Makin' Bacon

            One thing that you should know about me is that I grew up hunting with my dad and watching as my family butchered hogs, deer and even chickens. I always knew, even as a small child, where my food came from. Not from a grocery store or restaurant, but from farmers and ranchers across the world. As a teenager, I helped my best friend and her family butcher hogs, deer and cattle. All of the red meat that they consumed in their house wasn't bought at a super market, it was raised on their ranch, hunted in their fields or purchased from a friend who had done the same. I can't say that there wasn't a point in my childhood where the thought of killing and eating an animal that I watched grow up didn't make me queasy. However, deep down I always understood the necessity and I believe that it only made me appreciate "the circle of life" even more.
          A dream that I have always had, even as a little girl, was to have my own farm. I loved the thought of a barnyard full of animals and having a garden that was boiling over with fruits and vegetables. It just tickles me everyday to think that my dream is starting to come true.
         First, I married a wonderful man who not only is willing to live this way of life, but also craves it as much as I do. We started out hunting together and we always had venison and wild hog meat in our freezer. Eventually we started grinding our deer meat and using it in our meals in place of ground beef. Years later I actually prefer venison over beef 98% of the time.

         The next milestone in our lives was becoming homeowners. The only requirements that I had as we searched for our home was that I needed to be able to have chickens, a garden and a kitchen with a window over the sink so that I could look out and see our place. When we bought our house nearly 3 years ago we couldn't wait until Spring to plant our first garden. As soon as Spring did roll around, we planted as big of a garden as we could and we got our initial flock of chickens. We LOVED it! Fast forward to now we are leaps and bounds beyond the smallish garden and 8 chickens we started with. We currently have 2 horses, 2 butcher pigs, 28 chickens and plant a large garden every year. I don't think you could say that we are too farm from my dream!

Orville and Wilbur

          The past couple of years we have purchased pigs to butcher. Many people ask us how we can handle naming them, raising them and caring for them only to have them killed and then to eat them. I have to say that I appreciate knowing where our meat comes from and also knowing that it was cared for and treated fairly and humanely. I shudder to think about the poor lives of the animals whose meat is available to be purchased at grocery stores. I know that they are not always mistreated, but one thing I know for a fact is that our butcher pigs will  have and live the happiest lives that we can give them until their kill date.
         Last year and this year we have gotten our pigs from the county shows. After the fairs and shows are over there are always families left with projects that weren't sold. Usually these left overs just go to a commercial kill buyer. Since selling their projects to a commercial buyer isn't a requirement, we will go in and purchase one to feed out and butcher ourselves. This year we bought two pigs with the intentions of splitting the meat with my sister-in-law and her family.
     These two have been T-R-O-U-B-L-E!! They root up everything in their path! This was clearly obvious when they escaped their pen this past weekend. Since they seemed to be skilled at tilling up the land, we turned them into the area we plan to put our garden and are letting them do all the hard work. Best idea ever! Unfortunately, they are off to the butcher next Wednesday and I have to say that we will miss their presence on our farm, but I am so excited for that farm fresh bacon! You truly can't buy anything like it in the store.

Damage from their great escape