Getting that much closer to my food!

I’m not a vegetarian which surprises some people given my stand about a greener world.  But I am not one to be completely one thing or another.  I don’t take on any one thing completely.  That being said I take many opportunities to eat a vegetarian diet.
However given that I am not, about eight months ago I started an experiment.  We purchased several cornish cross chicks.  These are the ones that are specifically bread for their ability to grow meat.  They are also bred to grow very quickly achieving a weight of 7 plus pounds in 10 to 12 weeks.  Yep in less then three months they grow from a few ounces to 7 pounds.  I was shocked…to say the least.
Our last batch arrive at the Urban Farm on March 31 and today was the day that we harvested them.  It is a process that has taken me 8 months and many hours of rumination to get to the point of being OK with.  Plus it has pushed me much closer to a meat free diet.
So this morning two friends and I got together and butchered (there I said it) five chickens.  Once I got past the hard part (the taking of their life) and yes I did a blessing for each one of them, the process of processing them was actually quite easy…and EMPOWERING.  I actually felt very good about myself, my ethical raising of the birds, the process and the result.
Next we will prepare and eat them.  That will be an experience in itself.