Becoming self sufficient

[Anna6]

I don't expect I'll ever raise or butcher a pig, but I can still admire those who do. I used to help my dad do deer, and we have the skills & tools to do a beef for personal use if we ever have to, but pork isn't something we eat much of - the only parts of it that are appreciated around my house are bacon and lard, so it would be a bit of a waste of space & time. Better to swap soap & hens to my friend for those!
I'm always planning to start processing birds early - and it never happens because of other chores that have to come first. Cows have a habit of birthing in the night, and if we don't find that calf within about four hours, we'll never catch it to examine, tag & record it. My turkeys have a habit of wandering over to the neighbors looking for hand-outs if breakfast isn't prompt, etc, etc, etc.... I'm sure you know the drill!
I've learned that a canopy, fans and lots of ice can make up for not starting until noon, and I try to schedule my hatches so that I don't have anybody that needs to go in the middle of summer. Meat hens are done being processed by early June & don't resume until mid-September; the Capons have no deadline but are timed for Easter and the winter holidays - doing them is actually painfully cold. Turkeys will be a first this year - also timed for the winter holidays. I'm thinking I should try switching chicken processing schedule to just doing one or two a day, instead of trying to send everyone to freezer camp in a two-day marathon. Husband does NOT do chickens, he won't even look when he walks by

; therefore it takes me two days, well into the night, to get twenty or thirty of them done each time. When it was really cold last month & I had to do a couple of slips, I just skinned them & canned the meat - couldn't fry or roast them anyway, and this way I've got cooked chicken ready for dumplings or salad. Home-made convenience food!

Thank you for sharing your story and ideas. Yes, we did end up putting the pig on ice once it was cleaned and in halves. I had not thought about a canopy but the big was butchered under a tree. At the moment due to freezer space and time, we do only 3 chickens at a time. I also prefer fresh. If we have more freezer space and DH wants to we could do more then at a time. It would be way more efficient to do more. DH and DD are also trying their first caponizing. There is a definite learning curve to that. Twenty or thirty chickens at a time all by yourself. Wow!

 

[Anna6]

We made pulled pork from the shoulder over the weekend. I put the recipe here as it was a great success. I did ease up on the cinnamon and left out the cloves, oregano and cayenne pepper. Personal preference. This recipe is great for though pieces, front shoulder and hind quarters. Definitely do not skip the over night brine in the frig.

http://kathdedon.wordpress.com/2013/08/05/mexican-pulled-pork-tacos/

 

[nayeli]

I just killed my first animal. I made quail last night... we didn't like it though so we are selling the quail.

 

[MoonShadows]

Sabz,

"Shampoo and Conditioner" are easy! (I put them in quotes, because many would not consider them as such.) We have been using both for a couple of years now, and our hair is clean, not dry, and very manageable. Not only that...they cost pennies, and we are not putting all those chemicals on our hair and scalp..

Both can be made in a 1 liter bottle; then, I use those squeeze mustard/ketchup dispensers like you see at a picnic or fast food joint.

Shampoo: 4 tablespoons baking soda and fill the bottle with hot water. Shake to dissolve. Just rub it around your hair for 30 seconds, and rinse well.

Conditioner: 4 tablespoons of cider vinegar and fill the bottle with water. Use like the shampoo.

You won't get suds or froth, but your hair and scalp will thank you!

Jim

 

[Sabz]

Moonshadows, I suppose we can also put a drop or two of essential oil to make it smell good.

This is great, I LOVE making my own stuff. And I am out of shampoo, I have rinced the bottle with water to use the last bits of shampoo left last time. So trying this ASAP Thanks

 

[RichnSteph]

I just killed my first animal. I made quail last night... we didn't like it though so we are selling the quail.

If you were close to Texas I'd probably buy them and the cage. We want to raise quail also.

 

[nayeli]

@RichnSteph Yeah, I really wish that I could sell them already.

 

[Aacre]

This road to self sufficiency is pretty interesting and valuable. This year is the first year of raising animals for meat. We've had chickens for a few years now, but only had them for eggs and our enjoyment until recently. I've learned how to incubate and hatch eggs to produce my own chickens without being forced to buy chicks that have been mass produced. We also bought two piglets in January. I have never raised pigs before, and it's turning out to be quite an experience. I love them so much, and I think I'll love them even more in my belly! I want to eventually have goats or sheep.. or both.. For milk, meat, and wool would be awesome. We probably won't venture into anything more just yet though.
Gardening has always been a fun hobby- for my husband, I never really got into it until I met him. We will be on our second year in a row of gardening, and I'm hoping that one day it'll provide all the vegetables and fruit we eat. I need to invest in a dehydrator and canning supplies first...

 

[GerbilsOnToast]

This road to self sufficiency is pretty interesting and valuable. This year is the first year of raising animals for meat. We've had chickens for a few years now, but only had them for eggs and our enjoyment until recently. I've learned how to incubate and hatch eggs to produce my own chickens without being forced to buy chicks that have been mass produced. We also bought two piglets in January. I have never raised pigs before, and it's turning out to be quite an experience. I love them so much, and I think I'll love them even more in my belly! I want to eventually have goats or sheep.. or both.. For milk, meat, and wool would be awesome. We probably won't venture into anything more just yet though.
Gardening has always been a fun hobby- for my husband, I never really got into it until I met him. We will be on our second year in a row of gardening, and I'm hoping that one day it'll provide all the vegetables and fruit we eat. I need to invest in a dehydrator and canning supplies first...

Just wanted to toss out a couple of suggestions, as you said "I need to invest in..."
1. You can build a very inexpensive solar dehydrator yourself; there are oodles of plans out there on teh internets. Save the cash for...

2 When you're buying your first canner, go steampunk

. You'll save yourself a LOT of time, especially if you're using an electric or wood stove, and you'll want one later anyway. The canner I refer to is an "All American". It's made in the USA, milled from a single block of aluminum, and requires no gasket. I've had a Presto (still have it), and a Mirro (would rather I had IT), but my DH came home from the hardware store with one of these. I LOVE it! I could have killed him when I found out the price, but... I love it enough to forgive him. Honestly, it's a bit over $200 as opposed to the $70-$90 for the others, but with this one, I DON'T have to stand in the kitchen watching the gauge all the time - it's got a rocker weight as well as a gauge, so I can hear from anywhere on the ground floor that it's maintaining correct pressure. That means I can do other things at the same time - very important!

3 Also explore Tattler re-useable canning lids. After you get into canning, you will be amazed at how much you spend on lids (because, after all, you can CAN almost everything except starchy stuff, and don't have to pay for electricity to keep it preserved!) I don't have enough to use them exclusively, but for the stuff that gets used and replaced quickly, they save a lot of money in the long run.

Google and explore before you lay out those greenbacks, you might choose other products, but at least you can get an idea of your options.

**editing to add... *I* really want a few (2-3) sheep for a lawn mower! They won't eat brambles, so we could use them to keep the grass down in the berry rows, and I'd have wool for a bonus!

 

[GerbilsOnToast]

Thank you for sharing your story and ideas. Yes, we did end up putting the pig on ice once it was cleaned and in halves. I had not thought about a canopy but the big was butchered under a tree. At the moment due to freezer space and time, we do only 3 chickens at a time. I also prefer fresh. If we have more freezer space and DH wants to we could do more then at a time. It would be way more efficient to do more. DH and DD are also trying their first caponizing. There is a definite learning curve to that. Twenty or thirty chickens at a time all by yourself. Wow!

I have to do that many because I have a waiting list; I *can* do that many because I have a hero with a large industial-style plucker that he delivers on a trailer. This is how I set it up:


The green tub was for temporarily holding ice for the coolers (coolers sit under table at back); it is replaced with a propane turkey fryer (with water for scalding) before I start. Out of the pic, to the right, is a rack made of iron pipe with a board that holds four cones. The 'wall' behind the table at the back is the back ramp of the trailer; it's covered with plastic & there's a hose clamped across the top with a Dramm breaker head extending to the fan side, so I can have constant water flow for washing with minimal water use. The white over the plucker is a disposable table cloth; it keeps any feathers from flying out onto my cutting table. The red behind is the dumpster, and has nothing to do with the processing, LOL.

Kudos to your DD & DH on the caponizing effort! It takes a little practice to get comfortable with, but it's definitely worth learning! (freedom from excess roosters is reason enough, IMHO)