Two-Day Holistic Goat Butchering Workshop:
Healthy Meadows, Red Lodge, MT -- October 1-2 2022
Cost: Individual $380 per person, Register with a partner $350 per person
Whether you are a hunter, farmer, rancher, homesteader, or just someone who wants to have a relationship to the meat that you eat, we want to help you reclaim the tradition of home butchery: building skills and confidence, and creating celebration around harvesting local meat from the land. We are hosting a holistic butchering experience that will encompass understanding an animal in its context as a part of a healthy ecosystem, learning about the incredible complexity of their body, and appreciating all the resources that one animal has to offer. This is a hands-on workshop at our home ranch, in which participants will learn confidence in harvesting, breaking down and processing a small ruminant.
DAY 1:
Walk with us out on the land to see our goat herd in their natural context. Learn about rotational grazing, the uniqueness of these ruminants, and how what they eat influences the nutritional density of their meat and also helps us steward the land. We will select two goats and respectfully and humanely harvest them. Thus begins the gathering of resources, beginning with the blood, the hide, and the organs. The meat will hang and cool overnight. We will gather in the evening for dinner and to discuss everyone's experience of the day and share stories.
DAY 2:
Beginning in the morning we discuss the anatomy of a goat and break down the two goats into usable pieces. This will be very hands-on – everyone will participate in using butcher knives, meat saws, and your own hands to turn a whole animal into familiar cuts. We will discuss different ways of preparing these cuts and how goat is eaten around the world. Together we will prepare meat for our meal..
We will gather in small groups to learn more about bone broth, head broth, fleshing and preparing hides, and rendering fat for tallow.
Participants will be provided with three delicious meals from the meat we are butchering and seasonal local vegetables, grains and drinks. Tent and RV camping space will be provided on the ranch. Everyone will leave with gifts of meat that they helped harvest and process.
How to Register: In order to reserve your spot, please email us and provide your full name and phone number, and we will send you registration forms, payment details, and further information about this workshop. Email: healthymeadows@gmail.com
If you are seeking a memorable butchering experience and a deeper connection to your food, come join us for 2 days of camping, eating, and celebrating the beautiful work of putting meat on the table. In the tradition of fall harvesting, the time when animals have transformed the bountiful pastures of summer into nutritious meat and put on fat in preparation for winter, let’s butcher!
