Let Them Lead...we can learn from them, too.

It is our job, God given, to teach the children. Whether in our homes, our churches or our schools we must take up the reigns and lead them. Yet, there are times when it is beneficial to let them lead. Mentoring is another important part of learning and teaching. Guide the children in mentoring (leading) the younger ones. No, this should not be the primary source of teaching, but it should aide in it.

Here we have an example of letting them lead. The farmkids and I attended a course at Texas A&M on Poultry care. Our farmboy spent some time with the instructors learning about processing poultry without scalding and plucking. He also learned how to harvest the breast, tenderloin and legs without first eviscerating the bird. Having some extra roosters on hand (who needed a purpose- namely dinner) it seemed a good time to allow him to teach us.

That said, here is the farmboy set up for teaching a new butchering technique:

Gather supplies: a pan of cool water to rinse the meat, ice water to cool the meat quickly, and storage bags to place meat in...you may want tongs for this person so there is a clean pair of hand on deck

Place a trash bag nearby, the carcases will need to be disposed of by either burning or feeding wildlife in the woods. We hung ours on the tractor near our work table.

 To begin, break the neck, drain the blood (not pictured) and, using a very sharp fillet knife, proceed to cut the skin neck to vent. Using your hands pull the skin (feather and all) away from the breast meat. Cut off the feet (we dispose of them) and then the skin will slide over the leg. Remove the legs and thigh if desired; rinse the meat in the water and place it in the ice to cool.

Run the knife along the breast bone gently slicing the meat away from the bone. Under the breast will be a section of meat that seems to "come away" from the breast meat--this is the tenderloin. Cut it away from the breast. Rinse them in the water and then place them in the ice.

If you accidentally cut the craw (as you can see farm dad did) this is what you get- undigested grain. Be sure to clean this away from the work area before you proceed..this is unsanitary for your meat.
Once finished, dispose of the carcase and move on to the next bird. I packaged each bird's meat in a separate bag, labeled it with date of butcher, and froze it in our deep freeze.
If you want the carcases for broth, simply continue pulling the skin from the body, remove the internal organs, and rinse it well with running water (I hose it out) before placing in the ice. Bag, freeze, and label until needed.

My hats off to our farmboy. He did a great job remembering the steps, the layout, supplies and the little tricks that made it easier. Just recently, he attended a class on identifying cuts of meat, their grade and the best cooking methods for the cut. I don't know about you, but I hope he leads us in a class on that, too!

If you have children or work with children in any area, please consider allowing for them, from time to time, to demonstrate some of their strengths. This develops their ability to speak, teach, prepare and retain what they have learned. You may even learn something, too!

simplychele and the farmboy