Butchering & Marketing Meat

• NEW!!!  We are offering a class (available to LOCALS only) on how to humanely slaughter small livestock such as sheep or goats, (similar to wild game) and another class on how to butcher, cut and package. These classes on how to process your own homegrown meat are $75 each, with classes taking place in November and December 2009.
  

We've been butchering a variety of breeds of sheep for nearly a decade (and my husband has been butchering elk and venison for over 30 years), and have been asked to share our experiences.

We have found Cascade Farmstead sheep to be one of the very best sources of lamb.  The meat is leaner than the average large white sheep, and if grassfed, contains very high levels of CLA and other cancer-fighting nutrients.  The flavor is often compared to young elk, which tastes excellent, without a gamey flavor.  Even when butchering an old ram or ewe, it never tastes like mutton.  Young animals, one year or younger, make excellent steaks and leg of lamb. 

While some people have had good luck with leg roasts from older animals, most find that all but the most tender cuts from an older sheep are best put to use as a flavorful ground meat. Soay and Cascade Farmstead rams never have a "rank" taste associated with many intact male livestock.

Soay sheep are small, with a hanging weight of 50% to 60% of live weight, which can range from about 15 lbs to 45 lbs, depending on age and sex of the sheep.  Our Cascade Farmstead lambs grow a bit faster and produce a carcass at 7 or 8 months that compares to a yearling Soay carcass, but the Cascade Farmstead lamb doesn't need the extra effort or $ to carry it over the winter. We butcher our CFS during their first autumn, and the carcass is small enough to be processed on your kitchen counter.  While many farmers can process 3 or 4 sheep per day, and we have processed as many as 9 in one day, cutting up just one is a quick and easy procedure that doesn't take up a major part of your day.  If you have dogs, you may find that the bones, any organs you may not want for your own use, and scraps are excellent for keeping your dogs in good health, and prevent any waste.

Books on how to butcher your sheep are listed below.  Butchering and preserving the hide go hand in hand; the following is information useful to you whether you tan the hide yourself, or send it out for processing.

The best time for butchering is during cool weather for several reasons.  Flies are less bothersome or nonexistent during cooler weather, the carcass will cool more quickly, and in regard to the pelt, it will have better condition.  Autumn and winter are the best times for butchering if the pelt is important to you; the fleece will be longer, and the guard hairs will have grown long enough to make an interesting and attractive pelt.

Waiting until spring to butcher often produces disappointing results in a tanned pelt; the spring/summer moult will cause much of the fleece to pull out easily before or after tanning, producing bald spots on the pelt.  Many breeders dispose of the hide from a Soay butchered in spring.

At the time of butchering, you will need to have non-iodized salt (also known as pickling salt) on hand.  A two pound container is usually adequate for one pelt, but don't skimp; it's better to have too much than too little.  Some breeders keep 25 pound sacks of non-iodized sea salt on hand for this purpose, which is inexpensive.

Spread the pelt out, hair side down, and liberally cover the interior with salt, making sure none of the crevices or edges are missed.  Let dry thoroughly.  This can keep for some months as long as it is kept dry, but should be sent to a tanner within a year or less.

If you want to try this yourself, listed below are a few books on butchering and tanning:

Basic Butchering of Livestock & Game, by John J. Mettler, Jr., D.V.M

The Legal Guide For Direct Farm Marketing, by Neil D. Hamilton

The Ultimate Guide to Skinning and Tanning, by Monte Burch

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NEW for locals in the area of SW Washington State!

Jon, a hunter of 30+ years, is offering his expertise in the form of classes on how to humanely slaughter small livestock. Sheep AND goats will be used, which he finds the same as butchering wild game, just on a smaller scale. Here is your opportunity to learn how to process your own homegrown meat or wild game in 2 classes:

• A class on how to humanely slaughter small livestock such as sheep or goats at home, discussion of what equipment you will need and how to properly care for that equipment, and
  

• Another class on how to butcher, bone out and package on your own kitchen counter, types of knives needed and how to care for them.
  

These 2 classes are $75 each, with classes taking place in November and December 2009.  Contact us for further information.