Whole Animal Harvest Class

A hands- on class in giving death, processing, and full use

When: August 22 8am- August 23 3pm

Cost: Full course: $395-475, Non-refundable deposit: $150 **We Accept VSAC Grants

Where: Stannard, Vermont

This class is a hands-on experience in the full process of whole animal harvest. Together, we will walk through the act of giving death to a sheep or a goat, and follow that life all the way through skinning, field dressing, butchering, cooking, and preserving. This class is designed to deepen both your practical skill and your relationship with the act of taking life for food- learning to use as much of the animal as possible.

During the weekend we will:

Give death through hands on harvest

Skin, field dress, and butcher the animal

Cook and eat some of the meat over the fire during class

Process meat into foods such as sausage, jerky, and possibly pastrami

Make bone broth and render fat

Clean and prepare the intestines

Catch and save blood for cooking and baking

Bark- tan the bladder

Work with organs

Process the head for headcheese

What You’ll Learn

Giving death

how to preserve the hide

which cuts of meat to use for roasts, steaks, grind etc

Field Dressing

Skinning

Butchering

Sausage Making

Head cheese

Intestine cleaning and use

Blood catching and use

Rendering fat and fat use

Bladder bags

And much more

Meals:

Dinner will be provided on Saturday evening from the animal we harvest

A meat based lunch/snack will be provided on Sunday

Accommodations:

Camping is highly encouraged.

This is a rustic, outdoor class. We will be working, eating, and gathering around the fire, and staying on site allows us to to stay in that container. Please plan for tent camping, and fire time Saturday evening.

Instructor/ Cook/ Assistance

Coleen

Coleen has years of experience harvesting and processing her own animals and teaching hands- on skills rooted in land- based living, hide tanning, food sovereignty, and embodied learning. You can read more about her background on the ‘Story’ page.

Ella

With over a decade of land- based education & farming experience, Ella heart fire is sustained by wonder-driven learning and sharing good food. She finds joy & meaning through fire cooking, food sharing, ferment- experimenting, river dipping, art- collaborating, community gathering & practicing stewardship of place- dedicated to weaving these ways with movements of mutualistic liberation and sovereighnty.