I never imagined how much I would learn in this process. The benefits of stewardship, and producing food for friends and family cannot be measured by the hours of sweat, cost of feed, or repeated incidents of having dirt on one's face (or worse).
At this point, I really don't know if I'll do it all again. I need the winter to process all of this, intellectually and emotionally. I do think there is some merit to my plan of having livestock that is big enough to put in a truck and drive to the abattoir.
This distance, created by a few transactions, has allowed me to sleep better. Knowing that a professional has done what needed to be done is a great source of comfort.
The load in went very well. My craigslist ad paid off and the man I hired was worth every penny! He was prompt, reliable, experienced and kind. I really appreciated that he brought his wife along both for the load in and the trip to the abattoir & back. She was sweet and chatted with me along the way. If you need animal transport help or junk removal/hauling, contact me for details.
I chose Owasco Meats in Moravia for several reasons. I didn't want to drive for 3 hours in February with a truck full of hogs. There are relatively few USDA inspected meat facilities around any more and I didn't want custom processing the first time.
The folks at Owasco have been great to me. I had a ton of questions and they were very patient, but I would not be surprised if I am known as "that reformed vegetarian Ithaca woman". Or worse yet, another reformed Ithaca vegetarian woman!
Aside from my awkward foray into a room that was clearly NOT the office, and general uselessness at unloading the pigs, all went very well at the abattoir. There were 2 beautiful black angus steers in front of us ( so I won't be doing beef anytime soon). They were just magnificent.
The whole process has made me think more about where our food comes from, how it is raised and how and why it's life is ended. I am okay with the choices I have made for our family. I still feel a bit strange about my day. I guess I won't really know until the pork comes back.
No matter how it all turns out, I have peace of mind knowing that we did the best we could.
What a long, strange trip it's been!
Thanks to all of our supporters (shout out to the Gustke-Wallace family for pork, more pork, even more pork and turkey!!!). And thank you to all of the folks who have helped move pigs, herd flocks of ducks, eat millions of spring duck eggs and suffer through my enormous Sunday dinners with 4 different kinds of potatoes!
Stay tuned for details on pork priced by the pound, turkeys and more ducks.
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