Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
4. Add remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil and sliced onion to hot skillet. Cover and cook
until onions soften and just start to brown. Add kale, chicken stock, remaining
1
⁄
4
teaspoon salt, and additional black pepper to taste. Cover and cook, stirring
occasionally, until kale is tender, about 5 minutes. If after 5 minutes there is a lot of
liquid in the pan, cook uncovered until most of the liquid has evaporated.
5. Stir in red wine vinegar and remove from heat.
6. Slice pork tenderloin into medallions and serve with kale and onions.
(Recipe courtesy of Home-Ec101.com)
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Butchering on the Backyard Farm
The truth for backyard farmers who aren't vegetarian is that our livestock provides for us and our
families as much as we provide for our livestock. And for our family, we're committed to eating
humanely raised and butchered meat as much as possible. Which means that most of what we eat,
we've raised ourselves. This gives us the control to know what, if any, hormones and medications
are being used on the animals we eat, what quality of food they have, what quality of life they
have, and the manner in which they are butchered at the end.
It's about choosing to put aside my temporary discomfort in that part of the process, to make better
choices for my family, and ultimately, the animals themselves. I know that some people think it's
cruel but most Americans eat meat. My family eats chicken. I would rather that chicken be one
that I know had a happy, very healthy life than one that I know nothing about because it grew up
in an overcrowded, overmedicated, and stressed environment and was treated with disdain and
often cruelty its entire life.
Overview of Processing Meat and Chickens
Some of the meat processing we do ourselves. Chickens in particular are very easy to self-process.
And other animals, like the male goats that are born to us each year, we often send to a local
butcher for processing.
Butchering involves killing the animal, skinning or plucking the feathers, and preparing the meat
to be able to be easily cooked and eaten. I was very squeamish the first time we processed a handful
of chickens but now, while it makes me sad to have them killed, I am appreciative of the ability to
feed my family in a positive and eco-friendly way.