Healthy Meadows

where nature connection is a way of life

The Holistic Goat Butchering Workshop will be an intimate and in-depth offering for people seeking to learn and participate in the process of humanely harvesting and butchering 4 goats. Whether you are a hunter, farmer, rancher, homesteader or just those who want a relationship to the meat that you eat, we invite you to reclaim the tradition of home butchery: building skills while creating celebration around harvesting local meat from the land.

Experience an extraordinary exploration of food and place, fostering self-reliance and community resilience. Led by Ivan Thrane, a Montana rancher with over 15 years of rotational grazing, raising thousands of goats, butchering, and cooking goat meat deliciously. Inspired and supported by Chef Eduardo Garcia, participants will take part in the journey from the field, through the cooking and to the table. It will be challenging, visceral, reverential, stimulating, life-affirming, heart-warming, belly-filling, delicious.

The process will begin in the morning by learning about goats, the positive role they can play in promoting the health and resilience of the land. We will experience, hands-on, the specifics of butchering and utilizing the whole animal with minimal waste. Participants will explore the different ways to cook meat over fire and in the ground. We will prepare meat for al pastor, rotisserie, asado, and the celebratory act of making and cooking in a barbacoa pit. Meals will be created during the day and feature regionally inspired and sourced ingredients. You will gain an understanding of an animal in context as a part of a healthy ecosystem, learning about the incredible complexity of the body and appreciate all the resources that one animal has to offer. This is an immersive, hands-on opportunity on our home ranch offered to empower, inspire and equip you with skills to take home.

Join us for a full day, beginning Friday June 13th at 9am, until the stars come out, and stay for the weekend of festivities.Your ticket includes an invitation to join us for both Saturday and Sunday of our Spring Greenup Celebration - see below for more information, or contact us at healthymeadows@gmail.com. Attendees will gain new skills, create lasting memories and receive a take-home gift bundle.

read what people have to say about our past butchering workshops!

reach out to join us

We hope you’ll join us in this hands-on experience of taking food straight from the pasture, to the fire, to the feast! Embrace a day of vibrant celebration amidst the rolling hills of Red Lodge, Montana, as we joyfully commemorate the Spring Greenup and the cherished tradition of Father's Day in 2025! This immersive experience invites you to revel in the positive outcomes of thoughtful land stewardship, witness the age-old art of cooking over crackling open flames, and partake in the universal delights of a bountiful feast, engaging activities, and playful games designed for all ages.

Throughout the sun-drenched day, a diverse array of activities, enriching workshops, and friendly competitions will unfold, offering ample opportunities to stretch your limbs, refine your skills, and create lasting memories. Come try your hand at our goat roping workshop and competition and our crosscut saw competition. Shoot some arrows in our archery range or hammer out a tool in our hands-on blacksmithing workshop. For the early risers we’ll have a morning pasture walk, a milking session, and a morning mindfulness practice. For those whose senses are drawn to the heart of the culinary action, a tantalizing display of meat will be slowly roasting over an open fire throughout the day, and Chef Eduardo’s kitchen has an open invite policy and aprons for those interested in cooking. Little ones, and the young at heart, will delight in the playful antics of baby goats, while a vibrant selection of live musical performances will provide a delightful soundtrack to the day's festivities.

We extend a warm invitation for you to make our pastures your home for the day. In the spirit of community and shared experience, we embrace an "all hands on deck" approach to this celebration. We wholeheartedly encourage and invite everyone to actively participate – whether it's lending a hand to chop fresh vegetables for a communal meal, lovingly basting the roasting meat, embracing new experiences with an open and eager mindset, or simply being ready to assist where needed. To further cultivate a sense of shared home and mindful participation, we kindly request that you bring your own dishes, bowls, cups, and silverware. This small gesture will not only add a touch of personal warmth to our communal dining experience but also helps us minimize waste. Delicious breakfast and lunch bites will be thoughtfully provided to sustain you throughout the day, culminating in a grand evening feast that will showcase the bounty of the land and the skill of the fire-kissed cuisine. However, if you or your companions anticipate needing extra snacks to fuel your adventures, please feel free to bring those along. Additionally, if inspiration strikes, we invite you to contribute a homemade sweet treat for our delightful Saturday night potluck dessert, adding your personal touch to our collective culinary tapestry.

Our core vision for this gathering is to nurture deeper connections – connections with each other, and a profound connection to the land that sustains us – through the simple yet powerful act of cooking and sharing food that has been grown and sourced close to home. We sincerely hope you will join us in this immersive, hands-on experience of taking food directly from the pasture, transforming it over the flickering flames, and ultimately sharing in the abundance of a truly memorable feast.

reach out to join us

On Sunday, a Father's Day Barbacoa Brunch will culminate this multi day celebration, featuring barbacoa goat, prepared in the earth on the land where it grew and slow-cooked in the ground for two days. This prize of tender, fall-apart meat, will be unearthed and enjoyed by all, including those who participated in our butchering workshop and prepared the pit.

We extend a warm invitation for you to make our pastures your home for the day. In the spirit of community and shared experience, we embrace an "all hands on deck" approach to this celebration. We wholeheartedly encourage and invite everyone to actively participate – whether it's lending a hand to chop fresh vegetables for a communal meal, lovingly basting the roasting meat, embracing new experiences with an open and eager mindset, or simply being ready to assist where needed. We believe that the joy of shared endeavor enhances every aspect of the celebration, and we warmly welcome you to be an integral part of any and all activities.

To further cultivate a sense of shared home and mindful participation, we kindly request that you bring your own dishes, bowls, cups, and silverware. This small gesture will not only add a touch of personal warmth to our communal dining experience but also helps us minimize waste. Brunch will showcase the bounty of the land, but if you or your companions anticipate needing extra snacks to fuel your adventures, please feel free to bring those along.

Our core vision for this gathering is to nurture deeper connections – connections with each other, and a profound connection to the land that sustains us – through the simple yet powerful act of cooking and sharing food that has been grown and sourced close to home. We sincerely hope you will join us in this immersive, hands-on experience of taking food directly from the pasture, transforming it over the flickering flames, and ultimately sharing in the abundance of a truly memorable feast.

Design by Ivan and Chia Thrane

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