Clearly our customers have a breast obsession. We are selling far more chicken breasts than any other cut. Having a product that sells is great, but there’s a “however”. Here, however, is the dilemma: breasts are selling too quickly, while drumsticks and the soup parts (necks and backs) are piling up. We aren’t part of […]
Every time I walk through the pigs’ pastures, they congregate around me, scratching their backs on my legs, chewing on my boots, and just generally getting in the way. Younger pigs are leery of humans, but once they get into the 150 pound range there is a noticeable change in their ratio of fear to
Meeting With My Constituents Read More »
I spent my day at the extremes of fire and ice. During the morning I repaired the tractor loader quick attach mounts. They have been replaced before, but for $240 for the set, this time I decided to straighten them and see if I can coax a little more life out of them. I’ve seen
Rachel started planting an orchard six years ago after I cleared the sumac and brush behind the house. Our first crop of peaches are just ripening. It has been a long wait for that first taste. These peaches are a delight.
This year we’ll spend a little above $10,000 for hay for the cattle, not counting about $1500 for low-quality bedding hay for the pigs. Unlike the chicken feed, which costs a few thousand bucks every month or two, the summer hay bills all hit at once. Buying from neighbors adds a little cushion since everyone
Even though the pigs have made some lovely mud wallows for cooling off on a summer’s day, this girl chose a dunk right in the drink trough. This pig weighs in the high 300 pound range so she displaces a lot of liquid, nearly causing it to overflow. Today’s drink menu includes sour milk curds
While Rachel was busy washing eggs, the kids grew bored of labeling cartons and turned it into another Lego project. Good thing those are all empty.
Most years I allow the yard where the pigs spend the winter to grow up with whichever plants volunteers there. Usually that includes pumpkins, butternut squashes, and tomatoes, along with a mess of weeds. This year I hoped to plant an experimental crop of corn in there and let the pigs hog it down in
Grazing the Pigpen Read More »
Last week I grilled up a tri tip steak intending to do a write-up on this cut. I tried photographing the process as I went through it, and as I did so I was amused at the difference between my photography and professional food photography. The difference in the quality of the equipment is of
Good Steaks, Bad Photography, Great Customers Read More »
Harry was proud to show me his discovery: an egg within an egg. We’ve read about this before, and for years whenever we’ve found an especially large egg the kids have eagerly gathered round the skillet to see if we had a nested egg. This is the first one we’ve found. This egg didn’t have
