Butchering Chickens

Bright and early this morning, I drove over to my friend Kyle’s place to butcher some chickens. He has a small flock of Java chickens, an heirloom breed that used to be the most common homestead chicken. He had three young roosters that needed to go and I quickly took him up on his offer to barter them for computer services.

The three victims were still on the roost when I got there and one by one we brought them out and chopped their heads off and let them drain. They were beautiful chickens with black feathers and bright combs and I felt very connected and thankful for this opportunity. We de-feathered, gutted, and rinsed them off and I threw them in my cooler and brought them home. I finished cleaning them in the kitchen sink and chopped off the necks and wings to make stock. Sara prepared one for roasting by rubbing it with olive oil and salt and then inserting cloves of garlic in the skin. The meat is tougher than a young hen’s would be and it is still roasting as I write this. The other two were cleaned, stuffed in plastic freezer bags, and thrown in the freezer for a future date with my cook pot.

Yesterday evening we had a potluck for people interested in Arivaca Local and over 25 people showed up! I made tofu and black bean whole wheat enchiladas with garlic and swiss chard thrown in for good measure. My favorite dish, though was the squash blossom rellenos made with all local food, including fermented barley, corn, eggs (from those Java chickens), and fresh squash blossoms. There was tons of other food as well and I went home stuffed to the gills.

I’m currently reading a book called “Wild Fermentation” by Sandy Ellix Katz and I’m excited to try some of the recipes. I have a jar of whole wheat flour and water sitting out with expectations of delicious sourdough bread in the near future. I also want to try making Chinese hundred-year eggs. They are fermented in horse urine for a few months until the whole egg is solid, the yolk turns green, and the white turns a smoky black. Doesn’t that sound delicious!? (I’m trying not to gag as I write this!) We also picked up a juicer and are going to make juice from prickly pear fruit and anything else we feel like trying. I’ll keep you posted!