Pig butchering and slaughtering workshop!

Come learn how to slaughter and butcher a pig at our next workshop! There is an increasing need for the island to grow more livestock and we want to offer an opportunity for our community to learn some of the basics so that more of us might grow for ourselves and our neighbors. 

This workshop will be a two day exploration of the slaughtering, scalding, and hanging of the pig with a second day to break down and butcher it. This is a unique opportunity that we are offering to our community free of cost and is limited to just 8 attendees, places offered on a first come first serve basis. We ask that those attending come to both days to gain the most from this invaluable workshop. This workshop is intended for folks that are very interested in processing animals themselves and haven’t had the chance to learn in a hands-on setting. 

The details:

Day 1: Saturday, February 28th, 2-5pm (this could go later or end earlier): Kyle and Abby Antonelis will lead us through the steps it takes to get an animal raised for slaughter, a slaughter demonstration by Kyle (who will also be available in the future to hire if that’s not your thing) and will end with it hanging in preparation for butchering. 

Kyle and Abby moved to Vashon to raise their family in 2014 and started a haphazard farm not too long after. They have been raising pigs for over 10 years and have learned a lot that they hope to share with you. Abby has been involved with VIGA since 2017 (starting as the Vashon Fresh manager, then joining the Food Access Partnership committee, and currently on the board as the Treasurer). 

Day 2: Monday, March 2, 1-4pm: Lauren Garaventa of the Ruby Brink will be our guide for all things post-slaughter. Lauren will lead us through all the basic steps it takes to break down a pig. Lauren is a whole-animal butcher who believes in using every part of the animal. She started butchering and raising animals on Vashon Island in 2011. She co-owns The Ruby Brink; a place that’s part butcher shop, part restaurant, part neighborhood hangout. Her work is all about good food, local farms, and making butchery approachable and thoughtful.

Also interested in purchasing some of the pig that we will be handling at the workshop? Abby and Kyle still have half and whole pigs available for their upcoming slaughter, please email abby.l.faust@gmail.com for more information.