PASTURE to PLATE
Well it has been a really amazing adventure with "RIBEYE". From the pasture to the plate, this has provided us with an extraordinary experience. There is a deep sense of appreciation for where the meat on the table comes from, and just how much effort it takes to place it there.

This past Saturday we went over to the Bradshaw's for the final packaging of the cow quarters. After hanging the meat for four weeks I was a little unsure of what to expect.



The meat had a purple tinge to it along with some light mold growth. This required the removal of about the top 1/8 to 1/4 of inch on the carcass. With that removed the meat had an extraordinary good texture and smell.

We started by processing the rear quarters first. Keith had set up the HOW TO video in the basement, which turn out to be a real help getting started. We each processed our meat in a little different fashion.





The Bradshaw's went for a more conventional cut processing while we had chosen to try removing the meat as it was naturally grouped together. I can say in retrospect that Keith's turned out very nicely, but I was very satisfied with our results as well. Everything to me that wasn't clearly a steak cut (i.e. the tender loin) was either a roast, cube steak or hamburger. This method proved to be much quicker, but clearly either method produced good results.

Laura did such a wonderful job packaging up all of our meat. She used standard freezer paper and tape, while finishing off with labeling and placing it in a gallon freezer zip-lock bag. It was a lot of work but she really enjoyed the day, just being able to work together as a family.


The meat lost some weight during the aging process. It went from taking 3 men to carry and hang it to one man being able to carry it to the processing table. It would have been nice to have a before and after measurement. It will take another time or two before we can be sure whether 3 or 4 weeks is optimum for the hanging time.

Zechariah asked if he could cut up the meat for hamburger. I was a little hesitant at first, but then decided that it would be nice for him to be able to help. I kept a close eye on him because the knives were really sharp. He really did a wonderful job. When he was done he toes out some time to play with Luke. It really blessed my heart-to see some loving fruit in his life.

Joshua and Samuel took time grinding up the meat for hamburger. It took a lot of patience while dealing with the Kitchen Aid grinder. It tended to overheat frequently. We were very thankful to have it, but I believe it was too much strain upon this type of equipment (it was never intended for continuous operation like that). We would be well served in the future to purchase a commercial grinder

In the end we filled up a very large cooler, along with another smaller cooler and one larger water cooler. It filled up the bed of the truck nicely. We ended up with a freezer full of meat, but it looks like so much less when it is all packed up. I really cannot judge with any certainty how long a half of a cow will last our family. It will take a little more experience and planning to be able to provide for our meat usage for each year.


This is the best tasting meat I have ever had. I would like to thank the Bradshaws and Ribeye. The Bradshaws gave a lot, but Ribeye gave his all. :-)

The boys got in a few minutes of play before it was time to go home. Quite frankly I am not sure where they came up with the energy after all of the work they did.

This was by far one of the best times I have ever had with my family. There was no complaining, no fussing-just willing hearts working in peace and harmony together. Not perfection, but love in action. We were all tired-and I do mean totally exhausted, and yet there were no grumpy or self-centered comments. This is the way it should be, the LORD richly blessed this day in the life of our family.

I would just like to end this with a short thought. How are things in your household? Men I can tell you this much, the spiritual tone is set by you! What will you do with your God given leadership? Will you example out the love and peace that are only found in Christ or will you get frustrated, angry, and self focused? You will do one or the other. Do you make it a joy for your wife to be your help-meet? Do your actions tell your children they are a blessing from God? If you want peace and unity in your home it starts with your own spiritual condition and relationship with Christ. Examine your own heart and consider your own ways.


1 Peter 1:12-14 12It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven--things into which angels long to look. 13Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance

"BILLY BURGERS"

Our Billy Goat had become somewhat of a problem lately. He was butting our new buckling, our pregnant Nanny Goat and various fence parts; plus he smelled really bad. It was time for us to recoup our money out of him in meat.

It was a real interesting slaughter attempt. We used a 22 caliber rifle at first, but it bounced off of Bill's head. Not a good way to make friends with a goat. I had the boys go get me a bigger gun, my .308, it finished him off quickly.

Joshua offered to drag the goat up to the processing area. This wasn't an offer I was about to turn down. We made this a family project. The boys did most of the skinning, although as you can see below we had to read up on some of the finer points. We sometimes stopped and looked at each other wondering what we need to do next.

With a lot of patience and effort on the kids part we got the hide and guts off of the carcass.











Now with Billy out of the picture we can breed Nanny in a few months with our Nubian goat "Buckwheat".

We will keep you up-to-date with the progress of our growing goat milk efforts. Since we have never milked anything nor have we ever had goat kids, it should be really interesting.


Once all of the left over were gotten rid of we cut the goat into two halves. Samuel got rid of the goat guts in the back area of the property. Seems there has been a lot of interest by the local bird population in studying goat anatomy.
Even the dog seemed to get better acquainted with Billy after his demise. It is interesting to note that Nanny (in the background) seemed to be quite happy that Billy was gone so she enjoyed the grain he had been previously consuming.





We borrowed a cooler from some friends to age the meat. We placed about 4 cups of vinegar along with 10 cups of salt into the cooler and filled it with water and ice bottles. This was changed out twice. The end result yielded us meat free of Billy goat smell and taste.

The final product gave us around 25 lbs of Billy burger and four shoulder roasts. We are going to tan the hide with the hair on if we can get the Billy goat smell off of it, more on that in a future post.

This has been a real adventure for us. I am not particularly found of killing animals, but I have been very pleased with the end results. We have been very isolated from where our food comes from and the death and processing involved. The boys and Laura and I have a greater appreciation of the food the Lord provides to us now than ever before. We know that our livestock have been well treated, feed and processed in clean conditions.

Genesis 9:2 The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. 3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. 4 "But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.

Revisiting the Past

As age has crept upon me, I find myself taking inventory of my life from time to time. The most recent time came as we took my oldest son (now 15 years old) back to St. Judes Children’s Research Hospital for his annual check-up. As I looked around the hospital and the various clinics, I saw parents dealing with the same issue Laura and I had dealt with some years earlier. Many of the staff members are the still here after 13 years. One nurse I saw had gotten a divorce 8 years previously. Others had aged somewhat, but were still doing the same jobs has they had for so many years. It occurred to me while we were waiting for Samuel’s appointments, that these people have gone about their daily lives everyday since we first met them. Whether it was soccer, marriage, birth, death divorce, they had a certain routine and stability. This may seem so obvious to most people, but it wasn’t to me until just then. As I reflected back on our early days at the hospital, I could still remember the intensity that my family’s life took on. By God’s rich mercies we never felt overwhelmed but I had come to understand what the word means in Matthew 6:34 “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” I did not have the time or energy to devote to things that were not of the utmost importance. My child had just been diagnosed with cancer with a little better than 50% chance for survival. Daily cares just seemed to pass from our view. What we would do for vacation? What was for dinner? These things simply did not matter anymore.

Most of our time for the next 2 ½ years would revolve around the treatment of Samuel’s cancer. We would face many ups and downs during this time. Many of the people that we befriended would lose their child’s life to cancer. I quit counting when it reached 100 deaths. God has yet to require that of us. Yet we would wonder from time to time if the treatment wasn’t worse than the disease. Many times we struggled, but were never completely drowned. God used this time of tragedy in our lives to put a failing marriage back together and draw us closer to Himself than ever before. We had hearts rooted in a faith found only in Christ. We had let our own selfish desires tear our family apart. God mercifully put it back together. In months we grew more in Christ than in many years.

Now what is the real point to telling this tale? It wasn’t to draw attention to ourselves, but rather it is to answer the question “So What?” As I looked back over this time God exposed something lacking in my life today. That intense singleness of mind had somehow gotten lost in living life. Each day God gave me sufficient grace for what lay ahead. He didn’t show me what tomorrow would bring, nor could I have handled it. This is what God showed me as I reflected back; my life is to be fully devoted to Him. I am not to be consumed with the fleeting pleasures of this world. My heart and thoughts are to be consumed with living this life to bring glory and honor to Him. This is NOT MY LIFE!

Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves to the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? Romans 6:16

Our lives must be lived in view of eternity. The only things that will last will be those things done in obedience to righteousness. I am not speaking of monastery living - but rather to live each moment in presence and fear of my Holy God. There will be no middle ground, God’s word is clear. Your life is not your own nor your money nor your time-nothing is yours you are but a steward that will one day give an account to God. You cannot serve to masters. You are either for or against God.

For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body you will live. Romans 8:13

Do you prefer to obey God always or do you demand your own way?

Is there a difference between the life you live and that of the world?

Remember the standard is not better than someone else… “And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” 1 John 3:3

Many people call themselves by the name of Christ, deluding themselves and leading others on to hell. We are called to examine ourselves to see if indeed we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). So what about your life…are you in Christ…does Christ know you… (Matthew 7:20-23).

Just a closing thought. If you haven’t experienced this my next statement may not make much since. If there had been anyway to have spared my child from going through this I would have gladly done it, but I wouldn’t take anything for the chance to walk through it. Only one thing I count on in this world is that all God does in my life is for my ultimate good and His glory, Amen!

Handg’rnad Greenbeans

At our house “Science” is a relative word. I gave up teaching “textbook Science” because it could not compare to
“Science by Accident”. Now really you can laugh here! I am only going to share one story………..of the many, many “experiments” we have “run into” over the years.

Remember, we are city folks---gone country. So part of the “country scene” is gardening and then canning what you get! So here we were all ready to go…………

The garden failed completely----a big NOTHIN’ grew! We were very disappointed. Kinda hard blow on the old country ego----that we just weren’t country material if we couldn’t even grow us a garden.

BUT, we did not give up so easily! I just decided that maybe it was too much and I would just go to the Farmer’s Market to buy the produce I needed to can. And so we did…….

The first we bought was green beans! I love green beans. So I bought 2 bushels and spent a Looooooooooooong day snapin’ and the boys joined in the fun too. Ya got to call it fun or the boys will think they are working!!

I got some suggestions from some friends and set out to can. Now I had made some jellies and applebutter before so I thought this couldn’t be too hard. I just did not know how long to waterbath the greenbeans. So I said well, jelly is 10 minutes, I’ll do the green beans a bit longer at 25 minutes.

Stayed up to midnight when the last jar was set on the counter. 45 quarts all pooping their seals, sitting ever so nicely on the counter. I was so proud of this accomplish----though I was dead tired!! (I thought country life was supposed to be relaxing, I felt like I had been run over by a mack truck!!) The next morning I admired our first job again and then found a pantry closet………………..until…………………

Now those of you who are avid canners are already laughing, but those of you who do not can---get ready! A week and ½ later……………….

A strange smell began to emerge from around the trash can in the kitchen-------which happens to be by the pantry door when my beautiful canned green beans were. For a few days I was sorta not really bothered, but it kept getting stronger and stronger. The previous Sunday our dog who normally is VERY good, had an “accident” upstairs on the only piece of carpet we have-------and believe me it was rather odorous maximus!!! We had used the rainbow vacuum to clean up the mess from the dog. Anyway, I thought that the smell was coming from the vacuum cleaner which also was housed in that same small pantry by the trash can along with the green beans!.......... (Amazing how much stuff I can fit in a small space!)

So finally when the smell was NOT going away, I had my oldest son take the vacuum out back and check it all out to see if it was the culprit of the now nasty smell!! He was obedient and did as I asked, but to my dismay, the vacuum came up “clean” excuse the pun!! It was not the vacuum after all. Now I was really stumped.
Finally, my oldest son realizing he would probably be the one to do the investigating, decided to jump start and find the source of the smell himself. And he did………………….

He brings to me in the living room a can of green beans and said, “Mom is all the liquid supposed to be drained out?”
I quickly jumped up took the can and smelled…………oh yeah!
There is not much more gross than rotten food to smell!! Several of the “beautiful” cans of green beans had exploded!! Several more on the way. Come to find out all had to be thrown out for they were not pressure canned!! I did not know.
WHAT A MESS!! Well as my husband and boys dumped out all the jars outside into the trash, (I was busy on the front porch crying my eyes out!) “Why did this happen daddy?” Thus the “science lesson” continues. He explained what had happened and then they wanted to make some more for hand grenades to play with!!

My thoughts, that though the green beans were beautiful on the outside they were rotten on the inside. What is in your heart will come out.

As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man. Proverbs 27:19
It was not very long at all before what was inside the jar came out!! And it was no longer pretty!! It stank! So it is with us. Whether we store up wickedness or righteousness in our hearts, it will come out!

What are you storing up “canning” in you heart?