From the Coop to the Cooker

Thursday, April 5

(this chicken is cracking me up!  It looks really ticked off!)

Well today was the day.  I was looking at it with a mixture of feelings.  Apprehension, dread, and a bit of excitement.  Think I'm a little morbid?  Especially after the post of those fluffy little chicks?  Sorry, they didn't stay fluffy and cute.  God definitely has a well laid out plan.  The uglier and stickier they get the more anxious I am to make fried chicken.

Well, I'm the same lady that was {super} proud of herself for learning to just cut up whole chickens after moving to the Island.  Sure...sure...I bought whole chickens while living in the States, but only used them for roasting or my crock pot.  Any recipe requiring chicken parts was easily solved by grabbing a bag of frozen chicken.  {Deep dramatic sigh} Oh those wonderful American grocery stores.

So maybe I felt pride in being about to raise and process my own chickens.  Kinda like it was a big accomplishment for me.  I love learning new things.

Well let me tell you...it's not glamourous!

Prince rigged up a very humane way of "doing the deed".  He nailed an empty water container upside down on a tree.  He cut the bottom and top off.  I carried the chicken calmly to him and he turned them upside down in the plastic bottle.  He quickly pulled their head through the bottom and slit the throat.  It was quick and simple.  The chicken didn't "suffer" or struggle.  Still, I was glad Prince handled that part.....it was yicky.  Princess Alexis is definitely my stout-hearted of the bunch.  She watched but strongly stated, "that's asgusting (disgusting)!"

My job was the plucking.  I'd plucked chickens as a girl, but didn't remember it taking this long.  My girlies were very intrigued by the whole process and not traumatized by it in the least.  When I was cleaning out the inside of a chicken and explaining the different organs, I pointed out the heart.  Alexis asked, "Does God live in chicken's heart, too?"  I convinced the princesses to help pull out a few feathers, but again it was "asgusting".  They soon tired of the whole smelly process and went inside to play "house".

After talking to my Grandma, I was convinced to use the feet in making my broth.  That was as far as the feet made it.  No chicken foot soup in my kitchen!

Today was definitely a learning experience.  We are having yummy Cajun Gumbo, corn bread, and peach cobbler for supper tonight.