Friday morning my husband admitted that getting pigs might be a logical next step, considering all the cheesemaking I’m doing, and a split nanosecond later, I’d texted our pig-owning friend to let him know we were in — FINALLY. That very afternoon my husband swung by the farm to pick up two 10-week-old piggies.
They’re adorable and grunty and friendly. I named the small one Petunia (isn’t she a doll?) and the bigger one Fern. Morning and evening, I go down to their pen bearing gifts of deliciousness. I like to sit on a log right inside the gate and feed them chopped garden scraps and dairy.
Petunia is particularly fond of chopped kohlrabi. Fern adores strawberry tops.
They both went nuts for the buttermilk — Fern especially.
Fern is such a pig.
Neither of them liked the whey too much at first, but they’re guzzling it now, so maybe they were just overfull the first time I tried it?
Petunia and Fern are American Guinea hogs, which means they’re foragers — less rooty and more grass-eating. They grow slower and are smaller, so if everything goes according to plan, they should be ready to be turned into sausage sometime in the fall of next year.
It feels so good to finally have little piggies gobbling up all our scraps once again.
This same time, years previous: milk central, margarita mix, energy boost, the family reunion of 2017, the quotidian (6.8.15), delivery, thorns, Jeni’s chocolate ice cream.
8 Comments
Mavis
I would like to be first on your list for salami taste testers. I assume there will be cheese to go along with it. I will bring the crackers, fig spread, olives and dried fruit. Just let me know the date and time and I will be there. 🙂
Jennifer Jo
It’s a plan!
Donna
I would not be able to eat anything i named and cared for .
Kathy S
You named these little creatures you intend to EAT? Isn’t that like making plans to eat the family dog?!
Jennifer Jo
Haha! We name all our animals except chickens.
Patty
“Fern is such a pig.” You’re the best, Jennifer! E.B. would be so proud. I going to enjoy this piggy adventure.
Kate
I’ve been really enjoying your posts on the cows so I look forward to learning about pigs. Just based on my own experience with chooks that had been raised for meat I fear that naming the pigs might have been a mistake… (the chooks keep on enjoying retirement )
Patricia
Beautiful post!