Butchering Day

Butchering Day

We've been meaning to do it for awhile, but could never find a time when the guys had the day off from work (other than a weekend) to help us with it. So the perfect opportunity presented itself a couple days ago and we had them butcher 7 of the geese. They geese had free ranged all their life and weren't given that much "packaged feed" so they didn't have much meat on them, but we were able to get several bags of dark meat from them. Mom and Stockton also harvested 6 bags of goose down. We are thinking of making a goose down blanket for a certain little niece of mine...*ahem* Anyone happen to know how to make a goose down blanket?

I found one website that has some helpful suggestions on cleaning the feathers. However, I've yet to test any of them yet. I'm thinking about trying the "Dry Cleaning" method.

 Have you cleaned feathers before? If so, how did you do it? I'm all ears!  

I wish I could say that I helped with the butchering and the feather harvesting, but alas I did not. I'm afraid I'm still too tender hearted for such work. But hey, I did clean and wash off all of the meat after the deed was done. I am find after the animals is dead and can handle, cut up, cook or whatever with the meat, but I just cannot bring myself to actually do the dirty work, at least not yet. Someday perhaps, but it is not this day.

Either way I am thankful to the geese for providing us with some delicious dark meat, and some fluffy goose down.

Momma made a goose pot pie for supper, it was delicious!  

The Meaties will be a week old tomorrow (Friday) so keep an eye out for an update on them. ;)

Blessings - 

~ Aspen