Cow Skull Biodynamic Prep

I spent this afternoon scooping the brains out of a cow’s skull. Then I helped shove white oak bark into it. Then I helped bury it in a muddy spot. I’ll get back to it after it stays there through an autumn and a winter.

Why

This is one of the Biodynamic preparations that we use on our farm. It is one of the many things that seem to help our gardens, pastures and whole farm organism thrive.

Details

This cow had been on the farm some 25 years or so, and died of natural causes. A neighbor came over and helped Jeff get the cow out of the pasture and into the woods, and remove it’s head.

Jeff and I scraped oak bark off one of our bigger white oaks, being careful to only take the bark with bright red on the inward-facing side. He said the red ones seem to be thriving more.

We ground up the bark, shoved it in the skull, sealed it up, then buried it in a watery spot to sit for an entire autumn and winter. Then we will dig it up, and use it in our preps.

Step-by-step

1. Decapitate dead cow. (Use a sharp knife. Start behind ear, crack off the bone right at the base of the skull where the vertebrae join it. The rest of the tissue comes off in a straight line down).
2. Scoop out all brain matter.
3. Gather oak bark. Jeff liked only oak bark that was deep red. He said that seemed to be “thriving better”.
   
4. Grind up oak bark. Steiner says, “crumbs”, and Jeff and I could not agree on what size that meant. We went with the finer grained “like cornmeal” consistency that he liked as opposed to the bigger-chunked pieces I liked. He said that when I start making them then I can do it whatever way I’d like, as Steiner’s lectures are often times up to user’s interpretation.
5. Stuff ground oak bark in skull. Like, really stuff. He used a piece of wood and hammered it in so we could fit as much as we could.
6. Close up hole with according to Steiner, something bone-like, but according to Jeff, a rocks or two that he likes for it. That may be another thing I do differently when I eventually start making them myself.
7. Find a muddy, mucky place that according to Steiner has water flowing over it, and according to Jeff has water. We chose the corner of a pond, and used the tractor to dig a huge hole. Jeff carefully placed the skull in the hole so that it wouldn’t be upside down, then dumped the mud and muck back on top.
8. Remove after it has been buried through an autumn and a winter.

#farmlifejustgotreal

-Kristina Rossi