Beef

For the first time in my life I was the one in charge of getting a steer to the butcher to be slaughtered and hung, back home again and in the freezer. I learned some lessons along the way.

(As a girl at home I remember doing our own butchering, from start to finish. We had a cow spread out on the table once when a neighbor lady stopped by. She came in and exclaimed, "Holy cow!" Then, "Oh, it IS a cow!")

We shared our steer with another church family and they came to help butcher. I was amazed to be done cutting, grinding and packaging by around noon. 

Photo credits- Christopher Lapp

We were all pretty much amateurs in this butchering thing. I think every one of us cut one or two of our own fingers or someone else's in the process. We emptied a box of BandAids. (Not a very large box.)

This was the fattiest beef I ever remember working on. The family that was helping us said the deer they did this year were also very fatty. We wondered if it's an indication of what the winter will be like?

Tubs of fat. Looks rather red. It was so intertwined in the meat, it was hard to cut off.

Praise the Lord for a nice amount of meat in the freezer! I know it won't last very long but when it's gone the Lord will provide more! He is faithful.

That's about 11 deep so approximately 66 bags with a lb + of meat in each.
 Plus a number of roasts on the side.