USING THE WHOLE ANIMAL

Learn to Use the Whole Animal: A Hands-On Course in Butchery and Utilization in Vermont, USA!

The energy our ancestors invested and the risks they took when hunting with relatively short-range weapons made it important to waste as little of an animal as possible. Each animal represents a precious resource consisting of an astonishing variety of raw materials. These materials provide food, clothing, containers, cordage, tools, lighting, and a host of other possibilities!

So many parts of an animal do not make it onto our modern grocery store shelves! This course covers some of the myriad options for using those parts.

This course will introduce you to which parts of an animal are useful for different products, and how to preserve those parts until they can be used. We will cover all basic butchery for both food and utilitarian items, as well as parts that are not often used.

Learn to use a range of materials during the course. Some examples of what will be covered include:

• Organs: Removing, sorting, and cleaning the edible organs as well as the utilitarian ones, such as brains for tanning the skin, the bladder for water bags, and intestines for thread.

• Skin: Removing the skin, defleshing, and preserving it for later use and the production of hide glue.

• Meat: When removing meat, which cuts are best suited to different uses? How to debone, make roasts, jerky, and soup meat—basic meat preservation.

• Fat: How to render fat to preserve it.

• Bones: How to separate joints, bones as food, how to make tools from bones, such as skin processing tools, awls and needles, fishhooks, harpoon and arrow points, and jewellery.

• Sinew: How to remove, clean, and preserve both backstrap and leg sinew, and how to later process it for fibre for sewing, bowstrings, hafting, bow backing, etc.

• Hooves: How to process the hooves for decorative items or hoof glue.

• Antlers: If antlers are present, how to remove them, and a discussion on how best to work with antlers.

  
  

The length of the course will allow us to cover a wide range of introductory subjects, but will not allow us to complete finished projects. This course and its content will evolve, based on weather and participant interests.

* Multiple levels of technologies, from stone to steel, will be covered.

Additional Information:

Duration: 5 days/4nights (Thursday 5 pm - Monday 5 pm)

Max number of participants: 14

Prerequisites: None - This workshop is suitable for ages 18+.

Food: We'll enjoy delicious lunches and dinners prepared directly from our course materials, with simple self-serve breakfasts provided for those staying on-site.

Location: Dorset, Vermont, USA

Host: Marble House Project

Venue:

Marble House Project is a beautiful nonprofit arts residency in Dorset, Vermont, at the intersection of creative practice and environmental inquiry.

Based on a historic estate, the project serves as a vibrant forum for artists, thinkers, and practitioners to come together for place-based research and community engagement. Their mission focuses on sustainable living and ecological responsibility, making it the perfect backdrop for hands-on learning and artistic experimentation!

Accommodation:

Stay on-site at the historic Marble House to fully immerse yourself in the experience, with cozy private or shared rooms to choose from. If you prefer more flexibility, you’re also welcome to camp on the beautiful grounds or commute from nearby!

🌿 Accommodation prices & info: www.marblehouseproject.org/calendar/2026/1/22/workshop-using-the-whole-animal

🌿 If you have any questions, please contact: Edward Morris - edmorris@marblehouseproject.org

🌿 Directions: https://www.marblehouseproject.org/map

Included: All course materials, coffee/tea.

Not included: Off-site Accommodation.

Instructors: Theresa Emmerich Kamper and Caroline Ross (@foundandground)

A bit about me:

I'm an avid practitioner of traditional living skills and various forms of primitive technology. My interest came in part from growing up in the USA's Rocky Mountains, where backpacking, hunting, and fishing are deeply rooted in the culture. This passion led me to the academic field of Experimental Archaeology, where I earned a PhD from the University of Exeter in the UK.

My work has been featured in both documentaries and popular TV shows, including Alone Season 8 and Surviving the Stone Age. I've been tanning skins using traditional methods for over 30 years. Learning to tan was a natural offshoot of my desire to use as much of an animal as possible, and it had the added bonus of producing a beautiful end product.

In my instruction, I share a wide range of information—from the intricate details of skin morphology to helpful tips for dealing with the numerous, frustrating problems often encountered when you're first learning to tan.