It has been too long since my last post. The pigs are really growing now. I think they should be ready by winter to slaughter. They are amusing animals to watch. I have added another Mama pig with 8 babies and the white Mama has had 4 babies. Needless to so I am over my head in little baby pigs. I decided that I will keep a few and give a few away to some folks. It has been a real joy growing these animals. It is going to make for a fattening winter with all this bacon and sausage floating around.
I decided to go a different route in the future. I am going to pick up some registered Berkshire hogs from a man in Georgia. The Berkshire hog is the best in the business when it comes to pork flavor. I look forward to grabbing them when I get back from my Alaska trip with my Dad.
Here are some pics...
I thought I would add some pice this week to the blog. I took some pics of the young pigs and Mama pig. They are doing well. They are slowly becoming a little friendlier the last few times I have visited them. I think Sausage and Biscuit are more like pets than fodder. Let me be clear about one thing. CORN IS EXPENSIVE! I could not believe how much corn we are feeding these pigs. I can assure you there is no profit in it for me. I am doing it out of fun and wanting to keep my food drug free if at all possible. I am glad i have some partners in this little deal. Rodney, Dave, and Parker came out to help this weekend. We got some food plots planted and piddled around the farm. Parker is turning 4 next month and I think a John Deere tractor is his favorite thing in the world. He loves to ride around on the tractor all day long. I also took a pic of the garden that has been planted on the farm. We should have plenty of ripe veggies in a few months.
My Dad has gone absolutely nuts on strawberries. He is picking strawberries almost every day and taking them to people all over Middle Tennessee. He has a heart of gold. He picks strawberries darn near all day and pays $1.30 a pound and then gives them away. He even pays his friend Amy to help him pick them at $15.00 per hour. I figure he is giving away about $150 to $200 per day of strawberries. He did this with grass cutting as well. He has but one speed and that is wide open all the time everyday. Since Mom passed away he has been taking life on by the horns. I just hope he is going slow enough to actually enjoy it.
My wife has become concerned that the farm life is not for a city girl like her. I have assured her that she will fall in love with the country. There is nothing like driving through the country on a Sunday afternoon. I bought her a washboard and some lye soap to help her become better acquainted with the creek. Who knows? Maybe some day she will want to make her own dresses. I really want to see that let me tell you. ;)
I took a day off from work and went to visit my ailing Uncle Jim. Cancer is such a terrible disease. It has two of my family members in its grasp now. Both of them are going to succumb to this horrible disease. After visiting my Uncle Jim, I went and visited some of my other family in Lawrenceburg, TN. I took a ride with my Cousin's husband Jeff Purcell who owns a garage in Ethridge. He does some fine work on vehicles at a reasonable price if you ever need it. He also goes to antique tractor pulls and actually places well. I think every tractor he owns is older than mine and starts faster than my VW. I was asking Jeff about the Amish community around Lawrenceburg and he said they have a lot of land around Ethridge, TN. Needless to say we took a ride through the country. If you have never been to an Amish community it is well worth seeing. They do not use electricity and ride a horse an buggy everywhere. Their houses are a simple white with red barns. They are a deeply religious community and you can sure tell it. They actually will slaughter, scald, de-hair, and block a hog for $16.50. For a dollar more they will actually give your pork chops as well. Compared to a packing plant this is downright dirt cheap. The catch is they don't start until November when the weather cools down. That will fall perfectly into my plan for making sausage and my own country hams.
I went back through Columbia and met my Dad at the farm and we sprayed a couple of deer food plots to plant this weekend. I stopped by and got a few pics of the pigs for you to see. I had to get in the pen and run them around to get a pic worth anything. I have found that they are content to lay around in the shade all day long. Tomorrow is bringing rain so that should help them make a wallow pit at the bottom near the pond.
Let me introduce "Sausage". He is a Duroc that I picked up for $25 dollars at a neighbors. He is living the life right now. When I got him he was abandoned by the owner with his friend "Biscuit" in a barn. They are now in an area 100 times the size with plenty of fresh water and grazing away on corn and greens. I am glad I was able to help them. I know it sounds strange that I am going to eat them anyway, but I think they should have the best life they can until that day comes.
This is "Sausage" and "Biscuit" hanging out.
I will be back at work tomorrow and probably tied up until the weekend. I hope the contractor gets back from vacation Monday to give us the price for remodeling the farm house. I hope to add some pics as we go along.
Rodney went out to feed and water this morning. He said they were as happy as punch. They were laying up in the woods enjoying the shade and mother nature. The little ones came down to eat when her poured in the corn. I did pick up one little trick from Patrick that is a great idea to help them. He soaks his corn in water to soften it for the animals. He said it lets them digest them easier. This weekend we are building a smaller pen and a chute to load them later when we head them down to the Mennonites for slaughter. My goal is to have a smoke house built in the next few months for smoking bacon and hams. I think I will probably give the first few batches away to see how good they are and what I need to change.
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