Thank You Piggies

As a family, when we eat meat we always thank the animal we are eating. When we began farming it was, in part, to provide our kids with healthy meat, and also to show them a real world connection between what they eat and where it comes from- with meat that means: (once) live animals and hard work.

Last night at dinner for the very first time our (almost) two year old thought to thank the piggies. It made me feel so happy and like we were doing what we set out to do when being around our table, eating food we grow made our little two year old feel thankful...even if we weren't eating pork.

Climbing Tree Farm = Clean Glands!

Last week we had the pleasure of participating in the butchering (and curing and cooking) of one of our pigs (wow- never thought I, a vegetarian for over two decades, would say butchering was a pleasure!). The butcher, Jake Levin (of the rovingbutcher.com, berskhirefoodguild.com, butcherandbaker.com) pointed out the pigs glands. Just like humans, animals have glands that are essentially used as filters. Jake showed us the glands from our pig. They were semi-translucent, light pink and had no discernible scent. (I wish I thought to take a picture of them! I'll look back and make sure there isn't a picture with a little gland showing.) He explained that in the past, when he butchered conventional pork, the glands he found were black and stinky. It makes sense that glands from a pig grown in filth and disease would need to work harder to filter out more, than glands on a pig like ours who lived a healthy life.

Clean glands: just one more reason to choose Climbing Tree Farm Pork!

Life's a Beach for Our Pigs

 

 

Our leased land includes a large field that was cleared for building a jumbo house, and then the project was canceled, leaving acres of exposed shale. We call this area of our farm the "Shale Field." One of our goals on the farm is to use our animals to improve the health of the land we work- especially the Shale Field. When we moved to our new farm we put in a septic field, which left a large shale patch in the middle of our pasture. Through grazing, winter feeding (think manure and wasted hay), and spreading old hay, we were able to rehabilitate the area quickly and without adding seed (the seed in the hay fell out and volunteered in the new dirt that was created as the hay decomposed). We're hoping to do something similar on the Shale Field...except on a much, MUCH larger scale.

 

At any rate, we have had a bunch of thunderstorms lately and the Shale Field has turned into Shale Lake (a field of rock is not nearly as porous or absorbant as a field with vegetation!). My guess is that the lake is a couple of acres square and about ten inches deep.

 

During our last storm a tree fell on the pig fence abutting the new Shale Lake. As you might expect, some of the pigs went exploring. They didn't go far, and our pigs are rediculously easy to put back in their fence (a few apples and some milk and they were happily back in the fence in less than a minute). My sense is that pigs who live well don't feel as compelled to travel as those who live in mud, eating who knows what. It also helps that they're smitten with Colby.

 

It's hard to leave our farm, even leaving for the afternoon is a challenge most of the time. There are a lot of creatures depending upon us, and things rarely go as planned. On Monday, when the pigs were out, we were supposed to be at a pig roast (Our pig! YUM!). The pigs who were out were so content splashing in Shale Lake, rolling in the sand pile (not sure why, but there's a dump load of white play sand in the center of the field), and chasing apples that Colby was throwing for them that we just had to stay and play...and be a little late to the pig roast.

 

Honestly, being a farmer is a lot of hard work for little pay, but an afternoon like this, makes it worth it. Our kids were shrieking with joy, our animals were splashing and playing with our children, and we felt good about the way we do our job...even if we're always late to BBQs.

First pig ride.

 

A lake with a view.

 

 

Headed to the beach for a swim.

 

 

ZOOM!

Running around having a blast!

Just a guy and his hogs.

Splashing.

Sand Castles anyone?

 

Scratching in the sand.

Rolling in sand.

Our son wants to take them to the beach next time...
reasoning that we wouldn't have to find anyone to farm sit.

First time digging sand.

Playing with friends.

Berkshire Food Guild: Whole Hog Breakdown





This weekend we had a rare treat. We participated in the Whole Hog Breakdown put on by the Berkshire Food Guild, a group of talented local craft food producers who host feasts celebrating the bounty of Berkshire County and the surrounding area. In addition to a full day of feasting, the guild demonstrated whole hog butchery, charcuterie, and fine, nose-to-tail cooking. We feel so lucky to work with such talent, and with people who treat our animals with just as much tenderness and respect in preparation for becoming a meal, as we do in the field. These guys are the real deal.

The following pictures contain photographs of butchering. Some of the pictures show blood. There is always blood when we eat meat...because it comes from animals. We don't consider these pictures icky or gross, but rather as another part in the life cycle of a healthy, well treated, respected animal.
If you're squeamish, please skip to another blog post.

A beautiful brunch to greet us!
 Local fruits and cheeses, breads and pastries made from local flour by Jill (of berkshirefoodguild.com)



 

The star of the show-
Half of a 199 lb. Red Wattle/Berkshire hog dairy-fed, and raised rotationally on forage by....
Climbing Tree Farm

 

Butcher Jake Levin (therovingbutcher.com/berkshirefoodguild.com) demonstrating how to remove a pig head.

 

 







Chef Jamie Paxton (of Crossroadsfoodshop.com/berkshirefoodguild.com)
explains how to make head cheese.



Then Jamie went and made headcheese...

 





She made head cheese on this fabulous, outdoor stove/oven, made by charcutier Jazu Stine
(of stockbridgeinn.com/berkshirefoodguild.com).



Cutting the carcass into primal pieces (the five main large pieces- head, shoulder, belly, loin, ham).

 

Demonstrating where to cut to make gorgeous loin chops.





Separating the ham primal from the loin/belly primals.



 

Top of the ham.

 



 



Ham ready to make prosciutto.
 

Discussing prosciutto.

 





Prosciutto begun- just half a year in a dank basement and this stuff will be divine!
 



Ham with ribs in the background.
 





Removing ribs from belly/loin primals.



 

 

Ribs

 

Belly/loin and ribs.

 

 

Scoring belly/loin to make porchetta.

 

 

 

Seasoning porchetta.

 

 



Tying porchetta.

 



20 lbs. of bliss.

 

 

 

Cut in half to fit in the field oven.
 

Lunch!
Pulled pork on perfect rolls, coleslaw, grilled corn, Cricket Creek cheeses, stonefruits, melons, blackberry brownies...all local ingredients.
 Wow, so good!







 





YUM!



Suzy Konecky (cricketcreekfarm.com) gives a tour of the farm.

 







Trimming Coppa.

 







Salting Coppa to put under cure.

 

Sampling charcuterie.

 

 

 



Chopping shoulder for sausage.



 

 

 

15 lbs. chopped pork.  



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Casings

Ground, seasoned pork.

 



Filling sausage stuffer- throwing ground meat into hopper to avoid air pockets.

 



Stuffing sausage-
feels kind of like making yarn on a spinning wheel, or patting your head while you rub your belly...
except slipperier.



Italian Sausage.

 

Snack!

 

Panchetta

 

Lomo (cured tenderloin)

 



Charcuterie

 
 
 


 

 



Panchetta (maybe my favorite of the day?)



 



Appetizers....
Tasso Ham, Smoked Loin, Lomo, Coppa, Guanciale, Pancetta, Saussison Sec, Nduja



 

Belly ready to smoke- fresh bacon only 4 hours away!

 

 

 

Makin' Bacon (and ribs)


 

 

Fresh bacon- as in: out of the smoker for less than two minutes.



 

Whoa, bacon!

 

 

Porchetta almost ready.
 



And it is done...perfectly!



Crispy, porky goodness.







 Heaven?

 



Finishing up dinner in the outdoor cooker.

 

The baker, charcutier, chef, and butcher with dinner.
 

 

Grilled eggplant and dandelion greens with smoked almonds and vinaigrette, heirloom tomatoes with basil, porchetta, arugula with grilled peaches and Cricket Creek Cheese, marinated fennel.
 



 Adorable little doughnuts.



Dinner with talented, interesting people, a Cricket Creek sunset, super-fresh, uber delicious food,
 and some soft mooing. A damn near perfect, porky day!




No perfect day is complete without them...soft, puffy doughnuts fried in lard.

 

 

The Berkshire Food Guild: Jill, Jazu, Jamie, Jake

THANK YOU!