deer + snow

Tuesday, 9:45 AM

Having planned a trip to Ithaca and beyond to visit a coffee shop and another farm, Daniel, Megan and Scott climb into Megan's mom's Subaru station wagon after many delays. They are wearing "city clothes." They had planned to leave at 8 but we (I) won't point any fingers as to the cause of our tardiness (like specifically I am not pointing any fingers at Megan or Daniel). They traverse the long driveway of the Northland Sheep Dairy, past the row of Lombardy poplars and fields waiting for the warmth of spring, and turn on to the road to Ithaca. Light conversation, likely about our tardiness, as we had an appointment to keep. Approximately forty seconds of driving occurs. 

Daniel: (interrupting Megan) Deer!

Scott: What?

Daniel: (with urgency to Megan, who is driving) Turn around!

Scott: (with exasperation, to Daniel) Dude, we have so much meat already.

Megan pulls the Subaru into a driveway and executes a three point turn. She drives about 100 yards in the opposite direction and pulls over to the side of the road, where a deer carcass is visible. Daniel excitedly jumps out of the car. 

Daniel: Dude, it's really fresh!

Scott: (skeptical) We definitely don't need more meat. Shit. (gets out of car)

Both Scott and Daniel realize how fresh it is. Blood coming from a wound on its eye had not yet congealed. It was not badly mangled. They tacitly agree that they totally need to take the deer back and butcher it, despite this being the total opposite of the morning's plan. Daniel opens the passenger door of the Subaru. 

Scott and Daniel (to Megan): soooo...

Thirty seconds later, viewed from the top of a hill a short distance away. Two men are lifting a heavy, limp object wrapped in a tarp into the rear of a red station wagon (Did I mention this station wagon is immaculately clean?). They close the hatch and get in the station wagon. The station wagon drives away.

And thus began the saga of the roadkill deer. Maryrose's expertise guided us through the skinning and gutting process, and then later through the making of 10 pounds each of breakfast sausage and sopressata (Italian dry salumi), as well as bresaola (a salt cure usually made with beef) from the two tenderloins. It was a really cool experience, having never broken down anything but poultry myself, and we're very pleased with how the breakfast sausage turned out (the sopressata and the bresaola are both cured/ fermented and it will be several weeks until we can try those).

In other news, the rain from earlier this week has shifted into snow, it was a surprisingly cold 11 degrees tonight. Two nights ago I won a seeder on ebay. Our tomato and scallions seeds germinated! Let begin the season of seedling watering! Most importantly, we have all been on foal watch as Lady is possibly going to give birth in the next few days.

Here are the photos. 

Starting to remove the skin from the carcass. Normally I don't consider myself computer illiterate but for some reason I can't get these photos to rotate 90 degrees, and they are kind of essential to the narrative arc I was shooting for, so everyone will just have to deal with my lack of initiative on solving this problem for a second. I promise I'll figure it out eventually. Sorry.  

Removing a loin to make bresaola

Because we knew we were going to make sausage and not other whole muscle cuts/ cures, butchering the carcass was basically a matter of separating all the muscle from the bones. 

Bones were roasted to make stock

Sopressata mixture, to be stuffed into casings

Fitting the casing onto the stuffer

Sopressata, hung to cure

Megan is gone! :( but before she left she worked on this banner. Not quite done yet. Let us know what you think about the "eight legged horse," it has generated quite a bit of controversy.