On Pigging...

As we bring a new pig onto the farm for breeding purposes it always makes me think of the many times we are told by other producers, “the pigs are not my pets”.  This statement has always been of interest to me; do they say that because they don’t like to think of the impending death of the animal to provide us or someone else food?  Is it because they don’t want to develop a relationship with that animal because it will be then emotionally difficult for them to slaughter? Is it because they just think of it as only a dollars and cents type of relationship (food in food out)?

I do not fault any of these producers for having that type of mindset, they do best what works for them and their operation.  We have had many pigs from farms “where the pigs are not pets” and they have been wonderful animals and worked well for us.  

Our pigs are not pets either, we know they will be butchered one day and provide us with nourishing food, but in the space between, they are welcomed into the fold and treated with love and kindness.  BUT WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT TO US?

We have now been working with pigs for 11 years on our little farm and each year we learn more and more about how it all works and their roll on the farm.  We are by no means experts in raising pigs, but rather lifelong students. 

Here are a few things I think are important about why we try and develop a strong relationship with our animals (that will some day be butchered):

• Pigs on our small farm need to be moved from pasture to pasture frequently, if they trust us they are much easier to move from paddock to paddock or load on the trailer when we need to move them across the farm.
• We have small children and many visitors have small children.  While we do not children go into the pens, I feel its important for our family and any visitors to get close to the animals or maybe even touch them if they want.  It amazes me that our now 22 year old daughter, an animal lover to the core and who still has to visit the pigs on every trip to the house, never had an issue with knowing the pigs are going to be food someday.  To me this speaks volumes. 
• Pigs provide more than just food on our farm – they help transform all of the “waste” produce on the farm into delicious bacon.  In the fall we literally have thousands of pounds of apple pulp after pressing for cider that the pig and chickens eat up like crazy!
• They spend a fair amount of time on the farm.  Our feeder pigs only spend a short time on the farm (9-11 months) and are rotated on pasture constantly.  Our breeding stock spends anywhere from 5-8 years on the farm, we rotate them on pasture, are in their sheds during farrowing, need to separate at times for breeding and farrowing, the list goes one.  The breeding stock can be very large (500-700lbs) and we are around them a lot.  Boars have tusks and sows are very protective of their young – We do not need to be around large aggressive animals on our small operation – they need to be friendly, trust us and be docile.
• If there are issues we need to be able to intervene and get close.  I remember the one winter we had a pregnant sow, Elsa, that got injured when wrestling with her sister, Suzy.  Elsa was not able to stand on her back legs for some time and we were quite concerned about her.  Because of her demeanor and her trusting us we were able to be in the small shed with her and the local vet to check for any bone breaks or other issues that may be a problem.  The outcome ended well and Elsa went on to farrow some beautiful piglets that late winter.
• Lastly, pigs are living creature that provide the ultimate sacrifice for us – they die so we can live.  They need to be respected for that.

 

These are just a few thoughts on pigging…..  

John

Passive Solar Magic

When it’s sunny a passive solar greenhouse works it’s magic!! 91 inside, 22 outside - no fossil fuels used to heat that!

Our certified organic greens are grown under natural sunlight, but the con of that is we are at the whim of cloudy days too - working with Mother Nature to the best of our abilities!

We have electric fans, lights, and back up heat, but all of this moves us in the right direction. Hope to someday get it all running on solar.

We’ve been growing Microgreens, pea shoots and baby salad greens since September! Next month we’ll begin the very earliest garden seeds. This space is amazing and is definitely a winter happy place for me.

Winter Preservation Season Begins!

Time to crank up winter preservation season.

Today I’m going to finish the garlic preservation. Frozen in whole cloves or blended with olive oil frozen in tablespoon dollops. I’ll pick out a small amount of the hardest bulbs for fresh use.

Also on the preservation to-do list is taking care of other pantry items:

Shallots (frozen like garlic)

Potatoes (going to try canning some!)

Onions (dehydrated)

Squash

Then there are other canning projects:

Jams

Beans (a first)

Baked beans! (A first)

Meats

Hope to get through all of that!!

It’s nice to have the slow down from the bustle of summer and fall preservation, but winter is a great time to do this as well, out front under the pressures of tomatoes and weeding and such.

What are you working on?

Happy New Year! Looking ahead...

Howdy and Happy New Year from your local organic farmers! I want to reintroduce ourselves for any new folks and share some of our good energy, and plans, heading into the new year.

John and I sat down on Sunday, New Year's Day, reviewing 2022 - wins and losses, lessons learned, etc. - and began visioning and projecting for 2023. This will be our 12th season on the Alternative Roots Farm!!!

We have big plans this year (every year?!) that include finishing building our screened-in porch, which last Mays storm took down, and building our new pig barn. It is a year of projects, which are many, but we are up to the task. Our annual planning meeting brought up new strategies, inspiration and a welcoming vision for the season - and years - ahead.

I see more pigs, more fruit and more fun in our future! We hope you continue to follow along (and maybe introduce a friend or two) with our farm this year!

While following along with our farming shenanigans you’ll learn about...

-canning and preservation

-gardening

-self-reliance and resilience

-homesteading & organic orcharding

-farrowing heritage hogs

-winter greenhouse growing

-what we offer at our certified organic farm

...and whatever else comes our way as we continue to build our skills, and passions, on the farm and in nature.

Through our farming journey we’ve seen how much need there is for a deeper connection to food and farming. The food system is broken and it needs to rebuilt by small farms and people like you, supporting those farms. There is such a disconnect from what real food looks like, how much food is wasted in the current system, how much nutrition has been lost in conventional food, how important putting food up is and the list goes on.

We are passionate about this adventure, and we are excited to have you joining us as we grow and evolve along our journey on this farm and this great planet!

Happy Solstice

Happy Solstice!

Today we celebrate the first day of Winter, the shortest day of the year, followed by the longest night of the year. Tomorrow the light returns, so to speak, as the days begin to get longer.

It's a time to celebrate earth's cycles, which we are a part of. It's a time of rest and renewal and growth - in this long dark and stillness of winter, where the landscape sleeps.

What is the role and benefit of the long dark nights in our lives?

What blessing can it bring and how can it serve us?

Here is some food for thought, taken from "Full Moon Feast: Food and the Hunger for Connection" by Jessica Prentice:

"In "Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival", anthropologist T.S. Wiley puts forward a provocative hypothesis. She believes that the rise of degenerative diseases in industrialized countries (especially diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and obesity) can be traced to the invention and widespread use of electricity. Her reasoning is that the use of electric lighting, televisions, and computers after the sun goes down (and our consequent ability to stay up later and sleep less) serves to keep our bodies in an artificial state of perpetual summer. This disrupts our natural hormonal functioning and deprives us of a period of semi-hibernation that our pre-agrarian and even many of our agrarian ancestors would have enjoyed: a winter season of long nights and lots of extra sleep.

Wiley believes that this is the cause of our cravings for sugars and carbohydrates. Our ice age hunter-gatherer ancestors would have had, for the most part, access to sugars and carbohydrates during the summer only, and would have lived on proteins and fats throughout the winter. Wiley claims that we crave sugar because our bodies think its summer all the time, and our bodies have evolved to use carbohydrates to store up energy for the long, sugarless winter--a winter that never really comes in our modern, electrically lit world."

Happy solstice friends. Enjoy the winter.

Everyone Needs a Garden

It’s garden dreaming season. The possibilities are endless and weeds are nil.

I believe everyone should have a garden to…
…provide for their family.
…provide for their pantry.
…experience successes and failures.
…learn new things.
…experience the awe and joy nature in the garden brings.
…build community.
…push boundaries.
…buck the system.
…taste garden fresh goodness.
…build purpose.
…take control of your own supply chain.
…see bees sleeping in flowers!

A garden is good for way more than food. From the fact that contact with dirt provides anti-depressant effects to that awe in the natural world it can inspire.

Right now is a time for dreaming. For visioning the garden for the new year ahead.

Each year is a grand experiment. One that may fail and disappoint, BUT there is always something good that blesses us, even in the worst years. One that may inspire and exceed expectation. It’s a joy and a blessing and sometimes a frustration, but I can’t imagine a year without the garden.

A garden can build resilience, self-sufficiency, confidence, community and so much more.

A garden can make you less reliant on the broken systems all around us.

It can improve your health - physical and mental.

Grow a garden. Whether it’s just a couple tomatoes, some herbs, or everything under the sun.

You may kill things. I do. I have. You may not plant something, you may plant less, or more, but just do.

Watch the self talk - no “I can’t.” Try “I’m still learning to…”

Build resilience.
Build skills.
Build yourself and your loved ones up. And ask if you need help!

Cheers to the gardens to come.

A Little Discomfort

 

“December’s wintery breath is already clouding the pond, frosting the pane, obscuring summer’s memory…” – John Geddes

And delighting in its own beauty. Sunrise on clean white snow. Sparkling snow from the light of dawn and dusk. Fluffs of snow atop dead grasses and flower heads. Tracks of rabbits and birds creating wonder in the snow.

We’ve come into the new season, ready or not, and there is beauty to be found everywhere. Easier on the days without blustery winds and freezing sleet, but hardship makes us feel alive. Human.

Change in seasons helps us traverse our own changes, helps us transition and pause and reflect.

I’ve often wondered what’s it’s like to farm in warm climates with no winter. I think I’d hate it (I especially thought this when doing veggies, the fruit trees would still have their cycles). I like the transition, the slow down, the change of tasks and rhythm. Animal chores would certainly be easier, but one needs a break at some point, from weeding the garden and canning tomatoes.

Winter is to be enjoyed for what it is, part of the lovely cycle we are only just a small part of. This may mean enjoying the skiing, snowshoeing, tucking in and reading more, baking, or whatever your winter vibes are. Step out and enjoy the hush snow brings. Notice the change in birds and their migrations. Feed the birds.

Being a little cold and facing the adversity of the season is good for us. A life of ease and consistent comfort is not what we were built for. We need a little discomfort to keep us in our human skin.

Just like getting sick takes us out of our place of comfort and ease, we are challenged and come out stronger - immune system more robust - for the challenge we have been through. We don’t grow without challenge. Whether that is taking on a new task or hobby, like fixing something or baking bread, or facing a stronger adversity, like sickness or loss.

Push back against the life of ease for a life of purpose. Learn to enjoy the challenge, see how it helps you grow. Let yourself feel the cold and how that makes you feel stronger and alive.