knives that we use also. We have a set of knives for butchering, but we've also used these knives for butchering chickens. The reason we use other knives for butchering, is that they have a finger guard. When your hands are wet, or bloody, we like to use a finger guard in butchering. It keeps your hand on the handle. But, don't get me wrong, we have used the Old Hickory knives many a time for butchering. My butchering knives have a blade of stainless steel, and they're all made by Buck Knife Company, and they do a good job. But the carbon steel blades seem to stay sharper longer. Maybe in another post I'll talk about sharpeners. I have struggled for years trying to find a good way to keep knives sharp, but we'll talk about that sometime later.
The two Old Hickory big knives some folk use for survival type knives. I've included a video to give you an idea. I've also included a picture showing the different thickness in blades that the man in the video makes reference to. The knife I'm using in comparison is my big outdoor knife, which I seldom use anymore, but I wanted to use it for comparison purposes. My big Buck knife, I've actually had it longer than Fern and I have been married. There are few things I can talk about that I have that is older than our marriage. But they both seem to work just fine. So much for survival knives.
A little story here. Fern and I met about 34 years ago at a major university in rural Oklahoma. A couple of years later we were married. We both worked part-time jobs, went to school full-time, and were very poor. For entertainment we would walk through the small downtown area and window shop. One night while doing this we noticed on the side of the road was what looked like a kitchen knife. We picked it up, brought it home and
cleaned it up. I don't have a clue how old the knife was when I got it, but it wasn't brand new. And I don't have a clue how it got to be on the side of the road, but it wasn't all gooey and sticky or anything like that. So, I don't believe it was involved in any sinister type activity. But, the knife came to our house and has lived here happily ever after. I've included the old Old Hickory knife next to one of it's newer cousins. You can see one is slightly more worn, and it has worked a lot in our house over 30+ years. This knife has processed sheep, goats, chickens, pigs, King salmon, Silver salmon, Red salmon, northern pike, caribou and moose. And it's probably cut more than a few plastic water lines in it's life. Sounds like a keeper, doesn't it?
A couple of years back we discovered the No. 705 Old Hickory five pack and have given a handful of these to folks as gifts, along with a number of Lodge cast iron skillets. What utterly surprises me the most is that most people don't care for cast iron or Old Hickory knives. They don't seem to fit their modern kitchen decor. They're just not pretty enough. This may sound a little tacky, and the reason it sounds that way is because it is tacky. Now don't get me wrong here, there are some high quality pretty knives, but the truth of the matter is most folks don't care how well a knife cuts or performs, all they care about is the looks. They don't care about good quality metal, they don't care about years of durability, what they want is pretty and cheap, and that's what they get, a cheap knife that won't cut, because they wouldn't know a good knife if somebody gave them one. It doesn't take a very good knife to slice a microwave burrito. But in my house, we use knives as a tool and like grandpas taught all of us, buy the best tools you can get. He didn't say the most expensive or the prettiest. Grandpa said the best. Fern just reminded me that there is too much comparison mentioned above. But that comparison between pretty and cheap vs. functional and effective applies to multiple other facets of life.
So this is my take on Old Hickory knives. If you want something that will start the race, finish the race and be prepared for the next race, then I would recommend these tools. Old Hickory, an American institution. Please share with me your comments, what your favorite knives are, and why you use them. As always, use knives safely. Don't use them when you're altered, and don't use sharp knives inappropriately. Safety first, always. I have used this brand of knife for over 30 years, Old Hickory. We'll talk more later, Frank
You know, sometimes there are people that just won't grow up. They want someone else to do everything for them, make decisions for them, make sure they don't fail, tell them how and what to think, and just in general present themselves as whiny, sniveling, dependent pests. Fern doesn't care much for whiners. Well, that wasn't very nice was it? But it's true. Sorry, but some people may find this post to be a tad bit irritating and others may find it to be offensive. If you find it offensive, then let us apologize now. If you find it irritating, good.
There are many people that just can't make a decision. They waffle back and forth, and back and forth, until they've dug a trench in the ground deep enough to bury themselves, and still no decision has been made. One time Frank was in a staff meeting where the decision of the day was what color table cloth to put on a table for a student event. After 45 minutes of discussion, still no decision was made, and Frank was just about to lose his mind. Frank is a very decisive person. He considers the information presented, analyzes the situation and makes a decision. If it is something that is imminent, he has a decision made in a matter of minutes or seconds. If it is something that can wait, he will take more time to ponder things. The ability to make a decision is one of the things that made Frank a very effective school principal. He was once in a meeting where the athletic director was being questioned about something that had happened. We always admired the response the director gave when he was questioned. "It was my call, and I made it." That's it. Situation, analysis, decision.
Folks that continually sway back and forth will be greatly taxed to decide what to do when faced with a life and death survival situation. That indecisiveness may be the death of everyone involved. Even if it is the wrong decision, in most situations a decision must be made. Hopefully if the wrong decision is reached, there will be time to correct it or recover from it, but standing by and wringing your hands is not the thing to do. Decide and take action instead of wasting precious time wondering what to do, or waiting for someone else to decide for you.
Frank has people contact him about radio information. "What is the best radio?" And he repeatedly responds, there is no best radio, there is no best gun, there is no best truck. Frank is always polite, of course, but in the real world, he is not always polite. He reminds people of the old saying, "If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen." You see, he can't decide what radio is best for someone. He has decided what radio is best for him. He has decided that multiple times. And next month, he may decide that there is another best radio for him. But, all of these are his choices. We all learn everyday. Sometimes we get new information, but we can't always wait for that perfect, in this case, radio. New and improved is not always better.
There comes a time when you have to decide what is best for you, your family and sometimes your community. Frank has been known to tell people, "Start at the shallow end of the pool and work your way in." If you can't swim, don't jump into the deep end of the pool. Frank has a name for that, he calls it stupid. Start at the shallow end, take your time. No one says you have to go to the deep end any time soon. That's your decision, and your choice, when you do that. Frank, in his gentle demeanor, has insinuated to folks that if you're afraid to get into the shallow end of the pool, then go back and play in the kiddie pool. Everything is safe in the kiddie pool, because the kiddie pool always has adult supervision.
This might sound a little harsh. It might sound even a little bit cruel, but indecisiveness, especially paralyzing indecisiveness, can stagger any form of growth. So, what color of table cloth did they decide at that Christmas meeting? Red, green, red, green? Instead of being a two hour decision, in Frank's mind it was a two second decision. Little background here. This was one day at school where they were going to show a video. There was a table at the back of the room, one table, with cookies and chips, in a semi dark room. Well, I can't decide. Green or red?? Five adult educators, two hours later, and no decision. There are reasons why some people drink.
Okay. It doesn't make any difference what gun you choose, because it is your choice. But people will debate to the end of the earth which caliber is best to stop a 190 pound deer. It's an endless discussion. The Ford, Chevy, Dodge debate will go on until we go back to horse and wagon. I'm not even going to address sporting events. Making a decision is as easy as flipping a coin. Now this is from Frank. Grow up, man up and do what is right. And then you hear this whining sound. But what if I don't make the right decision? Then call up your mommy and ask her! And if your decision doesn't work out for you, you can always blame the former administration. I'm sorry, I meant to say, the way you were raised.
Like I said earlier. Grow up and man up, and make a decision. More people have been killed or hurt by indecisiveness, not by wrong decisions, but by no decisions. If your family is in danger, what are you going to do? Stand there and chew on your fingernails and wet your pants? Can't you see the storms coming? Take a time frame of five years and look back five years. Look at every major factor that affects your lives, and tell me if any one of them is getting better. And you seriously believe that in the next five years that things are going to get better?
It doesn't make any difference whether you bug in, bug out, but you've got to get off of the fence and make a decision. And if you can't make a
decision now, when are you going to? Well, I don't know what my neighbors would think if I were to store food. Who cares?? It's none of their business. Well, I've read that a 223 is too small. I've read that a 9mm is too small. Excuse me here, but there have been more humans stopped with a 223, which is a 5.56, in modern times than any other round. What is the debate? Well, I want a 7.62 x 39. Then get one! Quit reading and get which ever one you want, but decide! The 9mm issue. But a .45 has better stopping power. Can't deny that, especially if a man is running at you with a spear. But the 9mm has sent more people to heaven than the .45 has. Let's see, give me a choice, 9mm seventeen shots, .45 maybe ten shots. You decide, but do it today. And if you can't decide, flip a coin and go with whichever way it lands. Do you need somebody to tell you what kind of coin to flip? Once you make a decision, don't go back and second guess yourself. This activity is counter productive. Look forward, not backwards. Do this a few times and it will get much easier.
There comes a time in life where we have to step up to the plate, and I'm speaking to the men here primarily. You will never get on base, much less make it home if you are afraid to step up to the plate and take a swing. A boss of mine years ago told me more than once, "It's time to put on your big girl panties and make a decision." Or....there is the kiddie pool, but I guarantee you, the big pool is significantly more gratifying. Now what shall I have to eat? Scrambled eggs or fried eggs? Decisions, decisions!
The only whole pieces of meat we kept were the hind legs, backstrap and tenderloin. The neck and front legs were boned out to grind.
After we had enough ground up, we stopped and had burgers for lunch. OP had not had goat meat anywhere except in a restaurant, and his first comment was, "This tastes just like meat." It's a very true statement. Many people turn their noses up at the thought of eating goat meat. But if you cook it just like you would any other meat - beef, pork -
then it does taste just like any other meat. I realized just how much I
had missed having some goat in the freezer after the first bite. It is
very good. The only thing I did was add salt and pepper to the meat
before cooking, just like I do with any other ground meat. One thing
about our ground meat, it doesn't hold together like other ground meats
when you make burgers. I have to be a little more careful with it or it
will break and crumble. It is also fairly lean, so I put some oil in the
pan as well.
We ended up with a good amount of dogfood from this
butchering session. We keep the fatty scraps, the thin layer of meat on
the ribs, heart, liver, kidneys, and lungs all as dogfood. If times ever do
get hard, we want to have things set aside for Pearl, our dog, as well as for
ourselves. 
Besides the hind leg and one pound of ground meat we sent home with OP for helping us today, and the burgers we ate, we ended up with one hind leg, backstrap, tenderloin and nine pounds of ground meat. Not much, huh? While we were processing the meat our friend Grace and her husband stopped by for a visit. Grace helped me cut up the last of the meat for grinding and while we were visiting she made an interesting comment something like this. "This is a lot of work for only a little meat. But, if times get hard, you'll have meat and know how to process it." She's right. It is a lot of work, and we wish it was more meat, but we are very happy to have meat on the hoof out in the pasture and the tools we need to process it. This is also the reason we raise goats. If the time arrives when we no longer have access to refrigeration and freezers, then a goat has a smaller carcass, therefore, less meat. It is easier to process and preserve without the worry of spoilage.
