The irony of our life is stuff for poems. I should know, I just wrote a pig poem the other day.
It's not very good.
But I am good at castrating piglets which is what we did yesterday afternoon after I got home for school. Buehlers life was dull compared to mine. We had another lovely group of pure Red Wattle piglets born last week and it was time to separate the boys from the men.
Except none of them will be "men" this group, none of them as perfect for registration as we would like so will all be sausage, bacon, chops etc...in about 6 months time. As more folks learn to appreciate the taste of this NOT the other white meat, then more ask for it and thus more farmers want to raise them. Supply-demand-bacon!
The process is good for the economy, good for small farmers and good for the consumer. Organic pasture raised meat is amazing. Yes, we feel it is even good for the pig as they have a super life, able to roam over large areas, able to play in mud puddles, cuddle up with brothers and sisters and bask in the warm sun whenever they like.
It is amazing even to us how fast this breed will grow. Of course all that extra raw milk does wonders. Just look at how I, I mean they, have grown. The group below is on the way to Eureka locker as I type. No worries, Keith will take them through the scenic country. It's a wonderful morning for a drive.
The difference in taste is amazing. I'm finishing up the last of my half pig from last year, and making room in the freezer for the one coming to me either sometime this month or next month. I can't go back.
ReplyDeleteUs either which means we eat vegetarian most of the time if we eat out.
DeleteI bet they taste good! We plan to get a couple of weaners next year (although I've said that for the last two years) so we can enjoy this type of meat and cure some hams.
ReplyDeleteJust do it Kevin! You'll never go back to store bought after you've raised your own!
DeleteIm often offered whole animals raised organically but i dont have freezer space. Im thinking of starting a co-op just so i can have some.
ReplyDeleteGet some buddies and share the wealth.
DeleteHi Donna. Good to see you have a bit of spare time for castrating. I hope you told your fellow students what you were doing that afternoon!!!
ReplyDeleteYou know Cro, I did. Of course the girls cringed and the boys...cringed even more :)
DeleteThere's not many people get to say "I'm good at castrating pigs" with a straight face. There's something that seldom crops up on a CV. I agree with you about free range pork. I grew up eating it and it's amazing.
ReplyDeleteCheers
MTM
they look delicious! thanks for explaining the complexity of the freerange pork industry :)
ReplyDelete"Complexity of freerange pork industry" You funny Liz. Lets do stand up farmer comedy together. I'm so ready for a road trip!
DeleteHey Donna,
ReplyDeleteDo you of any scientific papers or articles on the benefits of raw milk that I can supply my Dr.? She suggested that I replace my glass of raw milk with that godawful tasting Almond milk because it has so much more calcium than regular milk & less fat. I told her that I thought the natural probiotics in raw milk helps me with digestion & that I was pretty sure raw milk has a boatload more calcium than pasteurized. But, I am only repeating what I believe to be true. Can you steer me towards anything in writing that might sway her opinion?
I'm not Donna, but saw an article on Dr Mercola's website recently about raw milk and its benefits. Here's a link to the article talking about Wisconsin and Illinois in the latest chapter of the raw milk saga:
Deletehttp://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/10/21/wisconsin-illinois-raw-milk-fight.aspx
about halfway through the article they talk about the benefits of raw milk. If you search "raw milk" in the search engine on his site, you should also find other articles that may be useful.
The Weston Price foundation may be another good source for you
http://www.westonaprice.org/
My personal experience has been that if a doc is anti raw milk, they're pretty stubborn in changing their minds. They've met their match in me, though, and my own personal experience has been that raw milk works for me and pasteurized milk doesn't. My body works best on animal protein and healthy fats, so I shoot for eating real food as much of the time as possible. Some docs are open to hearing their patients' experiences and others aren't. Those who aren't are off my list. I respect that a doctor has more medical training than I do, but that doesn't mean s/he knows what's best for me without knowing my medical history or refusing to listen if someone is trying to explain it.