Reprinted with permission from the August issue of the Ester Republic.

I find it mildly ironic, as a researcher of and advocate for sustainable agriculture and community food systems, that I’ve never, myself, slaughtered a chicken. For all I preach in my research, writing and teaching about how important it is to be connected to the production of one’s food, the closest I’ve ever come is removing the bag of giblets from my cage-free, free-range, grass-fed, hormone-free butterball. So a few days ago when the opportunity rather abruptly presented itself, I approached the task with a mix of apprehension and academic curiosity. (more…)