Where’s the beef?

Homesteading on Whidbey

Published in Whidbey Weekly September 12, 2018

Alright folks, I am going to broach the seemingly taboo area of homesteading that many find unpalatable...meat. Let’s discuss the where, the why, the what, and the who of raising your own meat. How does one even start down this savage path of raising an animal to later slaughter and eat, and who are these people? 

We “savages,” as my mother calls us, who are embracing our roots and getting back to how it used to be, can be anyone. We live amongst you, fitting into society inconspicuously. Our homesteading journeys are unique, as are our motives and techniques. My journey started long ago when I was a half-vegetarian, releasing prawns into the front yard to save them from the pot. I know how ridiculous “half-vegetarian” sounds, but I never felt comfortable calling myself a vegetarian when I had a love for cheeseburgers. Besides the delicious burgers, I mostly refrained from eating any type of animal because my bleeding heart was so filled with guilt if ever I tried to enjoy one of my mother’s delicious dishes. I was a peanut butter and jelly kind of kid who loved veggies from grandpa’s farm and carbs, hold the meat. 

That being said, how is it that a girl who cried when her father cooked crab is now raising her own chickens and rabbits for meat? To be honest, up until a few years ago I found this whole grisly business too macabre to participate in. When we had to move back to the United States from overseas two years ago my husband wanted to eat our laying hens. I nearly cried at the thought of it. Now, I am the one teaching my husband how to butcher and clean chickens. My evolvement, or devolvement, into raising my own food has a lot to do with a change in perspective as a result of motherhood. I want my children to be in touch with their surroundings, to know where food comes from, and I want them to have access to healthy food. Because of this, it was not a big leap to go from gardening and teaching my boys about healthy eating to raising our own meat. 

As a mother to boys, I have also discovered the voracious appetite that many parents joke about. Filling my freezer with fresh organic chicken that we raised ourselves has been a wonderful tool in helping to satiate the little monsters that I have birthed (plus the one I have married). I would like to add that the taste is unbeatable. 

I was skeptical at first, unsure if I could actually do this and more unsure if I could bring myself to eat the meat after all was said in done. To ease myself into this lifestyle, I raised three Cornish chicks two years ago while my husband was on deployment. I brought in an expert, my friend Helga, to help me slaughter them when it was time. I was so nervous that I nicked her with the very sharp knife when it was my turn to slaughter a bird. She had to take over and slaughter the birds for me, while she was bleeding through her jeans. I wanted to cry, I wanted to take her to the hospital, but mostly I just wanted to stop. Being the tough sensible woman that she is, she shouted commands at me, instructing me on how to skin and clean the birds. The whole while she kept saying, “we can go to the hospital when you finish because we aren’t wasting the meat.” When I finished cleaning the birds, we put them in zip-locks bags in my refrigerator to rest and Helga said, “look, you did it! Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” 

She still laughs about the time I maimed her and she needed stitches, but she also reminds me that had she let me quit I would probably have never attempted it again. Ironically, when she needed to slaughter her fifty meat birds this summer I went over to help her as I can now clean a bird within a couple of minutes. This doesn’t mean that I enjoy killing an animal, as I actually prefer my husband to do it while I butcher. I do, however, have a new appreciation and respect for where my food comes from. Being involved with every step from buying the day old chicks to eating chicken tacos with my family is our new “normal.” I enjoy knowing that I am feeding my family healthy food, I enjoy knowing that the animals are well fed and taken care of, and I enjoy eating delicious meals. This is why I raise my own meat. One day I hope to have enough property to raise larger animals and have beef.