Brandon and Lauren Sheard of Farmstead Meatsmith sit down together to start a conversation (a rare treat amidst a large household and growing homestead) that will continue in the months and years to come.
They begin a discussion on death, humane killing of animals, industrial meat system solutions, terminology of the home harvester and the varied topics they’ll cover in future episodes.
Most importantly they identify that every human can be part of the harvesting of her meat. From urban rabbitry to small-scale carcass cutting and curing, every home can embrace many tasks of providing meat for it’s members.
Looking for more Meatsmith knowledge? Join our online membership or come to an in-person class:
- Hands-On Harvest Classes – Come to one of our harvest classes on our homestead in Oklahoma. We offer pork, beef, lamb, and goose harvest classes in the Spring and Fall. Spots are limited to just eight students per class to keep the hands-on experience undiluted. Jump on this chance and sign up today! Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/upcoming-classes/
- Meatsmith Membership – We created an online community and resource for homesteaders and farmers. It serves all those who want to cook and eat well. We offer the fruit of our labors (and our kitchen) from more than fifteen years of experience, and our Membership community of more than six hundred is an invaluable digital resource. The only one of its kind in the country, Meatsmith Membership provides an earnest and winsome approach to domestic livestock raising, slaughter, butchery, curing, cookery, and charcuterie. Join today and partner with us in growing your home around the harvest. Monthly memberships are $17.49/month plus a $29.99 signup fee. Or purchase an Annual membership for $189.49/year with no signup fee, saving you $50.38. There’s a 7-day free trial for Annual memberships. Farmsteadmeatsmith.com/product/membership/
Topics Discussed
- Introduction to Farmstead Meatsmith & A Meatsmith Harvest Podcast
- Meatsmith Membership info
- Topic 1: What is a Meatsmith?
- ‘The Harvest’ and the importance of death in the narrative of our food
- The ‘fantasy of a natural death’
- Docility to the harvest; receiving the gift nature gives
- Topic 2: Who can harvest? “Harvesting as a human endeavor”
- What’s the greatest hindrance of the home processing of meat? Fear of the unknown?
- Topic 3: Terms; Husbandry & stewarding the land.
- Ecological ethics of eating meat
- Terms: slaughter, butchery, charcuterie, curing
- Terms: Cookery. Braising, pan fry, and roasting are the only methods you need to know
- Episode 2 topics
- Additional Meatsmith info
Links for Episode 1
FarmsteadMeatsmith.com – Our website
Meatsmith Membership – open to new members September 20th, 2017
Upcoming classes – Our Pig, Lamb, and Rabbit&Hen slaughter classes are open
Alan Savory’s TED Talk – How to Green the World’s Deserts and Reverse Climate Change (See film below)
The Savory Institute – “Loss of grasslands leads to climate change, floods, droughts, famine, and worldwide poverty. It’s our mission to promote large-scale restoration of the world’s grasslands through Holistic Management.”
Etymology of husbandry, slaughter, kill, butchery, curing, evisceration, charcuterie, cookery
Farmrun.com is an agrarian creative media studio specializing in branding and photography.
On Anatomy of Thrift films – The series, in its entirety, is a manifesto on the subject of eating animals. It winsomely illustrates the history, theory and philosophy of the act, as well as the brass tacks of Meatsmith know how.