Processing Day Support Group ~ HELP us through the Emotions PLEASE!

[Happy Chooks]

WOuld love to have THAT recipe becuase I am more likely to have white wine than red in the house.

I'll look for it and post it. I kept it out of a magazine, probably in "my stack" of papers.

 

[Arielle]

I don't know that I could ever have a lamb & process, but it is my FAVORITE meat. On the occasion we go out to eat, if they have lamb it's what I get. Now you have me wanting lamb!!!

I don't dislike white meat, but I like dark better. Thighs are my favorite. Followed by chicken wings (which technically is white, but I don't know why it's dark colored). I've never had duck, but we have some ducks out there right now. Only 3 weeks old, but they are HUGE. I needed 15 for minimum order, I thought it would be easy to unload the extras, apparently I was wrong!!!

As far as packing them--
We cut off the wings, skinned, & took out the backbone, so it looks like a spatchcock chicken don't know if they call it that with quail. Then I put between 4 & 6 in each package & vacuum sealed them & labeled. We have 4 people in the family, so figured I'd do them in what I would need to thaw for the family dinner versus individual. We also have like 60lbs of ground turkey in the deep freezer too, we need to make some room if we're going to get freedom rangers in the spring!

I assure you when the lambs go to market I am sick of them and they are no long " cute". I do like that they had a good life with me and I know what they have been eating. My rams live with me forever.

I like dark meat the best-- richer flavor, just different. I ate the two legsthighs from the roaster, and now working on the breast meat-- it is good too , just not first choice. lol Family is eating the ham and beans instead! ( SImmer and then boil dried beans in water; when soft, ad ham bone or leftover ham; can add onions or carrots; or garlic salt if not salty enough).

Quote:

WOuld love to have THAT recipe becuase I am more likely to have white wine than red in the house.

I'll look for it and post it. I kept it out of a magazine, probably in "my stack" of papers.

WHen you find it!! I'm sure it is worth posting!! yum.

 

[dutchbunny83]

As long as I wasn't the one doing the actual processing myself, I'd be all about some fresh lamb meat! I wish you lived closer, I'd love to buy it!!! Yummmm!!!!

 

[Arielle]

As long as I wasn't the one doing the actual processing myself, I'd be all about some fresh lamb meat! I wish you lived closer, I'd love to buy it!!! Yummmm!!!!

WHile I'd be happy to sell you some, maybe looking closer to homw would be more practical. I'm sure with some sleuthing you could find lamb in your area.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Okay, here it is:

White Wine Coq Au Vin

4 1/2 TBS flour
3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/2 tsp pepper, divided
1 tsp herbes de provence
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 1/2 pounds boned, skinned chicken thighs (I'll skip the deboned part and modify for this)
2 TBS olive oil
1 1/2 cups peeled baby carrots
3 stalks celery
1 medium onion
1 1/3 cups Chardonnay
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup loosely packed parsley sprigs
1/4 cup loosely packed tarragon sprigs

In a plastic bag, shake flour with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and the herbes de provence; set aside.

In a 5-6 qt pot over medium high heat, brown bacon, stirring often, 6-7 minutes. Meanwhile, cut chicken into 1 inch chunks, then shake half at a time in flour to coat.

Transfer bacon to paper towels. Brown half of the chicken in bacon fat, stirring often, 3-5 minutes. Transfer to plate. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding oil to pot. Meanwhile, halve carrots lenthwise and cut celery into diagonal slices. Chop onion.

Add vegetables to pot with remaining 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper and saute until onion is golden, 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, microwave wine and broth until steaming, 3 minutes.

Add broth mixture, chicken, and bacon to pot , stirring to loosen browned bits. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile coarsely chop parsley and tarragon. Stir them into stew.

 

[Tomtommom]

Okay, here it is:

White Wine Coq Au Vin

4 1/2 TBS flour
3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/2 tsp pepper, divided
1 tsp herbes de provence
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 1/2 pounds boned, skinned chicken thighs (I'll skip the deboned part and modify for this)
2 TBS olive oil
1 1/2 cups peeled baby carrots
3 stalks celery
1 medium onion
1 1/3 cups Chardonnay
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup loosely packed parsley sprigs
1/4 cup loosely packed tarragon sprigs

In a plastic bag, shake flour with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and the herbes de provence; set aside.

In a 5-6 qt pot over medium high heat, brown bacon, stirring often, 6-7 minutes. Meanwhile, cut chicken into 1 inch chunks, then shake half at a time in flour to coat.

Transfer bacon to paper towels. Brown half of the chicken in bacon fat, stirring often, 3-5 minutes. Transfer to plate. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding oil to pot. Meanwhile, halve carrots lenthwise and cut celery into diagonal slices. Chop onion.

Add vegetables to pot with remaining 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper and saute until onion is golden, 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, microwave wine and broth until steaming, 3 minutes.

Add broth mixture, chicken, and bacon to pot , stirring to loosen browned bits. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile coarsely chop parsley and tarragon. Stir them into stew.

Hmm.... add some button mushrooms and I think we've got a deal. YUM.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I keep forgetting to bring this up!!! Wingstone and I had a short discussion on it already..... BUT input on this issue because I cant remember reading about sick bird and processing issues on here.....


SICK CHICKEN

ok....
We had a huge blue brahma roo about a year old, just reached full maturity too, anyway, him and his son (our splash partridge brahma roo) got into a fight and in the end the youngin won and the older blue had a heck of a mess of a comb. So for a week we watched this roo, other than showing dried blood on his comb and looking put out and keeping away from everyone he seemed fine. Then one day he was standing there in the coop eyes closed and I pushed him on the side and he FELL OVER!! Upon inspection I noticed his wattle was a tad swollen, I gave tylan and nothing worked, two days and he was just standing around with his eyes closed, and then the next day he was leaning on the side of the coop to hold himself up after dark.... long story short we culled him, We did not process him for fear of whatever was in him......

Wing said I should give to a trapper or something..... what do you all do in this situation with your birds? I hated to see him go to waste he was HUGE. And Were we right to not eat him?

Just so I know for NEXT time!!

 

[Beekissed]

It does sound like he had a systemic infection and I wouldn't have eaten him either. I always toss killed but not eaten birds out in the woods and let the predators have it....or the dog, his choice. He usually lets them get very gamey before he eats them and sometimes a pred will sneak in and nab it first but mostly he will bring it back in and chew on the bits that he likes most.

 

[ronott1]

I keep forgetting to bring this up!!! Wingstone and I had a short discussion on it already..... BUT input on this issue because I cant remember reading about sick bird and processing issues on here.....


SICK CHICKEN

ok....
We had a huge blue brahma roo about a year old, just reached full maturity too, anyway, him and his son (our splash partridge brahma roo) got into a fight and in the end the youngin won and the older blue had a heck of a mess of a comb. So for a week we watched this roo, other than showing dried blood on his comb and looking put out and keeping away from everyone he seemed fine. Then one day he was standing there in the coop eyes closed and I pushed him on the side and he FELL OVER!! Upon inspection I noticed his wattle was a tad swollen, I gave tylan and nothing worked, two days and he was just standing around with his eyes closed, and then the next day he was leaning on the side of the coop to hold himself up after dark.... long story short we culled him, We did not process him for fear of whatever was in him......

Wing said I should give to a trapper or something..... what do you all do in this situation with your birds? I hated to see him go to waste he was HUGE. And Were we right to not eat him?

Just so I know for NEXT time!!

Tylan has a 1 day withdrawal. You could have cut him open to see what happened. If he looked sick then probably not eat him. If I am worried that something might be contagious, I send them in for a free Necropsy here in California.

This is a link to medicines and withdrawal times:



If the dead bird looked ok but you were still worried about eating him, you could feed it to Pigs or boil the meat for Dogs.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: awesome pdf thank you!

I hear you and had anything else looked array I would have drawn blood. it started with the fight and ended soon thereafter and no one else has any issues... I asked DH to investigate his comb, but he said he aint doin it, you do it, (he already cut off his head and I just didnt want to deal with it) Death is not sitting good with me of late, we are having our old dalmatian euthenized tonight. Its been a rough year with him, so again death is giving me a bad taste at the moment I dont want to deal with anything much less a dead chicken. I am such a crybaby I cant stand it. thank you for your help