Catching blood

[kalo]

For the experienced. I go to an amish farm and the man butchers the sheep in a rugged little porch-style area. He doesn't slit the throat, he stabs the knife into the chest area, solar plexus? He doesn't save the blood (bible). I want some but it seems difficult to catch and the wool is always dirty around the puncture. Any ideas?

Speaking of blood, I got TONs of vaccines growing up (thanks ma) and Mercola is all about them containing heavy metals. Any insight or papers on the subject would be nice. I'm assuming it is a problem all over the world!
 

[eveheart]

I'd suggest you ask the rancher directly. I've had a conversation with my Muslim rancher about what he does with the blood. He slits the throat, which is not particularly cleaner than the chest, and the blood flows into a bucket, then on to a renderer. He offered me blood for the asking. If you decide that the blood is clean enough, but you don't want to offend this rancher's religious sense, you can tell him the blood is for fertilizer for your garden.

[kalo]

Right On, that is a very good idea. There is also a lot of congealed blood within the body that would probably be cleaner. So how long does it last for you? Does it turn to jelly on ya?

[jessica]

damn, stabbing into the chest?  is that in the (bible)?  i have always had people restrain the animal by sitting on it while its on its side and slitting the throat, like one slit/puncture to the main vein on the side, and then it takes a while for them to bleed out but its minimally painful and they loose consciousness pretty quickly.  i just catch it in mason jars, its gets congealed for the most part, there is always some more liquid substance as well.  i have never worried about the bacteria on the wool,, for the most part, when the neck slit is made, the wool is kind of pulled back while finding the pulse/vein.  i like eves idea of telling him it will be going into the ground, and if that works, you should really offer some to a tree or plant or patch of soil...

[goodsamaritan]

We traditionally add vinegar to the blood we catch because it helps stop the blood from congealing.

[kalo]

the biblical reference is "don't eat the blood." and yea the in the chest technique is actually very impressive, the sheep don't seem  bothered and pass out real quickly. However he then lifts up the hind legs and just lets the blood seep onto the concrete and the grass beyond. I think I will just tell him the truth, that I want it for nutrition and ask him the best method to catch it. Or I could wait until he slaughters a cow..
Anyway the vinegar technique sounds interesting and I know I'm a broken record, but how long will fresh blood keep?

[eveheart]

True, the Bible prohibits eating the blood and does not select a method of slaughter. I was intrigued by the stab in the heart because it reminds me of a hunter aiming for the heart, a quick kill. The Hebrew and Muslim technique of bleeding out via a jugular cut allows the pumping action of the heart to drain the blood, so they say.

When I get a whole animal, I plan to eat the more-perishable parts (brain, liver, kidneys, heart) in the first week. That would be a good idea to try with the blood. I think that is a good hunter-gatherer way - drink the blood at the slaughter but do not carry it home. Sometimes I store parts in vinegar, as in ceviche, so GS's suggestion is something for you to experiment with.

[kalo]

getting another sheep today. the first was a lamb but this is a mutton (4 years old)! I'm worried I wont find it tasty. I also don't know what to bargain it for. Well anyway, thats my own problem. So I'll catch the blood again and keep just about every organ. Not all mixed together in a pyrex dish though..
Anyone have organ storage ideas? Hanging the meat in the fridge works great but there is not room for all those bloody organs. I learned that all the caul fat is best frozen so I'll see what else fits in that little freezer.

[eveheart]

I keep the organs on plates below the hanging pieces. I turn the organs daily. I removed one shelf, raised another shelf, and got rid of the vegetable bins to make room for one lamb - I max out my fridge space at about 60 pounds dressed weight. My fridge is used and was under $300, so I didn't mind modifying it. I wouldn't modify an expensive family fridge. Maybe you can get a used fridge for your meat.

I don't eat all the fat, so I render the caul fat to make candles. When rendered, put the fat in a terra cotta saucer with a 1/4" cotton wick lying across the saucer and a fraction of the wick rising up against the side of the saucer. Put one or two saucers under the lamp saucer to insulate the table from the heat. and a rock or something to keep the long end of the wick in the fat. A few spoonfuls burn brightly for hours with a bright light and no smoky odor.

[kalo]

wow excellent idea for candles. I have a huge jar of blood, mostly jello! I was thinking about rendering some caul to make pemmican as there is SO much. But I don't really make jerky.. This sheep was beautiful and I left it at the farm to dry. I took the organs home and the front legs to get me through awhile.

I want the thyroid first, hopefully that has iodine. Then I took home the lungs too, any ideas?? Lastly, I was gonna bring the gallbladder home but that thing started leaking and into the compost!!

Thanks for replying eve, I always like your posts.

[eveheart]

Anthony Bourdain has an interesting segment in Parts Unknown: Tanzania showing the slaughter and cutting open of a goat (I think it was a goat). The slaughter appeared to be by suffocation. Then the goat was held legs up. This allowed the greater portion of the blood to congeal in the chest cavity, from which it could be sliced out and eaten out-of-hand after the belly was slit open. Some of the details were not clear, but that's the general idea. I found this still picture of the scene, and the entire show can be seen on Netflix:

[kalo]

Yea the blood I got came from the chest cavity because hardly any is lost when the amish man stabs the sheep in the chest. It had a bunch of tiny white specks floating around but I'm pretty sure it is just fat. By now, I am quite familiar with the skinning and slaughter of sheep but it helps to have a hoist set-up.