72 labors

in zen buddhism, meals are commenced with a liturgy that starts "72 labors brought us this food, we should know how it comes to us"

last night, devin, daniel, tim, heidi and i had a meal, the contents of which we labored over: from the veggies in the salad to the fried chicken, we knew every step that was taken to make the meal. it was in incredible event.

the evening began with a slaughter of the 5 roosters we have been raising, but cannot keep.

each of us slaughtered a chicken, silently, calmly, and with respect. i believe that if i want to continue to farm, and to eventually keep and raise livestock, i need to know how it is done... it was an experience i will never forget and i am very grateful to have learned with and from such mindful people.

there are some photos, not of the actual slaughter, but of the evisceration.
warning: these are NOT for the faint of heart, there is blood, and internal organs, pictured.

once the tasks of slaughter, de-feathering, and drawing were complete, we sat down to a fantastic meal of salad, southern style fried chicken (tim was able to prepare his bird while the rest of us cleaned ours), and oatmeal trailmix cookies for dessert.

to know what labors have brought your food to you, or to at least know your farmers, is a privilege we all should be able to enjoy...