fresh turkey for thanksgiving!

way back last spring i decided that besides raising our meat birds, we would also get into the turkey business. i bought a few turkey eggs from our neighbor, and after hatching out a disappointing 4 poults, also bought baby turkeys from him, bringing our total turkey population to an even dozen.

they were raised in the chicken tractors, too. (or were they now turkey tractors?) time and the seasons marched steadily on, and soon it was November 23, their appointed day. above is A "givin' a little lovin' " to Mr. Tom Turkey.



each time we use our chicken plucker, we marvel to ourselves how we ever got along without it! it just strips the feathers right off those birds, until they are as naked as a jay bird. (or turkey)

this was our first time butchering in the summer kitchen, as well. just the night before, Dave had completed some final necessary tasks, and we were ready to go bright and early on Tuesday. it was so nice to have the cement floor, and everything under one roof! a big improvement over rickety card tables in the muddy yard!


the turkey next goes to G, who removes any pinfeathers and unsightliness from the bird. he also takes off the head, feet and crop.


next Mr. Tom Turkey comes to me, and i gut him, saving the giblets (neck, gizzard, heart and liver) after doing hundreds of chickens, it felt like i was touring the Grand Canyon to reach in the cavity and pull out all the insides!



a final rinse, tuck in his legs, and Mr. Tom Turkey is ready to grace the table of friends and family. we sold 10 of our birds, and had one 17.5lb turkey for our Thanksgiving table. (one turkey had mysteriously died in September)

it was the general an unanimous family consensus that Mr. Tom Turkey was the best we had ever eaten. we'll definitely raise turkeys again next year- and definitely keep better track of our expenses. we sold the turkeys for $2lb (with the butchering done for free), with the toms weighing in around 16lb and the hens around 10lb.

since our record keeping was less than stellar, we're not sure on the final cost. we raised these birds for 6 months, so we're pretty sure that WE paid our customers to come take their bird!

the stove that started it all...

well, here it is! the stove that catapulted the summer kitchen to the top of our to-do list. it's a 6 burner propane stove, with 2 ovens, a griddle and a broiler. that should be enough cooking power to keep me out of trouble! (when it's hooked up, that is!)


last Wednesday we had a small crew come and help Dave and G pour the cement for the floor. actually, it was only Kyle and our pastor, Darryn. but it sounds so much more official to call them a crew, doesn't it?



Dave had much of the prep work done: rebar and wire on the bottom, and the ramps for the wheelbarrows to go over. (check out kyle showing off with his 2 wheeled barrow!)

darryn was a huge help, and he jumped right in there helping Dave smooth (skreet?) out the cement.

the whole thing went really fast and soon they were up to the little "front porch".

kyle ingeniously made a bull float from some lumber that was lying about, and before you knew it, the crew was ready to come in for some coffee and donuts-

... but not without taking a picture first!

of course, we had to let the girls immortalize their hand prints in the cement. another reminder how fast these two little girls of ours are growing up!

later that afternoon, just as the cement was starting to set up, Dave went out and brushed it with the push broom. we wanted to have a floor that was easily cleaned, but not so smooth as to be slick when it's wet. the "broom finish" on the floor is perfect for what we wanted.

B was so happy to help her daddy put on the cement sealer.

so for now, although it's far from done, the summer kitchen is quite functional. we just butchered our 11 turkeys this morning, and the job was so much easier and more efficient. (not to mention more professional looking for our customers!)

because now that summer is over, clearly, it's time to build the summer kitchen

the summer kitchen was on the to-do list, but it was very close to the bottom. however, after we were blessed with the gift of an industrial propane stove, we decided that we should build the summer kitchen sooner, rather than later, in order to be good stewards of God's provision.


Dave paced out the walls of the summer kitchen, making it a nice size. then we made it just a bit bigger, (14' x 14') since that's how things seem to go around here! (just last week, B told Dave he needed to make the tractor shed a little bit bigger! even though he built it 33% bigger than he originally intended, it's still too small!)

besides the wonderful blessing of our stove, i also wanted to get the kitchen done in time for turkey butchering November 23. it looks so much more professional to be butchering on stainless steel counters with a sink and running water, as opposed to working on a wobbly card table in the side yard...

Dave and G quickly got the posts set, and the framing done.

next was the rafters and green tin roof.

already we can see so many advantages to having this building- butchering pigs, chickens, deer and turkeys, canning/freezing, church picnics, and as a staging area for the produce both for the CSA and farmer's market.

here Dave and G are digging out the extra dirt, preparing for a layer of river bottom stone.

now, most people when they look at this window, would think that it's a wonderful idea to have a little window up high, for ventilation.

however, if you're like most people, you would be wrong. this little window is for shooting groundhogs. the view of this window is that of the lower garden, affording Dave a perfect spot to hide out and shoot those pesty little varmints!

A and B call this little attic/storage area their tree house. already they've had snack and play time up there.

of course the girls are happy to ride along with daddy in the tractor or wagon. the bucket on the tractor sure makes it handy to load those nice gravely stones. Dave and G spread the stones over the floor of the kitchen, making it a good base to pour the concrete onto.

lastly, Dave rented a tamper, and tamped the living daylights out of the stones on the floor. this way (in theory) the cement slab will not settle and crack.

tomorrow we have 4 yards of cement coming, along with 2 friends and their wheelbarrows to help pour the cement. along with fresh home made donuts and coffee, it should be a pretty interesting day!

it was a rough week for the livestock...

it was a really busy week here, with a lot of blood and gore being flung around...

after finishing up with the 3 deer that we got (1 roadkill and 2 on the first day of deer season) it was time to launch right into our next project~ butchering the pig!

she was slaughtered on Tuesday, and after hanging all night (in the 20 degree weather) we butchered her on Wednesday.

i plan on doing a post about our experiences~ it was not nearly as difficult as you might imagine to butcher a pig, and we have lots of fresh meat. the hams and bacon will be ready by Christmas, and we're really looking forward to that!

while we were on a roll, we went ahead and butchered 20 chickens on Thursday. only 30 more to go this next week, and then we're all done for the season! our freezers will soon be groaning...

i, for one, will be relieved to be done. we've been raising chickens since last march!

also, there are pig butchering pictures up over on facebook, so if you're a friend, you can see them now... here's a link, even if you're not:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=37399&id=1559330479&l=50262d8545

and that nasty pig stomach is still in my fridge. i think I'll just chuck it- i have to draw the line somewhere!