Not for the Faint of Heart
Yesterday was January 1, the beginning of a new year. For many including myself it is a time for resolutions and goals. My last post was back in 2019 prior to the pandemic. It was my goal at that time to write My Year with Nature in the form of a blog. These last two years my sanity has been saved by spending time in nature- gardening, hiking and chasing waterfalls. I have been blessed to find likeminded friends to share many adventures with,
And so a new adventure begins. I have somewhat resigned myself to the fact that because I live on a suburban lot I am a bit limited as to how much I can actually practice my homesteading skills. Fortunately, I have a dear friend who has 10 acres to play on. We have decided on a few homesteading crafts to work on for the upcoming year. The first of which is tanning. Deer hunting season begins for archers around the middle of September, for riflemen around thanksgiving and extends to January 1. If we wanted to get hides this was our last chance. My friend was able to source hides from a processing facility called Backwoods Processing. The name was very apt. . My daughter was a little spooked about me going after dark to a butchering facility but I was undaunted. I am generally pretty fearless even in dark rural places. I have butchered chickens, ducks, hogs, sheep, rabbits, and deer so the sight of dead animals doesn't distress me too much but I have never been at a facility that processes hundreds of animals a day. Wow, the smell was indescribable. My eyes were watering and my lips could taste an almost metallic taste. We chatted with the man who was doing the rough butchering. He worked quickly and skillfully as the hunters brought deer after deer. I was amazed at the efficiency of the operation. I asked him if the smell ever got to him. He told me only when he first arrives and the smell is iron from the blood. I learned a lot about life in the backwoods from our short conversation.
After they cleaned up for the night they put our hides as well as some brains and fat into buckets; we will use the brains in the tanning process and the fat will be rendered for soap. It had been raining for a few days and the road was gravel As I was turning on to the main road of course my van slid into the mud and I was stuck. I am notorious for getting my van stuck in the mud. I was about to cry but I was in the right place. If the butcher had a chain and was able to pull me out with his Jeep Cherokee. I am so grateful that I didn't have to sit and wait for a tow truck.
I was home by 9:30 and it was pouring rain but I was able to get my haul in. I soaked 2 hides in salt and vinegar and put the other 4 in the freezer. They were still a little bloody and I was worried that the neighbors might get a little freaked out if they saw. Thank goodness the rain washed it away by morning.
This afternoon I rinsed my hides and cleaned them up a little more. The next step is going to be defleshing, stretching , and tanning. We are going to be using brains to make the leather soft and subtle. I am also going to to try my hand at hide glue. I will be writing a step by step tutorial as I go. But so far 2022 is off to a crazy memorable start. This is going to be a year filled with adventure but not for the faint of heart.
