We have had a fairly emotional week. We returned from our trip to see family in England to find our little fragile White Ears had passed away, peacefully while napping in the pasture. He was always very small and we had to hand feed him to be sure he got enough to eat, so we got quite attached to his sweet little greetings every day.
Today, the two remaining boys had their ‘one bad day’. We found someone to help us with the ‘dispatch’ and the initial butchering, he was considerate and quick. I made my sad good-byes this morning. We never gave them names and I tried to keep from getting attached- but they have been with us a bit longer than intended (let me just say – big learning curve for us, butchering goats in France is not a common thing). I don’t regret it – we gave them a very good life, and this is the practicality of what we are doing here.
Some quick thinking on Dom’s part made our freezer into a temporary butcher block, finally a use for those ugly old doors. Unfortunately, because of timing I really couldn’t do the butchering but I did watch and talked through the process with our very efficient and fast butcher. He processed the two carcasses in a matter of minutes. I’ll do the ‘fine’ butchering as we use everything up.
The remaining ladies, Ella, Aretha and Odette now have a bit more space to fill…and should be looking forward to a hot date with a buck in a couple months. Spring – we start the cycle all over again.
Quercy Food Experiences 