Pig slaughter class update

I mentioned a pig slaughter class here. At this point I have the participants I need, but if you'd like to be put on a waitlist, please email me at bruceki@homeacresfarms.com

Here's the email I sent to the folks who have contacted me so far:


Pig slaughter class - April 25th, 10am to 1pm

Thank you all for being interested in this class. there is NO dollar cost for this class - but you will have some responsibilities. See the last paragraph for details.

Please read the following description and make sure that this is what you're interested in.

The goal of this class is to take the pig from live to being cut into "primal" cuts -- ham, loin, belly/side and shoulder. What I'm going to cover is basically what the farm kill guys do, plus one additional step to break the pig into pieces are easily managed in a home kitchen. What I will not cover is the curing of the ham and bacon, the making of sausage or prosciutto, or the further breakdown of the pig into "retail cuts" -- pork chops, for instance.

What we'll do here will be immediately useful to folks who want to buy whole live pigs for BBQ, who raise their own pigs and want to process them themselves, or people who are considering raising pigs and would like to know what it's like to kill and process a pig. If you know what is done, you can better judge whether a farm kill guy knows what he's doing. If you're considering raising pigs for sale, there will be some discussion of that.

Because Washington state law prohibits me from selling or giving away meat that is uninspected, I can't give you any of the pig. But if you want to buy a pig from me and slaughter it on my farm, you're welcome to do that, and this class will teach you everything you need to know to get that done. We can add pigs to this class and step you through it with your own pig, or schedule a time at some later date. I can supply all needed equipment.

Your responsibilities: If you say you'll come, please do come. The class starts at 10am sharp, and we'll be shooting the pig about 15 minutes after it starts. Don't be late. Dress in clothes that you can get dirty, and be prepared to actually do part of the work -- scraping the pig, handling knives or guts. Don't faint. Ask questions, and stick around for a few minutes after the class so that I can ask you questions about it; I'm doing this for the feedback. I, or someone else, will be taking pictures of the class, and the class itself will show up on the blog like the "kill your own turkey" class did. By attending you agree to allow me to take pictures of you for use in my blog or in other marketing materials.

Class will be held at my farm, 1905 55th avenue S.E., Everett, WA. 98205. Google map link below
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1905+55th+Ave+SE,+Everett,+WA+98205&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=47.483365,60.117188&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=16

here's Knox Gardners writeup of the turkey processing class as an example of what will show up in my blog
http://bikenerd.blogspot.com/2008/11/turkey-butchering-at-ebey-farm.html

Here's my writeup of the same event (I like Knoxs' better)
http://ebeyfarm.blogspot.com/2008/11/turkey-processing-class.html

I'm open to questions, and I'm also open to your ideas on what else should be covered in this course.