Tongues and Tails...33º

If you don't eat meat or you do but would rather not know how it gets from the field to the table then don't read this...

I usually say we are having a beef butchered...That's not quite right...Actually what I mean is we are having a beef slaughtered, (killed, gutted and skinned) sent to the butcher shop and in two weeks it will be butchered (cut up and packaged into family sized packages) to go in our freezer and feed our family for the next year.

Okay, yesterday was the day for this years beef to be slaughter so we had a time to be at the cattle ranch in Wallowa and asked friend Pat if she would like to accompany us and see this process...We arrived with two 5 gallon buckets, but the mobile slaughter hadn't, so we sat in the car and visited and visited, drove into Wallowa for lunch (burgers at the Little Bear drive-in) and then back to the ranch...Dale was there, had all six animals on the ground and ready...This guy is a master at what he does and Pat was amazed at the speed and precision of his work...Where's the beef...We stood in the cold and watched, fascinated...Soon the light rain and wind drove us to the car and we waited until all the animals were hanging in the huge trailer and ready for the trip to the butcher shop...Herb retrieved our buckets now full of beef tails (for oxtail soup) and beef tongues (to be cooked, sliced and eaten with spicy mustard or horseradish)...Delicacies  that many times are just discarded...Other people were there and had a bucket full of beef hearts to take home...No one was into collecting livers on this day...It turned into a long day of waiting but worth it for the experience of knowing that our meat comes from well cared for animals that haven't been penned in a feedlot for several months of their lives.

This morning I have been googling recipes for pickled beef tongue because that is how my Dad liked it but I have just a vague idea of how Mom did it...All kinds of recipes but none that sound quite right so think I will call my sisters this morning and see if they know her recipe...In the meantime I have to prepare the tongues and tails to be frozen..Maybe I will simmer a tongue today as we expect Rusty home soon and one of his favorites is beef tongue...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Pat snapped a photo of a small part of the herd.