I have a group of friends that really appreciate my urban farming experimentation. They partake and celebrate the paradox of lush food in backyard and urban street life in front yard. However, these same friends refused to put a fatally sick hen down, or even quarantine her from the rest of the flock. This had disasterous results.

I’ve even had one chap tell me he was excited that the leaf curl fungus was living on an apple tree. He felt they were supporting one another…

Uhm, so this is where we learn the difference between naturalists and farmers. Agriculture is hands on. Farmers are in it for the full game- cultivate, grow, harvest, prepare and eat. Naturalists are hands off. They observe what nature does on her own. Which means you may end up with some real sour apples (Hard cider, woowoo!).

My point is this, farming is for utility. When it comes to animals called livestock, they’ve been bred with very specific intentions. For example, the Chantecler is a breed of chicken developed by Trappist monks in Canada. These birds are extremely cold-resistant, and suitable for both egg and meat production.

Which brings me to my next point, moral distinctions. As a novice agriculturist, I am just learning the science, art, and busniess of producing crops and raising livestock. I learned quickly not to view my animals as pets. I do not eat my pets but I do eat animals. This is a crucial distinction to be made and its not always an easy one. Not everyone can relate to the ability to draw this line but a lack of clarity can ultimately be a burden on you and those around you.

Stefani at Sicilian Sisters Grow Some Food did a great piece on Pets vs. Food. I highly recommend reading it (click here). My thought on the matter, is that if you are not comforatble with the full lifecycle of a livestock animal, whether it be for food or to retire its use and support it as a family pet, don’t raise it.

I enjoyed a recent Grist article on raising your own meat. The last paragraph especially stood out for me:

“…livestock aren’t pets. They are on a farm because they serve a purpose. If I can’t raise an animal to eat, then I shouldn’t keep sheep whose purpose is to become meat. Furthermore, if I can’t eat meat that came from an animal I know was loved and respected, that had a good life playing in the sun and eating grass, then I should go back to being vegetarian.”

What I most appreciate in this statement is the emphasis that livestock are not pets. There seems to be some urban confusion about that. The truth is, each domesticated livestock species was bred for a very specific function, even flavor. So if you are considering raising livestock it is useful to know what you want out of the experience.

For instance, acquiring Yokohama chickens because they are neat looking without knowing anything about the birds will land you will chickens that take longer to mature (food costs and coop clean up without the reward). Once they do lay they don’t lay well and they can’t tolerate foul weather. If you want ornate feathers, great. If you want eggs, not so great.

That said, the basic considerations are:

Identify your need- meat, byproducts (honey, eggs, milk), activity.

Assess the amount and type of space they will need to be healthy. For instance, chickens need dirt to scratch on. If you raise them on concrete, they can develop problems with their feet. Or rabbits don’t do well in direct sunlight all day. They get overheated easily.

The next thing is food, shelter, other physical needs, and life cycle. I also look for information on temperament. Some animals are known for being easier to handle than others.

I am also research the amount of sound, mess and smell they might produce. If you are not prepared for a noisy, sloppy and stinky animal in your urban setting, it could be disastrous.

I encourage others to consider breeds listed on American Livestock Breeds Conservancy watch list. I try to select breeds that are listed as Critical or Threatened. This preference is balanced with availability and cost of the preferred breeds. I also consider the source of the animals. I had a bad experience with chickens from a hack breeder. The pullets were infected with a common avian virus and the entire flock died within the first month or so.

I research by finding books and sites on breeds. I seek out resources that are affiliated with a university. As we well know not all sites/forums are equal and I am less interested in cute anecdotes.

Once I have narrowed down some selections I jump on online forums, and call breeders and farms to discuss specifics, to find sources, and to get gems of knowledge.

Regarding poultry: chickens are by far the easiest, most self-sufficient and resource efficient birds to keep. Ducks were not. They go through crap loads of water, make a huge mess of their pen and are really noisy. However, FYI- Novella Carpenter informed me that Muscovy Ducks do not quack.

Though a bit of a pain relative to chickens, I like keeping turkeys. They need more space,  make more of a mess with their huge droppings, and are harder to handle but I enjoy their company. The heritage breeds I’ve kept have tasted great. I’d really like to keep a couple of geese for the holidays. I did not think to do it last year and when I went to purchase one frozen I was stunned by the price of $70 for one little goose that would not even feed my family. Being water fowl, I suspect they are also messy. Geese also make great watchdogs because they are territorial and honk at intruders. Things to consider…

All this is assuming that you’ve check your city ordinance to at least know how you are breaking the law.

If I missed anything about choosing breeds and you have questions, let me know!

Sidewalk art courtesy of Harper

Lisa the bunny had her litter. I had the 28-31 day range marked on my calender but I noticed yet again no nesting was occurring on her side. She was definitely pregnant as she was fuller and lumbering, taking frequent breaks. On day 30 I noticed some strange fluid in some of the items in her hutch. I was wondering if bunnies also break water…? Day 31 in the morning I saw the tiniest amount of blood on a leaf below her hutch. There were till no nesting materials (which led to exposure and death for the last kits), I decided to pull some cotton from an old pillow for insulation in case she did not get her act together. Then I left for work. Luckily, my very generous neighbors, Arin and son Harper, agreed to check on Lisa through out the day. Apparently by about 3PM Lisa was in her next box breathing rapidly and moving things around. By 6PM when I arrived to check on them I saw the lovely sight of a next box full of rabbit fur. She did it!

Lo and behold, the fur was moving! I reached in and found a nest full of fresh closed eyed kits. She kindled 10, 8 survived. This is fairly normal as a full healthy litter is 8, one for each teat. After that there is competition for food and its draining on the doe.

Its been a week since and the kits are growing quickly. They are filling out with fur. Their ears are becoming more pronounced and their eyes are open. They are in essence insanely cute. I check on Lisa at least twice a day now. She is very hungry and thirsty these days since she is feeding her young. She has been consuming nearly double her usual amounts. This is important to know for calculating costs of keeping larger meat bunnies. The kits are becoming more mobile but since their dominant motion is hopping, when I move aside nesting materials I am entertained by the site of what looks like big grey Mexican Jumping Beans bouncing straight up. Interestingly, the kits also make squeaky sounds.

Listening to me cooing over the cuteness of the kit, my husband attempted to admonish me for having the intent of eating these rabbits. He asked if the really cute one I’m holding would be the first one I’ll eat. I think his intention was to demonstrate a disconnect between loving an animal, caring for it, thinking it is cute and then killing it for food. This is coming from the man that has eaten meat on and off in his life for decades. The last stint prompted after a month in India at which point he declared he craved raw beef. But this is a blog about urban farming, not contradictions. So lets suffice it to say I don’t see things this way. I see raising my own animals as being intimately aware of what it does in fact mean to eat meat, that is, an animal dies. With that reality, I choose to eat meat but to do so in way that feels honest. Besides, I have no idea if this kit once grown to full size will be “the first” as they all kind of look alike and the probability I guess is 1 out of 8…so a 13% chance. It doesn’t make the little bunbun less cute…are cows not beautiful?

*Kindle means when the doe goes into labor.

So I really did mean to write about the Oakland Food Policy Committee. Great group. Good thinkers, visionary and practical with a nice infusion of wit. However, time slipped away and by now I have attended my pig class. Luckily a nice write up was done of the OFPC, click here to read.

OK- about pigs. A good friend and convert to urban farming, Conan, introduced me to TLC Ranch where they “work to raise healthy animals using beyond organic practices, to steward natural resources upon which we [all] depend, and to nourish people with incredible tasting food. [They] work to not only sell you products, but to educate you about animal husbandry practices.”

I pulled into the driveway of one of the TLC locations (apparently there are two) a 28 acre parcel where the farmers, Jim and Rebecca, reside with their child. Stepping out of my car I was greeted by a farm dog and sent a loose flock of chickens scattering. Two large pig pens were within sight. Large sows and a boar (uncastrated male) were lumbering around followed by clusters of colorful piglets.

In the distance was what looked like a well built lean-to with metal tables, a rope and pulley, a large metal drum, and a couple of men- an idyllic staging for what I had driven all the out to Aromas for, a pig slaughter. The two men turned out to be Jim Dunlop, farmer and co-owner of TLC Ranch and Lorin, charcutier and owner of Rib King Barbeque. They were boiling water in the large drum for when we would later dip the pig to remove hair and scurf.

My original purpose in attending the class was in preparation for a boar hunt I am determined to do. Luckily, the set up Jim and Lorin had were using tools that were designed to be portable for hunting, such a the below gambrel and pulley. The set up was surprisingly simple.

The small group attending gathered for introductions. It was a surprising mix of urban and suburban attendees (though this would be a tough activity in a suburban setting. all I have to say about that is lawn furniture).

Jim explained the ages, stages and diet of the pigs. The boar that would be killed and butchered was seven months and had fed on a diet of grain, pumpkins, and other produce. The boar was waiting in a trailer he was accustomed to travel in. The pigs go between farms to be fed different produce so the trailer is a welcome sight to them.

Jim offered the boar a last meal of kiwis and used a .22 caliber rifle pointed at the imaginary X crossing from ears to eyes. Jim shot and the pig was immediately down. No noise, no struggle. I’ll say now, I am posting limited photos of the postmortem pig. It was a solemn event that is by my values to be witnessed if one eats pig, but perhaps not viewed on a public forum.

The next step was to bleed the animal so Jim made a vertical incision just under the chin about 4 inches in length. He then reached through the incision and severed the jugular and carotid veins and inverted the pig. From there we schlepped the carcass to the 50 gallon drum of water at 150F to dunk and scald the outer skin. Lorin added soap to the drum at this stage to rinse the animal.

The scalding took three to five minutes at which point we got to work with bell scrapers to remove the hair (apparently boars are hairier than castrated males) and scurf.

Tough hair and facial hair was shaven off with a straight edged razor. Remaining hair was burned off with a torch.

At this stage the carcass and table were rinsed off and “dressing” begun. I recently watched a hunting education video on field dressing a boar. They had a different method. I am not sure what the benefit is in the way we did it (seemed a bit harder).

However, in both cases, the first thing to do is remove the pizzle. Jim did this to demonstrate that you have to “tease the pizzle” to remove any urine as boars have a strong musk in their urine is persistent and unpleasant if it contaminates the meat. So he grabbed hold and milked the urine out while spraying it away lightly with a garden hose. Once done, with light slices we cut down to the testicles and open the scrotal sac. With this done, an incision was made around the anus to loosen it and the rectum from the carcass.

We next sawed the sternum to access the upper cavity of the carcass. This is an apparently delicate process as you do not want to over exert pressure and cut through abdominal wall. This cut was made to align with the initial incision made along the neck.

Once this was done, the large tendons that run just behind the hind hooves were hooked to the gambrel and the boar was hoisted.

This last step of dressing was to neatly slice open the remaining skin/muscle between the upper and lower cuts made. The method Jim used was more about demonstration than efficiency. The linked field dressing video had a great method of covering the tip of the knife with your finger. Inserting the knife into the cavity and with your finger still over the point cutting along the abdominal cavity from the inside. With this last incision, gravity and light pulling does the rest of the work.

What you have left is a clean carcass with a head. After making a cut to severe the muscle of the head, Brian stepped in to do the last deed of snapping it off.

What we had at this point resembled what you can find at a butcher’s. The last cut for this portion of the class was made in sawing the carcass in two.

The carcass was rinsed. The class washed off and took a lunch break which featured the Rib Kings pulled pork sandwiches. After lunch we started the butchering for culinary use. Since I have covered this topic in my posts on the Poetry and Science of Meat and Pig Butchery, Among Other Things. I will say that in comparing cost of class and gained experience, I found the TLC class worth while since it was hands on. What I did gain from the 18 Reasons class on pig butchery was culinary preparations of the meat cuts (and seeing Morgan Maki in action which was great). We did not have time to discuss that at TLC.

The class was very straight forward, as are both Jim and Lorin. However, if you’d like to read an amazing post on the heritage of a pig preparing ritual, read Linda Colwell’s piece, Pig Kill.

Lets start off with this- keeping livestock is not for the weak at heart. This is true for breeding more than anything as it deals with things vulnerable, cute and tiny. Last weekend, I knew my bunny was pregnant. She was lumbering and taking frequent breaks to pant and lay about. I made sure to put extra straw in her nest box. A doe will kindle (give birth) between 28-31 days. The morning of day 28, I checked. No babies and I noticed no fur lining the nest. In fact, other than having munched on some of the straw I put in, “Lisa” was not making a nest. During pregnancy, a doe grows exta fur which she pulls out and interlaces in nesting material to create a well insulated and very soft nest.

Days 29-31 brought the same result, no babies. Normally rabbits kindle by the 31st day so when I checked that morning I was perplexed. However, sometime between that morning and the next, little Lisa did in fact kindle 8 fully developed kits. Sadly, without a proper nest they were exposed during the long cold night. The result of which was what appeared to be box full of dead kits.This was especially odd as Lisa had cleaned the placenta off of each of them and not harmed them. I thought maybe some were alive and that Lisa would gather her wits so I left them there while I went to work, but even before I left, she hopped around on top of them. Stupid rabbit. On my hurried return from work they appeared to be in the same state of scattered deadness.

Feeling sad and confounded, I called the breeder who provided Virgil and Lisa to find out if Lisa is prone to postpartum psychosis. Apparently, she has a good track record of maternal behavior. I then discussed what I may have done. It seems all the right things were done, with the exception of one suggestion made by the breeder. She’s heard from some of the women who breed rabbits that they take newborn bunnies that appear dead but are just cold and place them in their bras. I did not do this. Even now I am having a hard time imagining having gone to my new office job with a bra full of baby rabbits…likely dead ones. Should this occur again, I will intervene with a hot water bottle. I will also feed Lisa herbs to help bring her milk in. This should prompt her into appropriate action.

The breeder read off the list of litters Lisa’s had in the past and they had a high rate of success. She believes this lapse in maternal instinct uncommon for Lisa and suggested I try again. I will. Little bunny foofoo has three chances.

With the holidays passed and the new year, it is time for farm planning. January may be the only month where the garden and animals are slow and quiet. It is this one calm month that I have to sharpen my tools, separate and select seeds, prep fruit trees and clean beds emptied of their early winter crops. Now is the time to plan which crops will be my main crops for spring and summer, as well as what livestock I plan on keeping. This year livestock may be pretty exciting…time will tell.

I learned a few lessons this year with livestock- namely to acquire my turkey before it is too old so that it can “bond” with me. This makes it much easier to approach to feed and also to pick up. The last turkey I had was to fearful and aggressive because it was not a chick. I also learned that if I want roast goose for Christmas, I need to raise my own. Inspired by the goose preparations I assisted with before Christmas, I decided I wanted to cook a goose. I had seen young geese at Berkeley Bowl. However, it turned out they are $72 for one frozen bird. No thanks. With my level of commitment and degree of knowledge at this point, I can raise several geese for the price of $72.

To help me with some of my tasks I will be attending upcoming classes and meetings. Namely, Berkeley Horticulture offers free classes on pruning rose bushes and fruit trees each Saturday of January. Also, I am going to attempt to graft other fruits onto my trees again this year. Last year, I tried a Pippin Apple to my Fuji but they did not take (thanks for the scions Abby!). This year, I am going to the 2010 Golden Gate Chapter Scion Exchange to see what delicious fruits I might find.

I also have to freeze the shallows I removed from my hive in November in preparation for February. Freezng them should remove any Wax Moth larvae and other critters that have settled in the empty frames. I pray to be on top of my beekeeping this year and have removed any queen cells and expanded the hive before another devastating spring swarm.

Well I guess January is not so quiet after all.

I took the leap…I made the jump…I…ok ok. The rabbits are here. Vienna Blue Rabbits, which came to be known as American Rabbits (or was that Freedom Rabbits?) after WWII. The buck was named Virgl and the doe, my small friend Neehal just named Lisa. Why Neehal? Why “Lisa?” Why not something like Franziska? Either way, I now welcome Virgl and Lisa to the farm. These bunnies are already a year old so I won’t be cooking ‘em up. They will help me start off a breeding program.

A very cool detail in acquiring the rabbits, the breeder, Shayne (a 4H leader in Alameda), asked to barter an urban farm basket worth the cost of $40/rabbit. So I got to go through and price out a basket of farmed goods. A few key items such as Lauren’s membrillo, and persimmons from her yard, and our tomatoes, organic Meyer lemons, and backyard honey brought the basket to $80 in the blink of an eye. I threw in some Vin de Noix as a sign of my gratitude to Shayne for being so cool as to barter.

So now I begin the adventure of rabbit keeping.

I’ve decided to expand my livestock to rabbits. I have been slowly gearing up for this and finally completed the housing this weekend. I still had some remaining old deck pieces and other random wood from the current remodel. I used the back of a rotting park bench as the doors. I’m a little concerned as I also used hardware cloth which many sources said to use. However, I just read in my Country Wisdom book not to use it. Apparently it does not hold up over time. I’m not sure what that will look like but the structure was made with lots of reclaimed old wood so I suspect it won’t last 100 years anyway.

With housing complete I turned to acquiring the animals. I think this is the first time I did things in order- housing and then animals. I realized that though there are sources for rabbits all over the place, I’d like to be particular about the breed I acquire. So I started my search at the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy website which lists livestock breeds that are threatened to be lost. I’ve chosen to go with American Rabbits. Recognized in 1918, they were developed for their meat and fur. They are hardy, docile, and the does are good mothers. They are also easily kept on wire bottom hutches. Sounds like a good breed for my set up.

In searching for local sources of a doe and buck, I also happened to find it listed in Slow Foods Ark of Taste. Luckily, I found a yahoo group specific for American Rabbits and found local people but it will apparently take a couple of weeks to get the rabbits as breeders are busy preparing for an upcoming national exodus to the American Rabbit Breeder Convention in San Diego. In the mean time I will continue to read about rabbit health, feeding, breeding, and of course cooking (Marcel, please teach me the culinary way of the rabbit).

Once again I had the great fortune of learning about charcuterie from butcher Morgan Maki. As a continuation from last week’s pig butchery, Morgan demonstrated how to cure pork for prosciutto, tasso, pancetta and guanciale.

We were welcome by warm sandwiches of house cured pastrami (why beef guys?) with sauerkraut and bottles of beer. The table had a whole shoulder on it, glistening knives were laid out and a tidy row of spices and herbs lined one side of the table. My own kitchen has an arsenal of spices we use in Indian food but this spread had a couple I’ve never learned to use- filè and juniper berries. Filè is ground sassafras leaves that would be used to impart “a grassy flavor.” Apparently filè it is more commonly used as a thickener in gumbo. The juniper berries provide a sharp clean flavor.

Morgan referred to a small black book that had formulas on protein to salt ratios. I loved the book, it had the mystique of a book of spells.

He followed his formulas with a robust scientific explanation on the curing process, the action of salts and nitrates on protein and bacteria. One great nugget of poetic knowledge he shared was that the long chains of amino acids that compose proteins get broken down with the curing process which makes more complex layers of flavor available to our tongues.

Morgan is fun to watch. He moves smoothly between meat science nerd to brutal M-A-N ripping bones out of meat with a sound I find hard to describe, a low tone ripping that perhaps only less fortunate athletes are familiar with.

He broke the shoulder down similar fashion to last week’s lesson. At one point the lively and curious group attending all gasped and chattered when they recognized the bacon cut.

They also all crowded in with their cameras and iphones (self included) when the pig head came out. One attendee called it the “money shot.” Morgan demonstrated how to cut out the jowl for guanciale, an unsmoked Italian bacon made specifically from the jowl.

Once he had his parts for the three curing processes, he began. Weighing protein, referring to the book of spells and sprinkling spices on the meat. It really just looked like Morgan massaging big hunks of flesh with salt and spices. Not much technique seemingly needed for that. The prosciutto preparation ended up looking like a mere pile of salt at the end.

It was the information along the way that was magic. Some helpful bits of knowledge I could write down fast enough included:

- Nitrates in meat are not inherently bad for you

- There are natural sources of nitrates such as celery juice and other leafy greens like collards and spinach. From my gardening perspective, this is making sense now because we use leafy green material as a nitrogen source to balance carbonaceous material in compost

- Kosher salt is used in curing because it has no anticaking agents or iodine and has consistently sized granules so its measurement is more exact. A very important detail if using salt to inhibit bacteria growth

- When “overhauling” the curing meats (changing out moisture; adding more salt; rotating meat in salt, etc.) the prosciutto is overhauled about every four days, the tasso every day and the other cured bacon style meats (belly and jowl).

Though I now feel confident enough to try this at home, I will need to look up formulas for correct amounts of salt to use. That said, Morgan’s basic preparations were:

Prosciutto: sprigs of rosemary and thyme and lightly crushed cloves of garlic nestled in the meat. About two boxes of kosher salt poured over the top. We were told that the action of the salt on the protein will move the herb flavors around in the meat. He explained how but this is for another post.

Tasso (a Cajun style ham): ample amounts of paprika, cayenne, red pepper flakes, file, brown sugar, black pepper, and garlic.

Pancetta and Guanciale: juniper berries; rosemary, bay leaves; black pepper; brown sugar; and coriander seeds.

Apparently the tasso could be ready to cook in a couple of days. At which point it can be cooked at 200F for 2 hours. The guancia or jowl could be hung and dried for 45 days, then sliced. Though Morgan made a point to say that Bi-Rite cures their meats in refrigeration to avoid any possible spoilage. For hanging you just need a cool dry place that will keep at a consistent 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit, like a cave. Once again my thoughts drift to defunct city drainage tunnels. But alas, that is going too far.

Butchery classes are popping up around the Bay Area with greater frequency, most are chicken focused. By now, I have my poultry down. However I feel like there is a jump from avian to mammalian slaughter. I had been considering rabbits for a while but was not sure how much I like rabbit meat. However, after returning from Spain where I enjoyed several varieties of rabbit, I cooked my own and decided YES. Yes, I do like rabbit that much. After doing the rabbit math for cost (they can be costly when purchased at the butchers), I also decided raising your own is the way to go.

It just so happened that Novella had organized a rabbit class at her West Oakland farm. The class was led by Tamara Wilder, of the Paleotechnics, with Chef Samin doing the butchery part (Dude, Tamara is crazy, cool but oh sh*t!). The price was steep but I was still glad to have acquired as much information as I had. I feel very confident now. In the future I think I may seek out other class options for price sake but it all depends on what is being offered.

The class started off with wild woman Tamara introducing herself and describing her path in self sufficiency and meat eating. I was definitely intrigued by her road kill survival. In listening to the others in the class it seemed I was surrounded by a wealth of culinary knowledge and people that had taken the “doing it yourself” thing several stages deep. Basically my kind of people.

Tamara discussed what rabbit portion of the day would entail (chickens were also on the agenda): methods of dispatch, skinning, eviscerating, butchery and saving the hide. Then we’d be let loose to take our own bunnies into our respective corners of the garden to do as instructed. She demonstrated the neck break by hand method and Novella showed us the dowel method. I am often asked if I break the necks of my poultry and I do not. I thought, since I had someone right there with me, I would personally attempt this by hand with my rabbit..mistake. I was not strong and sure enough, maybe my arms are not long enough. Whatever it is, I shall not attempt that again if I can help it.

The dowel method appears to be a surer shot. Place rabbit on ground. Quickly pin it down with a dowel (1 inch ~1.5 inch) right at the base of the skull. Place your feet on each end of the dowel straddling the rabbit. Reach down for the back legs and pull them up. This ensures a fast clean break.

The skinning is a bit tricky and will take practice but basically:

You take rope and slip knot it on a suspended bar, leaving to ends to make hitch knots for the feet. Once the neck has been broken, you immediately bleed by cutting the jugular.

You then skin starting with an incision made around the anus and up the legs being very careful to hold the skin away from the meat so you don’t cut into the meat. Rabbit skin is loose so this is not so hard to do.

Tamara then showed how you remove the tail using sticks to pinch it and pull.

You can then begin to rolling the skin right off. This process is called removing the “pajamas.” Once the skin approached the front paws you can either painstakingly cut the skin away from the paws, cut them off to stay attached to the full skin, or cut them off. The same goes for the skin on the face. As a novice and with a cooling carcass, I did not attempt this.

Once everyone was ready we claimed our space on tables for the evisceration. We found that many of our rabbits had full bladder that released while they were laying down. Some prefer to eviscerate while the rabbit is still hanging, this may help avoid contamination.

Removing the anus and lower rectum was tricky. Novella demonstrated how she breaks the pelvis and cut along the inner thigh to see better how to release the intestine from the skin. Once that was and the diaphragm were cut loose, everything came out in one scoop. Our rabbits were young (9 weeks) so the kidneys also came out. Normally you’d process at closer to 12 weeks and the kidneys remain attached to the back.

Once that was done Samin demonstrated the primary cuts: back and front legs, loins off saddle, belly:

We discussed preparation. Another chef in the crowd had an delicious suggestion for making an Italian style crude pate with the heart, liver and kidneys (I did this when I got home and it was great). The significant things to know are that the meat needs to rest for 2 days before preparing or it will be rubbery. A suggestion was made that we brine for day one and, if interested in frying, soak parts in buttermilk overnight on day two or three. A fuller discussion on rabbit cookery will have to wait for a later post.

We then moved onto skins. We used these posts rigged up using “primitive methods” demonstrated. I once fleshed a goat skin without a post and metal scrapper thing. I just laid the skin on a table and used ash to grip and manually pulled the flesh off. Perhaps that is even more primitive method, before the Bronze age of expensive cutlery. However you do it, fleshing is a tedious process. Afterwards, we placed the fleshed skins on willow frames Tamara showed us how to make. Keys: soak willow branches in water for several hours and lightly hammer 4-5 inch area that will bend to prevent splitting.

At this point, the class (the first run for Tamara) had taken a few hours longer than anticipated and I was exhausted. When it started raining, I was concerned about biking home so I did not linger for the chicken demonstration but I did stay long enough to witness the makeshift (the theme for the day) plucking table. Funny.

All in all, the class was worth while. There were a few place I may have panicked had a done my usual and just tried it by myself in my backyard. Most notably, is I had a failed neck break I would have been an inconsolable mess. I have to admit, I am not over seeing rabbit as suuuuper cute. The holding was hard but I guess my mind has worked it out because as soon as the rabbit was is in position, the feeling went from “cute warm fuzzy” to solemn, focused and ensuring things happen fast.

Now that I am home and had my crude pate for dinner, the rabbit brining and my skin drying, I am pretty excited to start keeping them.