All Ready for Winter!

Well, the busy part of fall in finally done! The garden was finished a couple months ago, but we just finished the last of the butchering. We only got one deer this year, but we also did in one of the steers. Just for the record, I really, really, really don't like butchering cows. It's a lot of work!! Usually we do the slaughter and then take it in to a local butcher who does the cutting and wrapping for a great price and gives me all the scraps and bones and leftovers for the dogs, but that didn't work out this year.

I don't have any pictures because I was up to my elbows in the cow. Since it's just my husband and I, we're both pretty messy by the time we're done. I'm kinda slacking on off on this picture thing aren't I? Anyway, we slaughtered him one day and started on the butchering the next. I like to let them hang longer, but we don't have a good place to hang a cow that is out of reach of the dogs. We're working on it, but not there yet. That's part of why I like to use the butcher. Oh well, he should be pretty good anyway. We've had to do this before and the meat was just fine. We got all the butchering done in two evenings, I was fairly impressed with that. All that's left is the last batch of bone broth that's waiting to be put up.

So, the freezer is full, the garden produce (such as it was) is all taken care of, the wood is all split and stacked in the shed and most of the hay is stacked. We still have a little hay to get for the cows, but that's it. And since the weather is supposed to be in the lower single digits, at best, for the next week, it's a good feeling to have all that done. I can sit by the warm fire with a cup of tea and watch the snow without the least feeling of guilt. :)