The first November weekend

Not everyone would have accepted an invitation to a weekend of butchery, but my old friend Gavin and his lovely lady Erin did. With each go at this- and this was our third - we've perfected our method, but this time, with the addition of loppers like these added to our tool set, we efficiently slaughtered and processed 24 chickens and 1 duck. We worked until dark, and then we went out for margaritas.

Today, we toured the gorgeous acreage they're looking at in the area. We're thrilled at the prospect of new neighbors!

And... the DUCK. We ended up with three more drakes than we wanted, and although ducks are the cutest and most loveable of all poultry, reading Novella Carpenter of Ghost Town Farm's book this summer, along with some recent enthusastic discussions about duck confit inspired me to attempt a duck slaughter. I should have researched a bit more beforehand- the plucking took a very long time. Probably 3 hours to do an imperfect job... something I read online suggested dipping the carcass in hot water with melted paraffin- next time. That said, my man Mark Bittman
helped me figure out how to roast it with some potatoes and make a honey/cider/pear glaze for finishing, and its all currently in the oven and smelling divine.