But Was It Worth It?

[@4KidsandaFarm]

This is so great that you had a community of friends to come out and help you guys! We are missing this from our society today. That is why we love this homesteading community!

[@dianehall5345]

4 kids- That is what is was like in the 1970s in rural NH. We all pitched in as neghbors, some were distant neighbors... We had house and barn raisings. Clearing land, etc. We prided ourselves in the Art of Trading goods & services . There is some of this spirit in the farming community where I currently live in Central NH. Our town is 2,000 population. The surrounding towns are also small, rural and connected by a web of communication & cooperation. With our USA economy at risk of a recession, I am hoping more folks will see the value of this lifestyle. Channels like The Hollars, Justin Rhodes, Living Traditions, Rain Country, etc are great ways to learn this lifestyle first hand.

[@rickayers3150]

Diane, I agree. Day after tomarrow I'm signing for my farm. I am opening what im calling Ricky's Barter Barn. I raise , process and sell poultry. In this market place you will not be able to buy any thing. But you can barter what you have for points to use on what other people have.

[@dianehall5345]

Rick- That is fantastic! Congratulations on buying a farm! You are going to set the tone on how to barter in a community. I feel like we need to return the life my Grandmother Hazel had in the 1930s, hopefully minus a major recession. Her brother Ray owned an egg laying business, with 2,000 Rhode Island Reds. He also sold the meat. I carry his last name, as there are no surviving boys in the family and I am the last farmer. These younger generations need to take a serious look at living off the land and by there own hand.

[@FourHornsFarm]

This is what my farm is missing. Help. I've just got me and two daughters. One is old enough to help, but won't. The other is enthusiastic, but too young to do much.

[@rickayers3150]

Four horns, remember more kids are caught than taught. Remember, you chose to farm, they didn't. If they dont see adventure in it, it wont happen.

[@sharonnowlin2297]

The best thing about raising & processing your meat yourself! IS that you know what it was fed and exactly how it was processed. You have NO idea when you buy from the grocery store! GOOD JOB, Guys!!!

[@sandyc6569]

😊👌

[@janefromthecountry1820]

It’s why I switched to vegan diet mostly...See Food Inc Documentary. I buy grass fed beef occasionally.

[@totherarf]

To be honest some Do have a good idea of what goes on in "normal" processing of animals! In the UK we used to have many small abattoirs where local farmers would take their stock! This was changed with the outbreak of foot and mouth, swine fever and CJD. Rules were brought in that stopped the smaller units from operating leaving the big industrial units to process everything! For what it is worth I think smaller units are better! Less stressful for the animal. Less distance to transport the animal. More local jobs with a shorter turnaround giving local meat to local markets (something else that is dying off in my country)!

[@nathanmontgomery5809]

Love the authenticity. I want the real world perspective of homesteading!

[@nanajack8527]

I really admire you Ben, you have such a great work ethic and are teaching your boys the same thing.

[@cathrinagroiss604]

Yo, what about all the pig labour? While she was around and eating, she was also part of your forest clearing efforts, not to mention the garbage disposal services. Those have value too 😜

[@allonesame6467]

PLUS putting fertility on the land!

[@Jaaade-B]

lmno qrst it wasn’t the mother pig, it was the other one

[@sheilak4493]

Cathrina Groiss I was thinking the same thing

[@Rockin8Farm]

Absolutely. If my time is worth $X/hr and she did that work for me then that factors into the total cost.

[@claraisely9397]

H

[@donnamays24]

You are a hardworking man Ben! Enjoy your harvest! Love your family and your journey! Blessings💖🙏🏻

[@squirrellyacres]

You can never have enogh friends and family when it come to doing this stuff, it also really helps when someone is willing to help and pass on the knowledge of how to do it.

[@jennifercase393]

Thank you so much for taking us on your journey of setting up your homestead. It's so much fun to see you going step by step in living your dream!

[@1870s]

How Exciting! One day I hope to be brave enough to harvest our own. It feels so big to take on. Glad you have such a great community supporting you all❤️

[@TheHollarHomestead]

It DID feel really big, and kind of scary! But now after it's all done, we have such a sense of accomplishment and thankfulness that our land provided us with food.

[@beatriceblankenship1239]

You’re so blessed!its a happy Thanksgiving from God to give you the urge and knowledge of trial and error to get it done! The best to y’all!

[@SuesSecretGarden3]

Harvest time your baby boy is soaking in his Dad gifts. He's always right by your side cute💓 keep living your Dream

[@annetteandhercrafts]

So, in this short period of time you have already eaten eggs from your chickens, veggies from your garden, made soap and stuff and now butchered a pig all while renovating a mobile home and helping others? Guys you are HOMESTEADING ROYALTY. BRAVO!

[@MustangSally7259]

Thank you for showing those of us who want to watch!

[@gretaknebel8495]

You guys are so fortunate to have friends to help and had a great place to process your meat!

[@MickyBellRoberts]

I have been watching you guys since you were looking for a property and driving across the country and ending up in NC. Y’all have been blessed. I sure hope my channel starts really growing like yours. God bless you.

[@stacey68]

thanks for a great video! One step closer to being self sufficient on your own land with your own animals! Makes you feel so much better when eatting something you grow and take care of.

[@erinmitten4227]

It's so nice to see a community of friends behind you in this process. My mother still tells stories of 'Butchering Time' in the Shenandoah Valley. Famiy groups in the hollar would join forces and share the labor of butchering and salting/smoking the hogs in late November, when the temperatures were cold enough to keep the meat from spoiling. She said they would cook the tenderloins on butchering day to show appreciation to all those who helped. It always made her mad because the tenderloin was her favorite cut, but she could only get a bite or two before it was all gone.

[@davidsnow9453]

Ham hock and beans on a cold drizzly rainy spring day with homemade fresh hot bread and a tub of creamery butter....yummmy

[@JoJoDragonslayer]

Now I'm hungry 😆😆

[@janetwithers7427]

Wonderful video. You raised your pig, you harvested it and you KNOW you have good meat for your family. You have a right to be proud. :-)

[@reneebrown9391]

Sugar Pie, you need to quit bending at the waist to pick up heavy stuff - bend down and use your knees to lift - better on your back. And teach your boys the correct way to lift. Great job, btw!

[@thaliahelene]

Definately! Hernia surgery is no joke. And you only get so much repaired.

[@patticuva1281]

Yes!!! As someone recovering from a back injury - its taken 14 months--- lift with your legs!!

[@rosec9486]

I am guessing the cost per pound would be more expensive if the hog was processed by a processor so you guys saved a good bit of money by processing it yourselves! So happy it all went well for you.

[@AfterTheRains]

Congratulations on filling your freezer with your very own pork. So glad you were blessed with friends who have butchering facilities to make your first processing easier.

[@sixpinkoneblue]

I'm so glad you kept the lard. It's not only the best for cooking, you can use it in your soaps. As long as you don't feed the same species there is no issue whatsoever to feeding animals to other animals, at all. You'll save everything but the squeal next time Meg.😊 Great job, guys! How awesome!

[@allentruitt8632]

I just payed 2 dollars a lb for half a cow, grass fed. The meat is amazing. A friend of mine raises them without shots, grain, etc.

[@aruralmother2895]

Its also amazing to support local! ❤

[@edieboudreau9637]

Allen Truitt hi Allen. That was a great deal. Might want to can some of that in case of freezer/grid breakdown.

[@allentruitt8632]

@@edieboudreau9637 Hey, Edie! Yeah, thats definitely happening.

[@edieboudreau9637]

Allen Truitt glad to hear it.

[@scottfirman]

We have friends in 4 H, they decided to raise a couple extra hogs and asked us if we were interested in a quarter. This year we want half!

[@ShelterMountainFarm]

I'm so glad it went well for you guys and she provided well for your family.

[@lindacole1653]

The truly best part is that you know what the pig was fed and no growth hormones injected. Pure clean meat for your family and the satisfaction of doing this processing with family & friends. So proud of you!

[@clarelove3738]

OMG, I've been waiting for this video all day 😂😁👍

[@gailbrault9251]

If I was younger and starting out my life I would definitely do what your trying to do. I was fortunate and helped out on a produce farm when I was a kid. I firmly believe in supporting young farms and eating pasture raised animal's. Good luck to you and will continue watching your progress.

[@donaldmiller8629]

@ Gail Brault , Do you not still need good food no matter what your age ? I am 77 years old and am just now developing my small farm. Does my heart good to go out back and pick a gallon of blackberries. It may take me most of the day to do so but what the heck , I am not in a race to go any where. Whatever I don't get done today , well , there is always tomorrow. In addition , I have to live somewhere , right ? My younger brother lives in a seniors apartment. Which actually costs him more and he has less. Like one parking space for his car. And they actually measure his car daily to make sure that it is the proscribed distance from the parking lines. Me ? I park anywhere I want to . And he sits and watches TV all day. I can't stand watching Oprah , the view and that smug lesbian.

[@jeanoconnor3163]

I just turned 65 and I'm doing it while my hubby works off the farm. (He's younger than me, not yet able to retire.) We have two guinea hog sows that we are raising and will butcher in the fall, and 50 chickens, a big garden, fruit trees and berries.

[@donaldmiller8629]

@@@jeanoconnor3163 , Good for you ! I am 77 and I am just now developing a 6.5 acre small farm .

[@jemmiestone5731]

You all are doing great. What a Blessing to have friends to help also. I found Y'all last year when you showed your land for the first time. In that time Y'all have done so much building and raising animals and having a garden Way to go! God Bless Y'all.

[@HonestOpenPermaculture]

It's an awesome feeling to be able to put food in the freezer that you grew. Congratulations. Very happy for yall!

[@frankbollotino2270]

I think you two are the only ones brave enough to show people where their food comes from !

[@JcUDE]

I love all the rooster and bird sounds I hear in the back ground. Gotta love the country.

[@stephaniedavis7033]

So excited you were able to process your first animal / raised on your new homestead - such a blessing! Food is Free! Keep Rockin!

[@AlpacaMade]

Naturally I saw Jason & Lorraine's video before this; I have to tell you how impressed I am with your younger son's willingness to help Ben pretty much from start to finish even thought I saw it finish to start ;) Well done!

[@donnasaylor2778]

The video it’s sad things this nature does not belong in your filming it’s all the time be safe Ask God he supply your needs 😮 buy your meat and or go veggies only you make it I am hoping this type of showing in this station stops

[@liltbennet]

I'm happy for you all! I'm glad it was a success and you were able to save so much.

[@BrendaJMay]

Thanks for sharing this procedure & process of your pig,its appreciated! Much❤Love & 🙏🏻😇🙏🏻God Bless 😘😘😘👍🏻

[@richardcarter5252]

I always find cutting up and grinding my hogs into different cuts such as Chops, steaks , roast,is always gratifying . But I get the most enjoyment out of curing and smoking the bellies , hams , hocks and sausages . Oh and eating the cracklings after spending the day rending the lard is just a bonus. Enjoy yourself while providing food for your family.

[@HollerGramma]

What a blessing to have friends to help, and some to let you use their facility to process the animal. Such a learning experience! Thanks for taking us along.

[@cvzphotography]

If you factor in the work that pig did to help you clear out your brush then you're probably well into the black on the meat per pound.

[@TheHollarHomestead]

So true!!

[@sabinarowlison9565]

WOW! So worth it. You know what it was fed and it is healthy.

[@129kittykati]

All those people putting a thumb down some people are here trying to learn.

[@erinmitten4227]

Ignore the haters and flood these folks with comments, likes and subscribes.

[@aruralmother2895]

Vegans lol

[@ladymoongoddess]

The thumbs down people will be the ones starving in the event of any kind of mass destruction.

[@tealkerberus748]

Lady Moon Goddess they'd be the vegans. I had one attack me on Twitter a bit ago. She spent several hours attacking me over how she imagined I treat my cows (I'm a hobby farmer, and my fur babies are well fed and cuddled) and then when I refuted all her accusations, attacked me for having cows at all - I guess she'd prefer I shot them all and died in a grass fire, because that's what happens to grass that isn't grazed around here. Eventually I got bored and blocked her.

[@savagesquad8546]

So, so happy for you guys!! One big step towards independence!!

[@mzkatiep]

Knowing what you are eating is ALWAYS worth it to say nothing about the fringe benefits such as land clearing, garbage disposal, fertilizer generated - - etc. So pleased watching your progress and watching y'all grow and learn. God Bless y'all.

[@hanorabrennan8846]

Well, guys, you won't be hungry for a while. Congrats on the successful harvest and gratitude to your friends for making this possible for us. Always love the authenticity of your output. TFS.

[@wallstreethomestead5979]

That is an awesome feeling to raise and then process your own meat to feed your f as Emily. Such a feeling of accomplishment, and independence. Thank you for sharing your journey with us.

[@WendyK656]

Good job Ben and Meg! thank you to all the people that helped and let them use the area to process the pig. If you buy pork in the store it is 3.99 a lb and it is not feed good. I have seen it in the store for 4 50 a lb too

[@annpage3085]

Y'all...this is right up my alley...when I was young, my Papa and Grandma used to do this and I helped, so this makes this ole 72 year old feel good......love y'all....Ann from Georgia 💕🙋

[@xelamj]

Congratulations you guys! Job well done! It's amazing you had so many friends to help and you got to use such a beautiful butcher shop to process and package your pig, what a blessing!❤

[@ciaobella8963]

You are such a smart guy Ben. You and Meg are certainly a power couple. So blessed to know your friends were there to help. I can already visualize your homestead in five years. Super amazing gardens, productive animals and very food sufficient. Plus your sons will be older and helping a ton. So stay strong and cling to your dream. It is HAPPENING! Sending you all love from Tuscany. God bless.

[@judibohn1548]

Awesome job yaw. Great you had great friends to loan you their walk in fridge area. Congrats 👏.

[@knitvids]

Awesome...so glad your freezer is full. Y'all look so happy by the way!

[@paulrice1918]

Great job I would bet you both learned a whole bunch. It was so nice to see how when someone in the community needs help a call and they are there. I also follow Jason and Loraine on their adventure too.

[@stephaniedavis7033]

You are doing it right by saving the scraps for the other homestead animals and also correct to not feed pig to pig. Blessings n sunshine always!

[@thebrunohomestead]

Great job on the scalding. Getting it right makes it go so much smoother 👍. Thanks for sharing your harvest with us.

[@memawlisa]

It's the most amazing feeling ever!!! Congratulations on filling that freezer! We have been doing this for almost 5 years now and more and more of our food comes from our land. We just had our 1st calf this last weekend!!

[@sonyagregory5711]

Wow! What nice friends to have!!! I love the packaging process. That's when it really hits you as to how much food you are actually coming out with! You should be really proud of yourself!😊❤🐖🐖🐖

[@bonnied3550]

Great community coming together to help make a big task quick. It's always better with friends, congratulations on your first meat in the freezer from your land😃👍🏽

[@garyseitz6133]

It's such a rewarding feeling to know what you are eating and that you raised that yourself!

[@salliebeard1899]

Yay, one down, food in the freezer.... Pastured raised!!!! Thank you for sharing ❤️💗

[@imari2305]

My late grandfather raised hogs and I clearly remembered he and a few of his friends processed a hog around Christmastime when all of our family was home visiting for the holidays. You both clearly did a great job and having your son there helping was amazing to see. Keep up the great work you're doing :-)

[@deborahjaniak7531]

Great job! Thanks for taking us along- love the whole life story of your pig!

[@Zeke-yv3nw]

Awesome y'all! Your first pig butchering on your homestead! So happy for y'all

[@CreatingEssence]

It is a great experience. I grew up on a dairy farm, but we also had chickens, sheep, pigs, and steers for meat that we were always raising. So glad you guys had such a great experience. We buy a half cow now, and our chickens LOVE beef hearts, etc.

[@cobbsrenee]

I always said that I couldn’t eat what I fed. This is the first video I have watched thru that taught me something without having it be graphic. I love you kids. You have helped me grow along with you. We learn from you.

[@BiterAvid]

I really like the beautiful labels you made for your very neat and tidy packaging. Nice Done. Congrats on that harvest.

[@mgp1953]

Congratulations. Another step to the life you are seeking. 🐖🥓 I grew up living off grid ( I’m 66) in Portugal. Every September we butchered a pig. It was very hard work but followed by a great feast. Fresh grilled thin sliced loin. Blood was used for the rice dish and for sausage. Meat cut for sausage and stuffed into the intestine casings and hung over open fire to smoke and cure. The fire was indoors. The other cuts of meat were layered in a wooden chest with very coarse salt. I left that life at 13 and do not know if I could do it now.

[@pineyhavenhomestead8947]

Great video, thank you so much for sharing. That was some good looking meat you all processed. Be proud of what you have accomplished to feed your family. Have a Blessed Week **HUGS & PRAYERS** from Kelly and the critters at Piney Haven Homestead.

[@flyingpigpreserve8562]

Good Eats for Sure. Enjoy! God Bless and Peace Be With You All ☮️🙏❣️

[@royice952]

You all are inspiring and amazing!!! Thank you for your authenticity and your willingness to "put it all out there". Keep living the dream ... especially for those of us that would love to do what you are doing but can't for whatever reason.

[@Citystead]

What an awesome accomplishment! Exciting to see the journey come so far to this point, happy for you guys.

[@tinamariegregory3130]

I'm glad you feel it was successful. Good for you ! God bless you all.

[@johngolding4229]

Your own food from your own place!! Can’t be better! 🤩👍🏼

[@vivianwilliams2216]

Great video, so glad you guys are able to grow your food and process it, wonderful community love !

[@ronhart8857]

Great job harvesting you own meat, the video was done very nice. Great to have a butcher shop close by that helped you package all the meat. Thank you for sharing.

[@nancywatson9535]

So nice though. Organic meat. Lard. And what a great experience for your boys. That was very nice of your friend to let you do it all at his place with all the equipment!! I just love following your journey. Keep it up.

[@kathygarber9407]

Way to go y'all ! Don't you feel great knowing you have all that clean meat ? Be blessed !

[@karenhernke281]

Guys...I can totally relate to the amazing feeling! We did that for the 1st time this past Spring. We were feeling pretty dang proud of ourselves. It's a feeling you only get when you raise and process your own animals. We also did 2 lambs for the 1st time and man they taste great. We were shocked!! So happy for you guys. Way to go!! Woot Woot!

[@yerneedsry]

WOW, your friends what a blessing they were, GOD bless them in the future for sharing...

[@TheCraftingSquirrel]

Meg nailed it, it was your pig...you raised it, it cleared your land, you did it all....so for roughly $5/lb....yah...you did great!

[@elizabethranstrom6800]

Yay for you guys👍🏻🎊🎉 so excited to see you at this point!!!

[@doriwells5778]

Loved! Loved!!! Loved it!! I wish I lived somewhere I could have livestock!!!

[@jerrybrady9103]

You Guys are amazing and Thank You for documenting and doing the math for the rest who want to try the same thing! As for the cost of your own meat produced on your own farm, you can't really put a price on it because you know what they eat and you can't buy that in any store!!!

[@croittle]

Congratulations guys , it all pays off at the end!!! Enjoy the meat 🍖

[@kbltexmex]

It was well worth it knowing that you did it all from start to finish and know exactly where your food came from!! 👍

[@donnasmith9939]

Y’all are my favorite homesteaders

[@LittleMountainLife]

Good stuff yall! Feeding the family right!

[@charleshenry937]

Great you got it done. It's a little work but so rewarding .i can tell you are so happy about it . I've been a meat cutter for 46 years and have done pigs in my back yard many times. Enjoy all the meals take care. Chuck!

[@curtisep5885]

Was raised doing this stuff. Truly awesome life experiences 4 y'all & ur younguns. Making memories & learning new things hands on is what it's ALL about friends!

[@grannybearsgarden]

Excellent vlog. You had some good information.

[@crazychickenladyhomestead6918]

Thank you for sharing!!

[@robertfountain4856]

When I look around at people today I see so many who do not understand what life and death is about let alone understanding how best to survive on this earth. Be it a homesteader or a native of some far off country "we" all have to "hunt" to survive. A homesteader has simplified it to raising his own protein. The difference is to be humane and ensure the animal has dignity in the final minutes of it's life. After all isn't that what we all want for ours? Well edited video showing all that was needed. Well done guys!

[@liv_hol]

So jelly! Congrats to you all!

[@sovereigns1grace]

The impact of raising the pigs & butchering should also be viewed from the perspective that they did a lot of work for you AND your costs of purchasing & feeding them was over time. By the time you butcher, what you spent is gone and done with so ... it FEELS more like free food - doesn't it? Plus, you KNOW what they've been eating and that there are no harmful chemicals in the meat. win win win win win win. Thanks for sharing!!

[@MrCoyotebob]

Congratulations on growing and harvesting your own food! If it came out to $10 a pound I think it would be worth it, just knowing how it was raised and what it was fed. Now Ben you HAVE to build a smoke house, (you have the perfect spot with the hill), to make that bacon you just harvested! I would love to see what kind of design you would do, and then copy it. lol

[@edieboudreau9637]

MrCoyotebob Deep South Homestead just did a couple vids on just that.

[@MrCoyotebob]

@@edieboudreau9637 Yep! I saw that. Just wanted Ben's take on one. I can't get enough smoke house ideas! lol

[@eamonkenny8345]

Well done guys. Food in the freezer. We are all cheering you on. But spring is a coming fast

[@rachelclute9384]

We just put a agh/kk cross in our freezer last week. SO worth it!!! Great job guys!

[@ladymoongoddess]

Love it!!! Must be so satisfying to have accomplished that first step. Can't wait to see the first BBQ with YOUR OWN MEAT!!! 💜🐖🐷🥓🍖

[@bmd1825]

It’s a helluva lot of work. We do our own as well. Need a lot of friends when you do this!!!

[@Schimms]

I love the skin roasted up so it's nice and crisp. Crackling!!! Good job guys!

[@mauriceryton]

Meat that you know exactly what was and is in it. Good for you guys.

[@kmrem77]

Best way to do guys! Been butchering my own pigs like this for over 30+ yrs. This is exactly how things were done long time ago. It saves you about $400 in processing fees etc. I cut my pork the way I want, what i need, package it myself and saves me a ton of money! Good job!