Pig Butchering Workshop at Frey Vineyards

Skinning pig with stone knives
Skinning pig with stone knives

Scalding head and scaping off hair with top layer of skin
Scalding head and scaping off hair with top layer of skin

Learing about how the organs function
Learing about how the organs function

Beautiful piece that surrounds stomach
Beautiful piece that surrounds stomach

Scalding hoofs and pulling outer ‘nails’ which can be dried and used as a rattle
Scalding hoofs and pulling outer ‘nails’ which can be dried and used as a rattle

Cleaning small intestines for sausage
Cleaning small intestines for sausage

Grinding pork for paté
Grinding pork for paté

Blood sausage
Blood sausage

Roasted glazed head plus tail and curried lung stew
Roasted glazed head plus tail and curried lung stew

One of Tamara’s displays with all the bone tools she’s made
One of Tamara’s displays with all the bone tools she’s made

The tools
The tools

Stone tools that we used for skinning
Stone tools that we used for skinning

Half of the pig
Half of the pig

Cutting pork chops by hand
Cutting pork chops by hand

Cutting pork chops by machine
Cutting pork chops by machine

Slicing meat away from bacon
Slicing meat away from bacon

Making sausage
Making sausage

Wrapping in brown paper first
Wrapping in brown paper first

Then in white paper
Then in white paper

65 lbs of Italian sauage with fresh herbs from the Quivira and Frey Vineyards
65 lbs of Italian sauage with fresh herbs from the Quivira and Frey Vineyards

Making sausage
Making sausage

Completed sausage
Completed sausage

Packaging
Packaging

The whole group
The whole group

by Blaire Ladd

The first NABDAP regional Northern California gathering was held at Frey Vineyards for a Pig Butchering Workshop on May 11, 2013. The event was a great opportunity for the next generation of young farmers to congregate, share their experiences, discuss their perspective on Biodynamics, dream what the future of agriculture could look like, all while gaining a whole new respect for a beautiful animal.

Luke Frey and Tamara Wilder wonderfully co-hosted the workshop together. They are amazing teachers and eloquently led us step by step from slaughtering to butchering to table. Luke graciously opened his home to us, brought his life long experience working with animals and shared his insightful Biodynamic perspectives. He encouraged us to share our thoughts and be heard. He made us feel more than welcomed and always had a big smile and positive attitude. Tamara brought 25 years of researching and practicing ancient living skills, the art of butchering and how to use every part of the animal. She shined as her extensive knowledge of the anatomy and its intricacies was incredible. We feasted on organ meat all weekend long.

About half of our time together was spent cooking with Tamara’s guidance. We made blood sausage, pate, head cheese, sweetbreads, italian sausage, blood pudding, curried lung stew, tongue, liver and onions, fried heart rings, menudo, roasted head with 5 chinese spice bourbon glaze, gelatin, chilled ear salad, and most special of all was an Italian chocolate blood ice cream called Sanguinaccio that was delicious! We also had the opportunity to cut up a whole half into porkchops, bacon, ribs, roasts and much more. All and all I felt that processing an animal in this community gathering setting is the way things should be. It brought growth, understanding, respect and reverence. I encourage everyone to create community events to bring new, deeper meanings to agriculture and the food we eat.