This episode is a guest interview from my friend Drew Grim of Schoolhouse Life, as he sits down with Andrew Magazine to discuss the art and craft of whole animal butchery, as it applies to the homestead. Throughout, Andrew shares tips from his professional experience as a craft butcher on setting up one’s workspace, how to select the right tools and equipment for this work, and how raising and butchering our own animals is an act of care, compassion, and an ethical way to include meat in our diet.
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You can find the guest host for this episode, Drew Grim, and more of his conversations about the skills and knowledge needed for homesteading on The Schoolhouse Life Podcast.
As Andrew shared, there are better ways to have meat than factory farms. Raising animals ourselves and giving them the best lives possible is part of that, so I appreciate that the conversation included caring for animals and raising them on a homestead can be a compassionate and ethical way of including them in our systems and when considering meat consumption.
I also enjoyed all the little pieces of wisdom from Andrew’s experiences as a butcher. That there’s no need for power tools. That a small set of the right tools can meet our needs and get us through most jobs. That we can care for and keep our tools in great shape ourselves and when they are past our ability to do so there is likely someone in our community who has the skills to return them to a maintainable condition while acknowledging that there are times when we’ll need to replace something beyond repair. As I’m a knife nerd, I agree with his knife and tool selections and have included links in the resource section to some of the knives mentioned and tools for caring for them once you have them.
I also see this advice as applying to our garden tools as well so that we can select a tool that is the right size for our bodies and the job at hand. To learn how to sharpen our shovel, hoe, or shears. To care for the wooden handles before, during, and after the season.
Let me know about that, or continue this conversation about craft butchery, by leaving a comment below. Or, if you prefer, as a Patron, you can use this platform to send me a direct, private, one-on-one message.
Until the next time, spend each day honing your crafts, while taking care of Earth, yourself, and each other.