Getting used to eating your own meat

Consider that the carrot you plucked out of the ground and killed for your consumption had just as many feelings as the rabbit, IMO. Do not over use either but be a good steward of the land.

I was raised a block of Main street, except for a very happy but alas short time in the mountains. So I know what you are going through. Hang in there and process your rabbits and then put them in the freezer for a week or two. I can't go much any meat that I helped process the same day. Good luck, it will get better.

Ummm, carrots don't bleed... Feelings without brains...trying to wrap my mind around that one

Hey, but love that parting line!

Early childhood exposed to chickens being butchered, seeing deer hung, saw hanging beef, pork, and also was enlisted to pluck the chickens. After that, raised on mostly storebought meats. Problems raising, killing, cooking, and eating? No, but we all have different perspectives and experiences.

Bringing up being a good Steward was an excellent reminder to guard also against waste. When you raise your meat animals, you can use just about everything for some purpose. Any waste can be composted. Last year, I burned the midnight oil canning all the Crab and Venison, but enjoying the fruit of that labor these days We raised pigs one year, but will skip another year before raising more. I can barter for organic chickens already dressed out/packaged/frozen. Neither of us are interested in raising/eating rabbits. We like raising larger meat animals/hunting them. If push comes to shove, however, we could eat any meat animals...

__________________

Christie Acres
www.SequimForLife.com
http://www.irealtyvirtualbrokers.com...lori-christie/
http://luxurywaterviewhomes.com/
SequimLiving@gmail.com

If you have trouble eating meat you killed and prepped just imagine that you are a butcher that loads styrofoam plates with the meat and wrap it with plastic for others to buy_____and then gleefully eat your fresh meat free of styro and plastic.

Or imagine your home prepped meat is from the specially bred for human consumption self waiter suicidal cow from The Restaurant at the End of the Universe from the five book Hitch hikers Guide trilogy who told you of his finest cuts before going to the kitchen to kill himself .

If neither of those thoughts help just remember it could be worse. Instead of eating home killed , prepped and cooked critters as folks have done for millions of years, you could be a member of crash landed in the Andes soccer team dining on cold long pork tar tar fresh sliced off the first team member who croaked

__________________
"I didn't have time to slay the dragon. It's on my To Do list!"

Tame rabbit is better than wild rabbit IMO. Actually tame anything tastes better than wild anything IMO. Next time you might just try raising some tame rabbits to butcher. They are not as stringy and don't have that gamey taste at all.
Wild rabbit is probably one of the easiest wild meats to eat though. Try frying it up like chicken, or cutting some meat off the bones and making "rabbit nuggets". Then dip it in your favorite sauce, ranch dressing, honey mustard, BBQ, etc. It's good.

__________________
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

If it bothers you don't do it.

Strangely, I went through the same thing with our home raised eggs. At first I just used them in different recipes like french toast, then omlettes. Took a few weeks to make sunny side up eggs, but now that I am past the apprehension I hate store bought eggs.

The real question is maybe you just don't like the taste of rabbit?

Same here...and we also raised our own beef, pork and chicken/turkey. My freezer is full of venison right now, but you won't find any store bought beef in there.

I think the suggestion of putting it in the freezer for a while might help.

__________________
I'm running so far behind I thought I was first!

http://hickahala.blogspot.com/

Yes, just wait it out.

And this is not unusual. When I was working crazy hours and had a huge freezer, I did once a month cooking.
After chopping, prepping, cooking ALL DAY long - I'd go out for chinese or something that night.
Had to drive an hour to get there. It was worth it.
All the rest of the month I was more then happy that I had my own, home-prepared food ready and waiting for me, but after having my hands deep in it for hour upon hour, the thought of actually eating it sickened me. Enough was enough!!

It was the same when I've worked in restaurants. To me that is the perfect way to lose weight because after dealing with it all day, I don't want it.

So just give it a little break. After a little while it will be delicious to you again.

__________________
A ship in the harbor may be safe, but that's not what ships are built for

Yes, we used to put our Venison in the freezer, but now it goes in the freezer just until Chanterelle season (we add Garlic, Onions, and Chanterelle Mushrooms to our canned Venison). DH is fast at cubing it, yayyyy. So, we get it canned a lot faster. Both of prefer it canned and have all that extra space in the freezer for other meats (more of those are being canned all the time).

__________________

Christie Acres
www.SequimForLife.com
http://www.irealtyvirtualbrokers.com...lori-christie/
http://luxurywaterviewhomes.com/
SequimLiving@gmail.com

Bettacreek and morningstar's posts mesh with my experience, Riaketty. The first few times, I found myself a bit squicky about the whole thing . . . the very first turkey we helped to kill (when I was living in a city, and doing a CSA), I was pretty glad I had a few days between slaughter and cooking, as I was having a very hard time not seeing it as an animal. That happened again last summer with our first rooster, as well. Since then, we've processed 11 more birds, and every meal I've had has been easier. Now that they've been sitting in the freezer for a few months, actually, I'm looking at them more as meat than as birds, and have no problem eating them. So give yourself time and practice transitioning from viewing it as an animal to viewing it as food--it's normal to have it be a little weird-feeling, especially right at the beginning, and right after they're killed.

Wow, thank you guys for all the replies!

A lot of good ideas here - I really like the put-it-away-for-a-few-days idea. I think I'll try that. And maybe some sort of casserole to start with so it's 'hidden'.

The good thing is everyone else, including my 5 and 4 year old, have no problems with it. The kids even help/watch the whole process and cheered when we brought them in.

Anyway thanks again!

The first time we butchered one of our chickens I had problems eating it. I was afraid I would, so I made sure to cook it that evening and made myself eat it. These days I find it's easier to stick them in the freezer for a while before cooking and eating. I guess it sort of allows me to separate the butchering from my mind easier that way.

__________________
http://sonshine-littlebitofsonshine.blogspot.com/

Christian Homesteaders Forum
http://christianhomesteader.forumotion.net/

My Gram soaked wild rabbit in salted water b/4 putting it away. She cooked hers in the spaghetti sauce.

Eating wild game isn't a problem for us as my husband is an avid hunter but eating what we've raised is. If we need to beef out a steer or cow that's been raised with the herd it's not a problem but no way can we eat our bottle babies or chickens. We "know" them, ya ken?

We only keep layers now and luckily have an extremely cheap source for broilers/fryers and when we pick them up they are already at weight and ready to be processed so we don't keep them long. Heck, we've been raising sheep for quite a few years and my husband, the farmer, has yet to try lamb.

__________________
frugaltable.com
...................
Living a rich life frugally....

Your post made me laugh - my mother told me everything would taste like chicken! Woodcocks, partridges, any other little body that ended up on our plate.

As for slaughtering and then eating, I've only cut up hanging deer and lamb and that made my mouth water. I think the freezing for awhile makes the most sense, cutting up the animal sometimes gives you an olfactory sense you'd rather not have while eating.

Grew up eating all kinds of wild critters at my Grandparents house, then got away from it for a while after they passed on. Squirrel, rabbit, deer, turkey, dove, quail, turtle, possum, coon, you name it. Never could bring myself to try the possum. Some things are just too ugly to eat! Coon is ok, but not something I want right regular.

We do not raise anything right now, but if we start I'll have to keep my wife away from it. If not, she'll get attached and we'll have more "pets". Like we need any more around here!

__________________
"Ignorance can be cured, but there ain't no helping stupid." - Grandad

I remember back when my FIL bought two calves and fed them out for beef.My little 8 yo BIL fed them and played with them every day.Well one was getting kinda mean and started running my BIL out of the pen.The other one was real friendly.
Well the day finally came and my FIL carried them to get butchered, and the meat wrapped.
Once back home with all that beef, they cooked some for supper.My little BIL was just starring at his on the plate.My FIL asked him what was the matter?He said he was wondering was it the mean one, or the gentile one on his plate?My FIL told him it was the mean one.Good he said,he just didn't have the heart to eat the one he had petted and played with.
They ate the whole freezer full of that beef, and that question was never asked again.

I have a hard time eating wild game & will avoid it unless it would cause hurt feelings. My grandmother cooked much stew with wild game & we all ate & enjoyed it but it is icky to me now. I can eat fish but don't like to see it ahead of time & need to know the fish wasn't dressed alive--my husband humanely knocks them dead first.

We have no farm animals but I'm not sure I could eat them either after raising them. We did eat home killed pork as children & enjoyed it. I'm too prone to fall in love with animals.

We have wanted less & less of any kind of meat for the last several years--just prefer veggies--we'd both rather have a pot of beans than meat anytime. Of course if need pressed we'd buckle down & eat whatever we could get--I imagine most of us would if we had to.

don't be so hard on yourself. You can feel good in that you are being proactive in making sure your family can eat some of the freshest food out there and learning new skills. not all of it has to happen overnight. If it makes you feel better trade some food with another hunter. you may feel better if they give you the thumbs up on the quality.

raising your own can also be somewhat hard. I try to tell myself again why I am raising my own and feeding my extended family too. I want my family to be feed in the most careful way possible.

go slowly and enjoy the process. when I was pregnant with my second Dh gramdfather in law and FIL were processing a pig. I couldn't wrap my head around that. if I had not been pg. maybe I could have helped but not then. that is ok. someonw else took up the cause.