Wine Woods

6. Yule

It had been a few days since Nesrin had gotten here. Kids didn't like her much, and Luna was fairly awkward around her.

Tonight was Yule. Another storm had come in, so now Matthias and Gilbert were clearing snow while everyone else was working on a bonfire.

He was working in the kitchen.

Goth was nibbling on a mouse in the corner, Samuel was trying to act like he had his life together, Autumn and Bonnin were cooking vegetables, Alder was cutting those vegetables, Katyusha was working with fruits, and he was carrying food to and from.

There was still an excess, and a cow had been prepared for tonight. It was still hard not to worry though. He didn't enjoy the thought of his children going hungry. But now was Yule. A time for happiness.

Now, he was carrying a butchered round, dropping it on the table and immediately grabbing a knife and cutting the oyster steak, setting it off to the side before removing the aitch bone. He used the tables leverage to break the shank off. Then the top round, then removing the femur. Knuckle, eye round, then the heel, then the bottom round. Everything from the entire cow could be eaten, including bones.

Cutting them into serlions and steaks, as well as tying them into roasts.

Then repeating the process with the other leg. The other people in the kitchen would take the meat as he finished and put them onto fires that he would sometimes have to start.

Next was the loin.

Taking the flank off, and the sirloin flap. The suet was a little difficult, but he knew they would be rendered into tallow for candles and lotions. Tenderloin, psoas minor, then breaking the strip loin off.

Deboning the serloin, then taking off the ball tip and tri-tip.

He had to get a saw to cut through the strip loin, which wasn't the most fun because of his fear of breaking the table, but he got the meat ready for getting roasted or turned it to steak.

Repeating with the other side. His arms were seriously starting to hurt.

Then the ribs. He started removing the fat and then trimming the outside skirt, then the inside skirt. The naval. Then getting his saw and cutting the ribs in half. Then starting the process of putting the fat and cutting the top half of the ribs into rib-eye steaks. Repeat.

Then the chuck. He had to cut off the chuck and the neck with his saw, then he got the chuck rib plate and removed the breast bone for stock. He got the brisket, foreshank, teres major, underblade, shoulder clod, flat iron steak, mock tender. Cleaning the fat, then deboning the chuck before putting it into smaller pieces. Then repeating with the other.

He got a bigger saw and help from Mattie when he cut the shank and the short rib plate. He cut them down, and then he was done.

"Alfred," Katyusha said, picking up the bin of cow fat and suet.

"Yes?" he replied, looking over to her. God fuck.

"Could you find Raivis? I haven't seen him."

"Oh, okay," he said. That was an easy task, "get him to come over here?"

"Yes, please," she said with a sigh. Behind her he could spy some of the ladies making stock with the bones.

He smiled before grabbing his coat and going outside.

A path had been made through the snow to get in and out of most of the doors. Out in the main area, a bonfire had been prepared -yet not lit-, and he felt a sense of comfort. The image of laughter and enough food pleased him.