This little piggy went to market, and this little piggy stayed home

This morning was the morning that every piggy dreads.  James backed the trailer up to their pen last night so there wasn't too much activity at once.  Both pigs had a magnificent feast this morning!  They each had a five gallon pickle bucket full of fresh orange slices, jasmine rice, cumin-spiced black beans, grilled beef, fresh dill, the list goes on and on, plus their corn and soy meal mixture of hog feed.  The last supper.
After a few hours we went back down to the pen with a plan in place.  Open the doors to the trailer, place the ramp in front of the pen gate, remove the gate, place food in the trailer, James would be in the pen pushing the pigs toward the trailer, I would close the trailer doors behind them.  We knew it was not going to be that easy.  The pigs were scared and leary of the trailer and the ramp.  It has been raining for a week so James was trying to herd these pigs while he was up to his knees in poopy mud.  The pigs were getting stressed.  James came out and we walked away for a minute to see what they would do.  I couldn't leave James alone down there, but the baby is applying more pressure to my bladder so I had to squat and pee.    The smaller pig edged her way into the trailer to the bucket of food.  The big one got close, nibbling on the kernels of food that had blown down the ramp.  She would not go into the trailer.  We had to make a decision before the first pig walked back out of the trailer.  We decided to shut the doors.
A short 20 minute drive to Vaughn's Processing Plant in the next town over is where she is until Monday morning.  There was one other pig dropped off this morning so she has a room mate for the weekend.  The people seemed really nice there.  We backed the trailer up and she took her time walking out into the holding area where she will have shade, food, and water.
Vaughn's is a strange little place.  The shop area has reach-in freezers with all kinds of meat for sale and a bunch of odd amenities.  Toblerone, Pedia-lax, Stirrings margarita mix, and giant cans of baked beans to name a few.  I had to pee, again, so I got to walk through the back.  Not where the slaughter takes place, but the butchering.  It was clean and organized which put my mind at a little more ease.
What do we do with the piggy who stayed home you ask?  Not sure right now.  We will either get her in the trailer on another day, or find a male Tamworth to breed her with.  We planned to get a breeding pair this Summer anyway.  I put a wanted ad on Craigslist and we will see if we find a pig.  Tamworth is a heritage breed so they can be tough to find.

I handled it all much better than I thought I would.  They are not my pets, but I have gotten to know them over the past 7 months.  I know they had a nice life, they are feeding my family, etc.  I think we all get all of that.  It is still hard.  The next time will be easier.  Thank you my little piggy, for giving your life for my family...

Spring is here

The weather is in the 70's and we are finally starting to get some things done outside.  I got 1000 red wriggler worms that I dropped in our new garden spot.  Stella and I already planted our first seeds, just a few peas in a planter outside the sunroom.  I can't wait for Stella to be able to sit right outside and eat peas in the yard!  The rest of the seeds will go in towards the second half of April.  We plan to do corn, zucchini, sweet potatoes, asparagus plants (really excited about these), peas, watermelons, pumpkins, tomatoes, purple onions, and some hot pepper varieties.  My strawberry plants are popping out of the ground and the blueberry bushes are getting full of green leaves and buds.
James has built us a firepit in the backyard, something I have always wanted!!
Tomorrow I will start working on a ramp to get those pigs in the horse trailer.  We plan to take them to slaughter next week, while Grandma is in town from La.  I can load a horse blindfolded, a pig, not so much.  I think it's going to be a lot more difficult than we'd like.  With Sandy here, we won't have to worry about Stella and can concentrate on the task at hand.
We have two llamas that need sheared, another difficult task, especially when I'm pregnant.  They are such intelligent animals, you'd think they would just give in by now.  Not a chance!
Tonight, I am drawing up blueprints for the chicken tractors.  We are going to try raising some chickens for meat.  Just a few to begin with, enough for family and friends.  Then we will see how it goes.  I've never killed, cleaned, or dressed an animal.  James used to duck hunt a lot in Louisiana so he feels more comfortable than me right now.
The dogs need brushed and bathed.  Once they are clean I can shave their bellies, butts, and the backs of their legs.  Summer in SC is really tough on Great Pyrenees :(
Well, there is our To Do list, the first half at least.  Can't wait to give you more details on the broiler chicken adventure!

Seasons Changing

Recently I've been looking at the pigs and visualizing pork chops.  For the past few months, I think the pigs have been looking at me and visualizing pork chops as well!  Anyway, they are atleast 300lbs a piece right now and due to be slaughtered in a few weeks.  I bought a deep freezer for the basement and pulled out my Kitchen Aid to practice the delicious art of sausage making.  Mom was in town and we bought a pork shoulder and chicken and made about 10 lbs of sausage.  It turned out ok.  I just bought some basic casing online and wasn't 100% satisfied. 
James has been working hard on a firepit in the backyard.  I have wanted one since we moved here and we finally got to it on the ENDLESS TO DO LIST.  I can't wait to cook on it this Summer!
The weather is warming quickly, but there is still no grass.  The llamas are still on hay and searching for that first blade of beautiful green.  The chickens tend to lay less when the weather is cold, snowy, windy, etc.  So they have been laying twice as many eggs this last week.  Stella loves her scrambled eggs in the morning.
We are trying to get as much done as possible on the ENDLESS TO DO LIST before I get any bigger.  I am pretty tough but things do get a little hard when you have an extra 15 lbs and are having to watch what you lift.
So as Spring approaches I will have more stories and pictures of gardening, building, buying animals, processing animals, and whatever else may go on at Black Opal Farm.  By the way, Opals birthday is 21 February.  Happy Birthday to the best dog and best friend, you're always in my thoughts, your box is in our bedroom, and your picture sits in the living room.  Love you.

Is Spring here yet?

I love wintertime.  The trees are beautiful when they lose their leaves and sleeping through the cold days of Winter.  Apple and peach trees have those long, undulating limbs.  The only green I can see is the magnolia across the road and some pine trees.  Winter can be a tough time of year having to fight the weather each day, but it doesn't make me like it any less.
Then the day comes when the best part of Winter is planning for Spring!!  That day came yesterday for James and me.  I really started thinking about it a few weeks ago when some little green lemons started to emerge on my Meyer lemon tree.  Up til now, I have only grown house plants and carnivorous plants in my sunroom except for the lemon tree.  I have had it for about 18 months and these are the first lemons!
James is going out to scoop poop today, start tilling up the gardens, mix the compost in.  This will wake up the dormant soil a little and get some oxygen flowing under the surface.  He will also get all the nitrogen rich chicken poop out of their house for the garden as well.  Pig poop is rich in phosphate and we need to clean their pen out too, but we will save that for another day.  We still have plenty of time while Spring is still two months away...

Woke up to a Winter Wonderland

We woke up to about 7 inched on the ground this morning.  We are topping 8 now and it's not supposed to stop until tomorrow.  The dogs love it, pigs are having fun, llamas and fowl are grouchy.  Enjoy the pictures.

Snow Clouds Are Rolling In

The sun rose to meet a beautiful sky this morning.  It is 5 in the evening and looking a little gloomy.  I love this type of sky.  The snow will meet us before midnight and continue on through Tuesday morning.  Everyone has been fed for the night and now we hope that we don't lose power through the night.  One day we hope to be powered by other means, but that takes some big cash.  So for now we rely on Blue Ridge Electric Coop.  Please, BREC, help to keep the power on.  We have a fire place, but we have 19 ft. ceilings :(
I will get some nice pictures of the animals in the morning.  Stella will build another snowman.

It's Just The Cycle Of Life

I only see the pigs to feed them because they are not really my friends.  We've had them since August and I have done a fine job staying completely unattached.  I know that Prosciutto and Capicola are part of the cycle of life.  They are having a great life here at Black Opal Farm.  They have a spacious pen to run around and chase eachother, they not only eat grain and corn, but fresh veggies, fruits, breads, and meats.
The feedlots at industrial pig farms are far from our farm.  The pigs never soak up the sunshine, they are only fed grain.  The antibiotics they are given keep them healthier because of the crowded unclean living conditions they are forced to endure.  As piglets, their tails are cut off because in the feed lot it is so crowded that the pigs will chew eachothers tails off.  These pigs reach maturity in 3-4 months which is 7 months less than a normal living pig.
Yes, my pigs have a very nice life.  They are physically and mentally healthy.  Sometimes when they are playing and throwing around their hay, they make me smile.  This doesn't mean that I won't be able to eat them, oh no.  It means that I think I will cherish the meat even more than I once thought I would.  And sometimes when they are being cute, I do get a little sad that they will give up their lives for me.  Then I remember that in every bite of homemade sausage that my daughter eats, I know exactly where it came from and what that animal ate. 
Our first slaughter will be tough on me, and I know that.  The next time will get a little easier.  Thanks for listening.