Bad Storm = too much water

Last night's storm dumped way too much water way to fast here.  In between storm one and two I went out to check all the huts for flooding and had one hut flooded.  Skittish just had babies yesterday morning (10 new little ones) her hut had standing water in it.  Dan and I had to open up her pen and move her hut to a dry area.  Most of you would think this is no big deal but what you don't know is pigs are major creatures of habit.  They absolutely hate change!

We got her to go into the dry hut easily enough but the piglets kept laying back down where the hut originally was.  "This is where I was born and this is where I belong".  Yes, if you listen you can hear them speak to you.  It took Dan and I about 15 minutes to get them to go into the dry hut.  It took so long because you cannot pick them up and move them, you kind of have to shoe them in.  If you pick up a piglet it squeals and then mom comes after you.  Yes that happened a few times last night.  I can tell you, you do not want a 400 lb angry sow coming after you.  She can and will do major damage.

Thankfully that was the only hut that had to be moved.  Now the sun is shining and all is quite and calm

Copy of a customers blog from the Party

Forest Pigs Hate Johnny Cash 05/10/2011 0 Comment(s)   Pulling up to C & D Family Farms in Knox, Indiana, the last thing I expected to find was a lush, expansive forest filled with pigs. Forest pigs. The porcine paradise of shaded swine was awaiting us (us being my sister, Kim, brother-in-law, Bob, and their kiddos, Simon and Louie), after driving two hours southeast of Chicago to attend CSA member appreciation day held at the farm. Yes, there are meat CSAs. The pigs roamed, rooted, nursed and grunted to the sweet smell of grilled pork, bratwurst, pulled pork, pork burgers, bacon burgers and more, all made from their siblings. Under the trees and amid the mud, 200+ pigs are fenced in with wire fencing, but generally have run of the woods--which they took advantage of as soon as the on-site band started playing "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash. More than 40 large pigs sprinted from one end of the lot to the other trying, unsuccessfully, for a prison break. The farm, which is owned by Crystal and Dan Nells, is a true labor of love. The couple moved to their house in the woods years ago, and decided that they wanted to find a way to earn a living off of their land. After much research, they decided to breed, raise and sell hogs. "You gotta like their shit," says Dan, pointing to his pants, which are, indeed, covered in pig shit. Dan went on to say that he yells at people all day during his day-job, but the pigs? "You don't have to yell at them," he said. You speak quietly and they listen. The pigs ranged in size from tiny squealing piglet to intimidating 800-pound boar. Allow me to indulge you in some fun facts: * Light skinned pigs get sunburned, and forest pigs are protected from the sun. * Pigs can live for about nine years. * They breed continuously from the time they're sexually mature. * With all the pressure and expectations mounted on them, boars often experience ED so artificial insemination is common. * The pigs go to "market" at about 5 and a half months. * The runts and the babies who get injured are actually the lucky ones. The Nells take them into their home to nurse them back to health. They often strike up a liking for the critters, so those are the ones who are destined for breeding--rather than bacon. * If a piglet is rough while nursing, it's mother will stop feeding it. It's then separated into a different pen and fed goat milk (see, humans aren't the only species who drink the milk of another species.) It was refreshing to see pigs living such a nice (albeit short) life, and it was great meeting the Nells--salt of the earth folks with a penchant for pork. This is how they describe their farm on their website: "Our philosophy is simple, we are all on this earth to live. While they are going to become food we want them to live the best and most comfortable life they can while they are here. Just as we are trying to do. You can taste the difference love makes." Can't beat that, can you? Love tastes like bacon.

What A Party

I must say customer appreciation day was a great success.  While rain was in the forecast it held off for quite a while.  When it did come it didn't stay for long and the day ended with sunny sky's.  We had a bon fire going the whole day.  Three of our completely free range pigs (Baby Ear, Allia and Foot) were roaming the property and did not cause the damage I feared they would. 

We did make a major discovery.  Pigs don't like bands!  No way, no how.  When the band started playing the entire farm freaked out.  The pigs were very scared.  They went to corners of their pens and wouldn't move.  Even in the rain, they wouldn't go into their huts, they just huddled in groups.  So, unfortunately the band didn't play very long. 

Customers (and friends) met Dan for the first time.  One of the customers told Dan they thought he was a figment of my imagination and that I just made up the name of the farm.  Even one of my friends from the market told Dave they didn't think Dan really existed.  Well now many of you can attest to the fact Dan is a real person.  Dan is a full time electrician so when he isn't working at his electrical job (in Chicago) he spends all his time on the farm. 

Dan gave full and very informative tours of the farm.  Dave filled in a couple of times to give Dan a break but for the most part Dan was in his element.  If Dan had it his way he would never leave the farm.  He absolute loves being with the animals, so much that he sings to them.  Both Dan and Dave know every single pig on the farm.  They know their individual personalities, their likes and dislikes.  I on the other hand know your individual personalities and likes and dislikes.  While Dave loves the farm (as you know he moved out hear last October) he also loves the farmers markets and can't wait for them to start.  That is why this works so well.  Dan loves being on the farm.  I love the farmers markets and all my customers and Dave is the best of both of us. 

The food was great!  One customer brought piggy cupcakes.  As promised the grill was going the whole day.  I had also made a ham and pulled pork.  Next year I will skip the ham and make at least 2 batches of the pulled pork.  The guys made pork burgers, sausage links and pork chops.  The customers provided us with plenty of wonderful side dishes and desserts. 

All in all it was a great day and fun was had by all.  If you missed this years party, next years party (mark your calendars early) is Saturday, May 5.

Thank you all for coming!

Luke and Samantha get new room mates

Dave got quite the surprise this morning when he took milk out to Luke and Samantha.  As he was pouring the milk in their bowl he looked in the back of their hut and saw big yellow eyes.  He looked again and saw that it was Onix, our pregnant barn cat, no longer pregnant with a ball of kittens. 

Dave came in to tell me that the two pregnant pigs we are waiting to have piglets had not had their litters but there was new life on the farm.  I immediately guessed that we had the kittens we have been awaiting.  He told me to guess where she had them.  I guessed a pig pen and he told me in the back of Luke and Samantha's hut.

We went outside to count the kittens and take pictures of them.  Luke and Samantha were lying right in front of mama cat and her new litter.  Mama was quite friendly, letting us pet her as she purred away.  The kittens all seem to be in good health.

Mama (Onix) and the father, Carmel are now proud parents of 7 new kittens.  Carmel is long haired and orange so I have been hoping for some calico kittens and it appears that I have gotten my wish. 

This Rain Needs to STOP

The rain is steadily falling and the pigs are all staying in their huts.  The property looks like one big mud pit.  In places the grass seed is coming in.  Hopefully when this rain is finished with us we will be able to move the pigs around to new clean pens.

When you come for customer appreciation day please do not where good clothes or sandals.  Nothing you care if it gets dirty.  Dirt and pig farm kind of go hand in hand.

Today we have someone coming out to price grading and stoning many places that have been rutted and ripped up this winter.

The work around here is never done and the rain is putting a damper on getting everything cleaned up before May 7. 

Our New Truck is Coming

Thanks to Rick Bayless and the Frontera Grant we are getting a new (used) and as you can see much larger truck.  We are going to be able to add upright freezers inside this truck so that we can be more organized and find items much quicker.  As many of you know having only the 2 1/2 chest freezers some items could take us quite a bit of time to find because inevitably what anyone wanted would be at the bottom.

Now we will be organized and be able to see what we do and do not have on the truck for easier restocking.  I spent a lot of time looking for a vehicle with the step down curb side door just like this to also make our lives easier for getting in and out of the vehicle.  We will also be able to stand up straight.  That in itself is a major plus. 

We will continue to use the van at our "smaller" markets but for markets like Lincoln Square and Andersonville where no matter how much we stock on the van we would run out of many items we will be using the bigger truck.

We are excited to be able to serve you better and faster this coming market season.

I will be flying to Columbus Ohio next Friday, April 29 to pick up our new truck. 

Clean Bill of Health

Let me start by saying that I apologize for the delay since my last post.  I have been sick for the past 5 days and just haven't felt like doing anything not 100% necessary.  Sorry!

Frankie (Franklin's son) got his stitches out today and received a clean bill of heath.  He is getting bigger by the day.  With piglets you can literally sit and watch them grow.  We brought another piglet in the house basically to keep him company but he did have an open cut on his foot so he is better off.  His little friends name is Lil John.  Yes, after the rapper that is on Celebrity Apprentice.  We are really scrapping for names these days so if you have any suggestions we are open to them.

At any rate, Frankie and I went to the vet today (an actual vet trip that cost me no money) where he to ooohed and aaahed over.  A little boy was enthralled with him.  An older couple couldn't believe it was a "real" pig, not a pot belly pig.  At 5 lbs now it is hard to believe that in a short period of time he will be over 300 lbs and ready to breed.  He got an ointment to soften up the scar but other then that he should be ready to go outside by Saturday. 

I have to tell you that I am really looking forward to having no piglets in the house for a while.

The Vet Gets More Money

Yesterday afternoon while I was at Andersonville I got a phone call from Dave on the farm.  He informs me that there is a new piglet in my office.  This little guy is one of 13 to a 3rd time mother.  He is also a Franklin baby.

In case you don't remember Franklin was one of Stinker Thinkers babies.  He was stepped on by Stinker and had to get stitches on his side.  Franklin is no longer with us but his legacy continues on.

Dave tells me that the baby was stepped on and you could see his guts.  I am thinking that this is not good and doesn't sound to me like he is going to make it.  This just goes to show that the guys should never try to describe the problem over the phone to me.

This morning I took our little friend to the vet.  It was not his intestines that Dave was seeing, it was mussel.  The little guy got stitched up and is doing very well.  He is set up in my office away from the other two, Luke and Samantha who are in the living room.  He is readily drinking goats milk from a bowl and enjoying the pillow he has to sleep on under the heat lamp. 

The vet has gotten to the point they don't even laugh at me anymore.  They have accepted that we are never going to be the "normal" hog farmer that would have hit him in the head with a hammer and disposed of his body.  They know that we are going to do whatever we can to save every one of these little guys.

That is why we are now Animal Welfare Approved!

The Morel Dilemma of Factory Farming

The Morel Dilemma of Factory Farming

Posted On: March 24, 2011

• Church Life

On Sunday, April 3, Mr. Gene Baur will speak at the worship service about the mission of Farm Sanctuary. Mr. Baue co-founded the Farm   Sanctuary in 1986 to combat the abuses of factory farming and to encourage a new awareness and understanding about "farm panimals."  Farm Sanctuary has grown to become the nation's leading farm animal  protection organization committed to ending cruelty to farm animals and  promoting compassionate living through rescue, education and  advocacy efforts.
On April 4, Mr. Baur will speak at Northwestern University School of Law. The event, which is sponsored by the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund and part of a week-long series of animal law programs, will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Northwestern University
School  of Law in Rubloff (RB) Room 150 (located at 375 East Chicago Avenue.) This talk is free and open to the public. Gene will also be on hand to sign copies of his national best-seller, Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food.

Pigs Are Dirty Animals

For those of you that know me you have a good idea that it takes a lot to make me mad.  Yes, I have a very dry sense of humor.  I am very brash and can come off like a real bitch without meaning to.  At the same time I have one of the biggest hearts you will ever find. 

All that being said the one thing that really makes me angry is when people tell me they don't eat pork because pigs are dirty animals.  If you tell me you don't eat pork because of religious reasons or don't give me a reason at all I don't think twice about it and just move on.  But to tell me you only eat chicken and beef because pigs are dirty makes me steam.  It is probably the only thing I will argue with you about.

Chickens - poop where they eat, walk around eating out of other animals poop.  Cows - poop and then lie down in it.  Pigs do not poop where they eat or sleep.  In the winter the pigs will make one hut a poop hut because let's be honest here who wants to poop outside in the dead of winter. 

Pigs do not wallow in mud because they like it.  Actually pigs prefer to be clean at all times.  They do not have sweat glands so the only way they have to cool off on a hot summers day is to wallow in the mud.  Anyway, you aren't eating their hair and in most cases you aren't eating their skin so does it really matter that they lie in mud???????  Doesn't it really matter what is going inside them?  What they eat?  How they live? 

I am sorry for the rant but this is the one subject that pushes my buttons.  Well, this and commercial "farming" which I don't consider farming at all.  But that is another subject for another day.

And Then There Were Three

Monday night Dave and I stayed up half the night with a pig in labor.  She ended up having 2 alive and 2 dead.  This morning she only had 1 left and was no longer nursing the other 1 so we brought her inside to join Luke and Bo.  So we now have three little monsters in the house making a mess and eating lots of goats milk.  Dave has named our newest addition Samantha. 

Cinnamon Beef Noodles Recipie Tried by a Customer

Cinnamon Beef Noodles
From Cooking Light

In this classic version of red-cooking, the meat is simmered in a soy
sauce-based mixture for a long time until tender. Seasonings such as
ginger, garlic, and cinnamon provide extra flavor. This method can be
used to cook a variety of meats, including pork, lamb, chicken, and
duck.
Yield:  8 servings (serving size: 1 cup beef mixture and 1/2 cup noodles)
5 cups water
1 1/2 cups rice wine or sake
3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
8 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cinnamon sticks
1 (1-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach, chopped
4 cups hot cooked wide lo mein noodles or vermicelli (about 8 ounces
uncooked pasta)

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Set aside.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add
half of the beef, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Repeat
procedure with remaining oil and beef. Return beef to pan; add water
mixture, onions, garlic, cinnamon, and ginger. Bring to a boil; cover,
reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard
ginger slices and cinnamon. Stir in spinach; cook 3 minutes or until
wilted. Serve over noodles.

CALORIES 403 (14% from fat); FAT 6.2g (sat 2.3g,mono 3.3g,poly 1.3g);
IRON 5.2mg; CHOLESTEROL 44mg; CALCIUM 80mg; CARBOHYDRATE 50.4g; SODIUM
1080mg; PROTEIN 30.5g; FIBER 2.9g

Dave's Piggy Mama Days are Over

Sadly Dave is no longer a piggy mama.  Luke is doing great!  He is growing up and will no longer let anyone hold him and when it comes to feeding he doesn't care who is holding that bottle.  One week old and he is running around the house like he owns it.  He does still have a heat lamp at night and refuses to eat from a bowl so he will be inside for at least a month or knowing Dan two months.  After weaning Dan off Freddie I am already dreading the day we take Luke away from him.

An egg is an egg is an egg. Or is it?

I understand why so many people associate white eggs with the bad grocery store eggs however it has nothing to do with the egg being white.  Egg shells come in over 60 different colors, all based on the breed of the bird.  Some of you may have noticed that recently we have had green and blue eggs. 

What makes the eggs you buy from me better then the ones the grocery store sells?  Even though the grocery store eggs may claim, farm fresh, free range, cage free, organic, etc......  Eggs purchased in the grocery store are 3 to 9 months old.  The farms are not running to the store with 10 or 20 dozen eggs at a time.  They are holding their eggs until they have thousands to ship at one time.

Farm fresh means that it goes from the farm to the grocery store.  It does not mean it goes there quickly.  Free range means that the chickens are all in a barn with a small opening in the wall that they "can" go out for 20 minutes a day.  Cage free is the same without the option to go outside.  Organic just means they receive an organic grain mix.  It has nothing to do with how they are raised or treated.  When we say free range we mean that the hens are outside just being chickens.  Yes they do have a hen house that they can go into whenever they want but spend most of their day outside on pasture.

I am sure you have noticed that not only do the eggs taste better but the shells are harder and the yolks look different then those in the grocery store.  Part of a chickens balanced diet is grit and oyster shell.  These two items should be left out for the chickens to eat whenever they need to.  These two items are extremely expensive and not provided to the hens in commercial confinement.  It is the grit and oyster shell that strengthens the shells.

Egg yolks should stand up.  The color of the yolk should be a true yellow to a deep orange depending on the time of year.  Have you ever noticed that grocery store eggs yolks are a very pale yellow?????  The yolk color changes based on the amount of protein the chicken eats.  Outside chickens are eating bugs and worms and are getting a higher level of protein thus their yolks turn from a deeper yellow to almost an orange color.

If you have any additional egg questions I will be happy to answer them.

"Pigs eat anything" Fact or Fiction??????

I hear on a regular basis the weird things that pigs will and will not eat.  I have heard that I have to be careful or they will eat me.  I have heard that they will eat cans, their own poop and that they won't eat raw potatoes.  Sometimes I truly have to wonder where people pick this stuff up.

We like to say that the term pig does not mean will eat anything but will eat a lot of what they like.  Pigs are omnivores.  They are not vegetarians.  Will they eat humans?  Well, I guess if you don't feed them then yes they will but then again how many stories are there about humans that have eaten humans when left no other choice?  Our pigs are well fed (as reflected by our feed bills) so we have no fear of them trying to eat us. 

Pigs have more taste buds then humans do.  They have likes and dislikes just as humans do.  I have pigs that go crazy for tomatoes and others that turn their noses up at them.  The only item that I have found pretty much across the board that they don't particularly like is peppers, green, red, yellow or orange.  All of mine seem to love broccoli, pumpkins, lettuce, and most fruits.  Cucumbers are a hit or miss kind of thing and asparagus seems only to be appreciated when it starts to turn bad..  They love corn on the cob and no they don't eat the cob.

They do not eat their own poop and do not poop where they eat.  So the answer is Fiction!!!!  Pigs do not eat anything!

2 Quick and Easy Dinners

First - using our Cajun burgers, ground and brown and mix in Dirty Rice. Serve with salad and dinner is done.

Second - using our bratwurst burgers, ground and serve over baked potatoes. Serve with your favorite veggy like broccoli.

2 inexpensive and easy dinners.

Pass on your comments.

Our new favorite dinner

The constant chore of coming up with what to make for dinner is often an overwhelming task. One night Dan suggested country fried pork chops.

This is such an easy meal that I am always happy to make it. I have prepared it 3 times now and each time it has been better then the previous time.

I use the boneless pork chops. I dip them in egg and then coat them in flour with salt, pepper and paprika. I then brown them in a frying pan with extra virgin olive oil. Once they are crispy I put them on a cookie sheet and bake them at 350 for about a 1/2 hour.

I serve the chops with mashed potatoes with country gravy and green beans.

Give this one a try and let me know how you like it.

Dave is now a piggy mommy

Luke is our newest piglet in the house.  He is now 5 days old and doing great.  Luke was discovered pushed away from the rest of the litter so he was brought into the house.  We quickly discovered the problem.  Luke is unable to suck so he grinds his teeth back and fourth on the nipple to get milk.  Since we do not cut wolf teeth this is very painful to mom so she won't feed him.

We tried everything to get Luke to drink out of a bowl but he held out for 24 hours and eventully Dave gave into him and started bottle feeding him.  Usually the three of us, me, Dan and Dave will take turns feeding the babies but Luke only wants Dave.  He won't let Dan or I hold him.  Dave stayed up till 2:30 am with him on Monday night and 1:30 am with him last night.  Dan and I told him that we would go to bed and set our alarm for every hour and get up and feed and go back to bed but Dave is being as "pigheaded as Luke".

I bet Dave never imagined he would one day become a piggy mommy!

He is finally out!

Tonight is Freddies second full night outside with his two girl friends.  Dave and I have been joking that weaning Dan from his piglet is harder that weaning a mother pig from her litter.  Freddies temporary pen is right outside my bedroom so that Dan can hear him if he cries at night. 

I don't believe my world will ever be normal again!  I guess I need to just learn to go with the flow.

Breadman Spends More Time On The Farm

So Frank came out to the farm on Sunday.  While he was here 2 mothers succussfully gave birth plus we had the problem labor.  Frank is not into gross things at all.  The miracle of life is not something he wants to experience.  Before he left he asked how we were going to be able to top this trip.  I asked him how he would like us to top it.

He will be back in 2 weeks so I am going to have to think up something exciting for him.  Even though I don't create the excitement, I just go along with it.

What a night

As Dave was feeding the hogs yesterday afternoon he discovered had gone into labor and delivered 2 dead piglets by her waterer.  He called me and I went out to check on her.  We got her to lie down and watched her for about a half hour during which she was pushing but nothing was happening.  I had to put my hand inside her and felt the piglet right away but it was stuck.  I tried and tried but couldn't pull it out.  Dave finally put his had inside her and after some twisting and turning he was able to hook his fingers around the ears and pull it out. 

An hour and a half later we went back and this time pulled out 2 babies that were backwards.  The second one was still alive which was a major miracle.  We brought that one into the house so that she didn't crush it as she was still in labor and trying to push more out.  Throughout the night we went out and pulled 1 more out of her. 

This morning we took her miracle baby and put it with Miss Hamp who is a proven excellent mom and the babie is doing great.  For now the pigletless sow is resting comfortably.  She will not be staying on the farm as her insides are too tight for her to give birth. 

This morning when we took the baby to Miss Hamp we also discovered another new mother gave birth over night.  I was able to count 2 until she came at me and ordered me out of her pen.  Dave was able to count 4 before she ordered him out of her pen.  So we last night we had 1 lose her litter and another that will be a great mom.  Life on the farm comes with both life and death. 

or not??????

On Friday I told you that Dave and I moved Freddie out of the house.  When Dan got home he went over to see how Freddie and his 2 new girlfirends were doing.  Freddie started crying so Dan brought him back into the house. 

Freddie spent all day Saturday outside with his girls then came back inside for the night.  He has been outside all day today but I am sure Dan will bring him back inside this evening.  I think his growing up is harder on Dan then on him. 

Very few of you have met Dan.  He is an electrician currently working on a job at Kenmore and Bryn Mawr.  He is an extremely macho man.  Watching him go from swearing and screaming on a job site to loving his piglets can be a little disconcerting some times. 

As I have been typing this the door opened and Freddie, followed by Dan walked in.  I hope he moves out completely some day.

Freddie Moves Outside

Today is a very sad day, at least Dan and Freddie think so.  I bought two new gilts (female hogs that have never had babies) from another hog farmer friend.  These two are the same age as Freddie and are specifically meant for him to grow up with and breed. 

This morning I picked up the girls and put them and Freddie in their new pen.  Freddie cares more about coming back inside then he does them right now.  When I walked away from him he started crying.  When I relayed this to Dan I think he wanted to cry.

I just looked outside and the girls are lying in the sun and Freddie is in the hut.  I will post a video once they start playing together. 

Schweinsfilet - Recipie

his is a dish I used to love at The Berghoff before they closed and reopened. I recreated it at home, and it's pretty close to what they cooked there. Serve it as they used to at The Berghoff, with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach.

1 pork tenderloin, about a 1½ pounds
¼ cup minced onion
3 large mushroom caps, sliced
1 vegetable bouillon cube dissolved in ½ cup hot water (or use ½ cup chicken broth)
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp oil
¼ cup sour cream
Flour, salt, pepper

Slice the tenderloin into ½" slices, and dredge the slices in flour seasoned to your taste with salt and pepper.

Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and saute the onions until they are transparent.

Add the dredged pork slices to the pan and brown them on both sides. When you turn them over to brown on the second side, and the mushrooms to the pan.

Add the dissolved bouillon cube or broth and raise the heat to high, scraping the bottom on the pan to loosen anything that's stuck.

Cover the pan, turn the heat down to low, and let cook 15 minutes.

Uncover, add the sour cream, stir to combine, heat until the sauce is at the desired temperature and serve at once.

I have truly gone INSANE!

So yesterday I drove Dan to work since he is on the north side of Chicago.  He asks me what is for dinner that night and I tell him I haven't given it any thought.  He tells me to make sure it is a "Freddie friendly" meal.  When I talked to Dave later in the morning I asked him what he wanted for dinner and he said he wanted the country fried pork chops that I had made the week before.  I told him that wasn't a Freddie friendly meal. 

What did I make for dinner?????

I made country fried pork chops for us and...... spagettie for Freddie.  Yes, I made 2 different meals, 1 for us and 1 for the pig.  I told you they were driving me crazy.  Now it is official, I am INSANE!

Roasted Pork Loin with Maple-Mustard Crust & Grilled Roast Pork Cubano Sandwiches

Roasted Pork Loin with Maple-Mustard Crust & Grilled Roast Pork Cubano Sandwiches.

Brining the pork in this recipe makes it really tender and juicy.  Also, we make it for a 2 night dinner, roast pork the 1st night and Cubano sandwiches with the leftovers.

For the Brine:
8 cups apple juice
¾ cup kosher salt
¼ cup light brown sugar
2 cloves garlic smashed
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 4lb boneless pork loin

For the Roast:
¼ cup maple syrup
3 tsp. whole grain Dijon Mustard
2 tsp chopped thyme
¾ tsp black pepper
1 tsp olive oil
½ tsp. kosher salt

Brine the pork: Combine 2 cups of apple juice with salt, brown sugar, garlic, and thyme and bring to a boil.  Stir until salt and sugar dissolve.  Add the remaining apple juice and cool to room temp.  Transfer to a large container, add the pork,  and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 18 hours.
Roast the Pork: Put rack in center of oven, and heat to 450 degrees.  Mix maple syrup, mustard, thyme, and pepper.  Brush the pork all over with the mustard mixture.  Put the pork fat side up and Roast the pork until the crust just starts to brown, about 15 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and cook until the thickest part of the port reads 145 degrees F.  30-50 minutes more.  Let rest for 10 minutes and then slice and serve!

Grilled Cubano Sandwhiches:
Mojo: 1 med clove garlic
½ tsp kosher salt
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 Tbs. chopped cilantro
Sandwiches:
4 sub rolls (I like the bulk ones that Calabria sells, for this)
3 tbs whole-grain mustard
leftover pork, sliced
¼ lb. thinly sliced ham
4 thick slices Swiss cheese
large dill pickles (hamburger slices)
2 tbs. unsalted butter.
Make the mojo: Peel and mince the garlic. Mash with salt, Mix in olive oil, lime juice and cilantro. 
Make the Sandwiches: You can use a skillet, but I have a Panini maker, which works great.  Brush the interior of rolls with the mojo and mustard.  Stack the bottom part of the roll with equal amounts of pork, ham, cheese and pickles.  Tope each sandwich with the upper half and spread the butter on the top and bottom of each sandwich. Grill sandwiches until cheese is melted and bread is slightly browned. 

Another Customer Recipie Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork)

Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork)


1      3 ½  lb boneless pork shoulder-cut into 2 inch chunks
1 small onion
2      bay leaves
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
table salt and black pepper
      2  cups water
      juice from 1 lime
      1 large orange
Fresh Corn Tortillas
Lime Wedges
Minced red onion
Fresh cilantro chopped
Sliced radishes

Carnitas are normally deep fried in lard, and slow cooked all day, requiring much work.  This recipe is easy, and fantastic!

Heat oven to 300 degreees.  Move rack to lower-middle position of oven.
Combine pork, onion, bay leaves, oregano, cumin 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, water and lime juice in a large dutch oven.  Liquid should just barely cover the meat. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stir occasionally.  Cover the pot and transfer to oven.  Cook until pork is soft and falls apart when prodded with a fork—about  hours.
Remove the pot from the oven and turn on the oven to broil.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork to a bowl, remove orange halves, onion and bay leaves from the cooking liquid and discard.  Place the pot over high heat and simmer the liquid until thick and syrupy. A heatproof spatula should leave a wide trail when dragged through the glaze.  You should have about 1 cup reduced liquid.
Using 2 forks pull each piece of pork apart.  Fold in the reduce liquid.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Spread the pork in an even layer on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet or a broiler pan.  Place the baking sheet on the lower middle oven rack and broil until the top of the meat is well crowned and the edges are slightly crisp 5 to 8 minutes.  Using a wide metal spatula , flip the meat and continue to broil until top is well browned about 5-8 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

Recipie from a customer - Cooler Weather Chili

Cooler Weather Chili

The fine cornmeal is used to thicken the chili and the bacon adds a
smoky flavor to this bean-based chili. You can also serve lime wedges
on the side for an extra bit of garnish flair
• 1 chopped onion
• 3 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 2 piece of bacon cut crosswise into pieces
• 2 tablespoons of chili powder
• 2 cans of cannelloni, pinto or red kidney beans
• 1 ½ teaspoons of dried crushed oregano
• 1 ½ teaspoons of paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
• 3 cups of water
• Coarse salt
• 3/4 cup of Fleur de la Terre cheese
• 2 tablespoons of fine cornmeal
• 1 ½ cups of chopped winter squash or zucchini
• 1 ½ cups of frozen or fresh kernel corn (whole)

Directions:
Begin by cooking the bacon in a chili pot over medium heat until
browning happens. Add the onion, garlic, paprika, pepper,
oregano, beans and salt into the chili pot. Stir this mixture
occasionally for about 10-15 minutes. It's good to mash up the beans
a bit.

Mix the fine cornmeal with water, corn, squash or zucchini and bring
the pot to boil. Begin to reduce the heat and keep stirring until the
chili become thick and the veggies are softer. If you find that your
chili is a bit dry you can add water to make it most again as well as
many spices to jazz it up! Start serving your winter chili and dress
up each bowl with some cheese.  Add some freshly baked cornbread, and
your meal is complete!

2 more new mothers have piglets

Once again we are having babies, babies, babies.  Yesterday 1 first time mother had 10 piglets and another first time mother had 13 piglets.  Mothers and babies are all doing well.  We currently have 6 more first time mothers getting ready to have babies and 3 sows getting ready to have babies. 

Pigs can have babies all year round.  They come into heat every 21 days.  Their gestation period is 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days.  First time mothers are the hardest to deal with and usually have the highest piglet death rate because they are learning how to tell their piglets to move and where to go when they are laying down.  A nervous first time mother is more likely to step on the babies.  We try to keep them calm and leave them alone as much as possible.  That is why the videos are so short.  We don't want to agitate them in any way.  For the first 48 hours we want them to concentrate only on their piglets.  They are given plenty of feed so as not to stress them out about food.

Trauma had babies

Trauma was born last winter.  She was a runt from her litter and was in the house with Baby Ear.  Three times we were sure she was going to die.  She beet all the odds and came back to be beautiful gilt.  We were very surprised to find that she did get bred.  Usually when we are dealing with a runt that has so many health problems they don't get bred.  Saturday afternoon she had her litter.  She had 7 live piglets but we knew that 1 wasn't going to make it.  We were correct.  Yesterday she had kept the 6 alive.  You can see 4 in the video, 2 of them are behind her.

Breadman on the Hog Farm

Frank of Breadman Baking Company came to the farm on Sunday and left on Wednesday.  While he was here he helped Dave with feed and water and moving pigs and everything else that gets done on the farm.  He took a nap on Tuesday then went to bed before 10 pm and slept till 10 am Wednesday. 

As he was leaving on Wednesday he said, "It is just carrying 60 lbs on your shoulder, it is carrying 60 lbs on your shoulder while climbing over 4' fences, walking through mud and ruts and being shoved around by pigs."

Poor boy, now he know what we go through on a daily basis. 

Allia comes in for a visit (parts may be disturbing to some readers)

Allia was born to a first time mother in overnight in the beginning of November.  Her mother was small and we missed how close she was to giving birth so she did not get moved out of the breeding pen in time.  With a sow this would not have mattered.  Her mother left all the piglets and when Dan and Dave went out to do the morning wellness check Allia was discovered in a hut alone surrounded by all her dead brothers and sisters.  Allia was the only survivor.  She was brought into the house where we quickly discovered she has a birth defect.  She breaths like her nose is stuffed up.

Allia drank from a bowl right from the beginning.  She always slurped so we weren't sure if she would be able to eat corn.  This is the piglet we gave pumpkin pie to.  After the pie we tried other easy to slurp things but she would have nothing to do with them.  From whenever in November Marilyn's Bakery started bringing pumpkin pies to the farmers markets through Christmas I was buying her a pie a week.  She never ate the crust, only the filling.  Once I could no longer get her Marilyn's pies I tried the canned mix.  No way!  I tried Wal-Mart pumpkin pie.  Again she was having none of it.  Finally she started eating corn.  Thank goodness. 

Allia now lives outside with her best friend, "Foot" named for an open sore on her foot that caused her to come into the house for a week to heal.  That is where they met and soon moved outside together.

Allia is named for Mohamed Ali's daughter because she is a fighter.  She is ornery as hell.  She doesn't appear to have a nice bone in her body.  She bites (including the hand that feeds her) and pushes Foot out of the food bowls.  Somehow this particular pig has captured my heart.  I love her to pieces and won't let Dan even consider sending her to "Space Mountain". 

Moms say no way

After moving the three mothers yesterday, Dave was getting ready to start feed and low and behold the mothers were back in their pens with their babies.  So much time is spent doing a job and then doing it again a day or two later.  I guess we will try this all again tomorrow.  Wish us luck!

Moving moms one way and piglets another way

Boy do we have our work cut out for us today.  We started out with such a simple plan, move the 4 moms that are done with their piglets to the back to be re-bred.  The first mom we tried to move made a complete fool out of us.  She walked out of her pen and went the opposite way that we wanted her to go.  We followed her in circles until she broke back into her pen.  We gave up on her for the moment. 

Next we went to Freezer Moms pen where there are two moms.  Freezer moved quite easily but her buddy made Frank (Breadman Baking) and I chase her all over the pen until we gave up and decided to move Rosie.  Rosie moved easily.  Dave went back and got Freezer Moms buddy quite easily, of course he did have me and Frank blocking her from going in 2 other directions.  Once we got her out of the pen she went to the back easily.

The first one we attempted to move, Hoggiemister, is now out walking the property so that with any luck she will be ready to move later today.

Second job - seperate the uncastrated male from the females.  This in itself is going to be a very large job.  Then we want to move all the girls to one pen and all the boys to another pen.  This is going to be no easy feet.  Dave and Frank are currenly discussing the logistics of this.  I will let you know the outcome.

Rain, rain go away

Rain is the absolute worst thing around here.  Snow is a pain.  Freezing temps mean wearing more clothes and coming in more often to warm up.  Rain means flooding.  Pens flood, huts flood.  While Dan refers to the rain as flushing the toilet out here it is a royal pain in the butt.

Dan, Dave and Frank (Breadman Baking) are outside right now while it is pouring moving a hut and re-strawing for the pigs in the pen.  With the ground still frozen the water just has no place to go.  Areas that have never flooded before flood during these times. 

There are no set hours to farming.  When there is a problem, no matter what the weather or what the time you have to get outside and rectify it.

Dan and Dave are going to drive me CRAZY!

Yes, I know it's a short trip and that is the problem.  I don't need any assistance on my way to insanity!

So, most of you know that Dave moved out to the farm in October.  Well it has taken until today for him to go to his apartment to clean everything out because someone is moving in on Monday.  Dave is a bit of a procrastinator.  Anyway, he left at 5 am and was supposed to go and come back.  At 9 he calls me and tells me there is way more there then remembered and it would take him all day.  I told him to call Dan.

At 10 Dave calls me again and tells me his truck got booted.  Dan is already mad that Dave isn't coming back today and now it is costing me $462 plus he isn't here to get stuff done.  Ugh!

I get home and Dan is immediately complaining about how many bowls are in pens and he doesn't know what is going on around here.  I told him to leave me a lone and take up his gripes with Dave directly.  What do they think I am, their babysitter?

Why is it so hard to make money selling a great product?

I have talked to a few of my customers and they don't understand why it is sooooo hard for us to make money selling a great product with a good sales person. I ask you???? I feel and my feedback says that my prices are fare. I have never had a complaint about my products. Quite the contrary, you all seem to love them and come back time and time again.

The farming industry is set up so that the huge containment barns make all the money and the little farmer, like me, struggles to put out a superior product. It costs me more to feed my animals because they are outside running off calories and there for taking in more calories. Well, that is what make the meat "naturally" lean without drugs.

Sometimes it is frustrating feeling like you are doing something good but getting nothing in return. I which I would come up with some kind of fundraiser so that we had a cushion for times like this (winter).

Sorry for the rant and thanks for reading!

Baby Ear is outside my window

As I mentioned in a previous entry, we have freed Baby Ear from being in a pen.  He is now truly free range with his hut right outside my office window.  As I was checking e-mails and Facebook I look out my window and there he is out walking around. 

I see that Dave has left the garage door open so I am afraid of what he might find in there.  He may decide to take hay at will.  I guess as long as there is no feed left out we should be safe.

Snowy Day Prevents Evictions

We currently have 2 piglets in the basement.  1 is smaller then the rest of the four litters in her pen so and had an upper respiratory infection.  The other appears to have 2 dislocated legs, 1 in back and 1 in the front.  He is having a hard time getting around and when they make their huge piglet piles he was getting more injured by others lying on him.

These 2 little monsters are a huge mess!!!!  One day the bigger 1 (the male) tore up a down pillow and the little girl (and my basement floor) covered in feathers.  2 days later he tore a big hole in a pillow and Dave didn't notice it until there were feathers all over the inside of the washing machine.

These two stink and make a ton of noise and we have all decided it is time for them to move out.  Dave set up a nice clean little pen for them and got everything ready for them to move out this morning.  Low and behold we have 3 new inches of snow on the ground.  Hopefully we will have them out before the end of this weekend.

Dave makes a great save

About 4 1/2 months back Dan and Dave were loading hogs to go to the butcher.  Dave really liked one of the girls Dan loaded and told him so Dan took her off the trailer.  She had her first set of piglets last week.  She had 9 and still has 9.  She is extremely protective and will not even come out of the hut to eat until we have left her pen.  Now that is a great mom!

9 Pigs got moved (not easily)

We ended up moving 7 mothers to be. We may even have new piglets this morning.  A couple of them looked like they were about to burst.

Dave thought he would be able to move the moms on his own.  Not only would that have been impossible but we could have used 3 people.  There were 19 hogs in the pen so we had to pick out the ones we wanted.  Then we had to persuade them to wake up, leave their hut and then we had to guild them to the gate.  We couldn't leave the gate open or everyone we didn't want to leave would have.  We spent a good hour chasing them around the hut, back into the hut, out of the hut and finally to the gate.  2 of them refused to leave! 

Later we went back because we noticed that one of the boars in the pen was getting his butt kicked by another boar and he was limping.  We moved him and Baby Ear to a pen of all sows.  The boar was so happy the limp was almost gone. 

While trying to move Baby Ear into the new pen he turned and while I was trying to convince him to turn around he went straight through my legs.  Then ran back down the lane from where he came.  It took some time to coax him back to the new pen.  Baby Ear isn't happy at all so we are going to set him up a hut close to the house and let him roam free.

Moms to be get new pen

Today we will be moving 6 new mothers to be into a nice clean pen to get them ready to have their first litters.  These girls have been together for a long time so we are keeping our fingers crossed for how well they will do having their litters together. 

In the wild sows will "group farrow."  This way one or two mothers can stay with the piglets while the other mothers go out and forage for food.  This winter we have discovered that our gilts (first time mothers to be) seem to do better if they are alone.  With food being brought to them they do not have to go looking for feed and by them selves they seem to pay more attention to their piglets.  There also appears to be a lot less accidental deaths when they are alone. 

Just like with people, we have some really go mothers and some bad mothers.  We have hogs that love being mothers and others that want nothing to do with the piglets.  One advantage to having them seperated is that we can see exactly who is good and who isn't. 

So we will be moving our very pregnant girls this morning and getting them all settled in.  We will also be praying for them to all be wonderful mothers.

Rain makes for a quite day

Thank goodness it is raining/sleeting/snowing today.  Dave has the day off so I am happy the weather is keeping everyone in their huts.  One of my neighbors was kind enough to help me do feed today.  About 600 lbs of feed is distributed daily to basically all points of our 15 acre property.  I currently do not have a vehicle that can drive the property which is why I need help.  That along with lifting the heavy bags, climbing over the fences and trying to pour the bags into bowls with pigs shoving me all over the place.

Now Dan and Dave are on their way back to the farm.  Dave is about an hour ahead of Dan but the roads are a sheet of ice so getting back here is slow going.