tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60104448216230755402024-03-05T08:21:16.604-05:00 Fork Right Farm Life<br>A curly tale of how Fork Right Farm got started<br>and our journey in raising a family and a farm.Fork Right Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02966517394188986335noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-9671093053144006582016-04-11T19:44:00.000-04:002016-04-11T19:44:59.270-04:00Spring Is In The Air<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Finally, Spring has arrived, although you might not have known it with the dusting of snow we got last week. Farm news is beginning to get more interesting again as we prepare for the growing season and new life.<br />
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Over the weekend the boys and I joined Matt for some tree planting. Apple trees this time, the Antonovka variety, which is very disease, pest, and drought resistant. They are considered full size, rather than the dwarf or semi-dwarf variety, and can live 100 years. While we may not see their full maturity in our lifetime, this is an investment for our children. <br />
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The boys had a blast helping as we planted a few trees on each of the family farms we are related to. They were especially intrigued when we dipped water from the pond for watering the trees and in the buckets we found snails, a minnow, and frog eggs.<br />
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Afterward, it was time to feed the pigs; which is always entertaining. First we got in with the little pigs, but they weren't too interested in us. <br />
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The squealers and fat butts, both very descriptive of the groups, were next. <br />
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Then we took some corn to the breeding stock.<br />
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Molly and Curly are due to farrow in the next month. I figured we might as well get a picture of all the mommas that will soon bring new life to the farm.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three mommas due in the next month!</td></tr>
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-21246245007037557692016-01-02T19:29:00.000-05:002016-01-02T19:29:12.092-05:00Rendering Lard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wow. Overdue blog here. It seems that this was my job to write and I've taken my time getting around to doing this. Days, Weeks, Months even. Not years, I'm better than that!<br />
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Ok. So you are curious about lard. Lard is pretty neat stuff. It's the rendered fat from a hog. And in days past it was used for everything from machine lubrication to candles to soap and cooking. These days we have more suitable oils for lubrication so lard is mostly used for cooking, and some soap. <br />
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First you need to get yourself some pig fat. You're friendly local pig farmer can help with that! <br />
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On a pig, there are 2 kinds of fat. The first is Leaf Fat. This is the fat that grows internally in hog, in particular around the kidneys. It's smooth in texture typically can be pulled out of the carcass in 1-2 chunks. Ask your processor to save it for you if you aren't processing at home. <br />
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Leaf Fat is rendered into Leaf Lard. This is the cleanest type of lard and can be used in baking and pastries. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaf Lard as removed from the carcass</td></tr>
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The other kind of fat on a pig is Back Fat. This is the fat that grows outside the body cavity on a hog. It's typically trimmed or removed when cutting port chops or loins. It's often found in chunks as a byproduct of the processing. Processors are glad to save it for you.</div>
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Back fat is rendered into regular old lard. It's a little more "porky" flavored than Leaf Lard. It's good for frying or soapmaking. You could bake or make icing with it, but you'll have a stronger pork flavor than some may appreciate. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back Fat as removed from the carcass</td></tr>
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To make your lard there are a couple of methods. With all methods the first step is to cut the fat into small chunks. I usually aim for 1" or less. The smaller the better. If you have a grinder you can use that, but since the fat doesn't have much structure in it, most grinders are tedious at best. </div>
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Once you have your fat cut up, you have a couple options. Option 1 is to use a roasting pan and an oven. Place the cut up chunks in your roasting pan with about 1 cup of water and place into an oven that has been pre-heated to 300 degrees. The water is to prevent bottom scorching early on before the fat melts. It will all be boiled away during the process.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cut up fat in roasting pan</td></tr>
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Every 1/2 hour or so, open the oven and give the contents of the pan a good stir. When you see the chunks starting to brown you're getting close. When they all sink to the bottom, you're done!<br />
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At that point you can strain off the lard. I like to use some cheese cloth. Straining is particularly important if you are making leaf lard. If you have a press, or other squeezing device, yo can squeeze quite a bit of lard out of the chunks left behind. Up to you if you do this. </div>
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The old timers, would return the chunks left behind to the oven or put them in a skillet. They will continue to fry. Stir frequently and you'll end up with cracklins. They are tasty, although probably not the most healthy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rendered lard and cracklins</td></tr>
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Next method is to use a crock pot. It's a lot less work that the oven method. But you don't end up with any cracklins and it takes more time. <br />
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Put your cut fat into the crock pot with 1 cup of water or so to prevent scorching. Turn the crock pot on high and walk away for a while. Every hour or so, give it a stir. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fat cut up in crock pot</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Partially rendered lard in crock pot</td></tr>
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After many hours, you'll have something like what you see below. Give it another good stir and get out your instant read thermometer. We need to be sure that we get all of the water out. Since water boils at 212 F, we're looking to see temperatures in the 240-250 range or higher. Higher is ok. Close to 212 and we want to let it go a while longer.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rendered lard in crock pot, ready for straining</td></tr>
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Now you can strain off the lard. I like to use some cheese cloth. The material that is left behind from this method doesn't retain much, so not a lot of reason to squeeze or press it. </div>
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We store our lard in clean mason jars. Keep what you aren't immediately using in the freezer and it will keep for years. </div>
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Last method is mostly for curiosity sake. Not many people need to render multiple hogs worth of lard at a time. </div>
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We use a butcher kettle that will hold about 20 gallons of material. It has a propane burner underneath. Using this method you need to have someone stirring constantly as the burner will easily scorch the fat and lard. This leads to a burnt taste. </div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfJlpEbzH3as0eI_v8JopGXtByFdhhfFtjRquQGpz8CvlG9iPK7Zk_TA9zB11bAS3I8aUZbE_Nw7BmZJVb8m26nD8daNzKsdEFFICPY8bREc5QQJWZ4hD6bWE9HZvsCsPB5GLYNMYS3g/s1600/2015-02-15+11.16.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfJlpEbzH3as0eI_v8JopGXtByFdhhfFtjRquQGpz8CvlG9iPK7Zk_TA9zB11bAS3I8aUZbE_Nw7BmZJVb8m26nD8daNzKsdEFFICPY8bREc5QQJWZ4hD6bWE9HZvsCsPB5GLYNMYS3g/s1600/2015-02-15+11.16.17.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Lard rendering in butcher kettle</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOxYaB6poB4j7DlJd6wR1eZL3QfM2YjawM9-0spa1_S3JKq6aBoWhEvJ4X6UalFvFPHKyzzzoVigYuiMCmWX-Sps3toaGUQr7R1D_AyyKLH8TkN3BeasaD1Jf5P9jGxxw7ZY8ebaNscg/s1600/2015-02-15+12.41.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOxYaB6poB4j7DlJd6wR1eZL3QfM2YjawM9-0spa1_S3JKq6aBoWhEvJ4X6UalFvFPHKyzzzoVigYuiMCmWX-Sps3toaGUQr7R1D_AyyKLH8TkN3BeasaD1Jf5P9jGxxw7ZY8ebaNscg/s1600/2015-02-15+12.41.41.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Rendered lard and cracklins in butcher kettle<br />
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Fork Right Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02966517394188986335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-23681782528060156212015-11-14T13:51:00.002-05:002015-11-14T13:51:43.003-05:00Aren't Pumpkins Tasty?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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If you have been following us for a while, you may recall last year when we picked up a few truckloads of pumpkins to feed the pigs. This year, we thought, "Why not buy 1,000 pumpkin seeds of many varieties and plant them for pig food?!" So in early June, Jim got the old disc out of the barn and gave the fields hell. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7HZUGlBO3-3AzqncTsF-IYQLJItHIMDiHajfngah_upCyH00xXirlOIenRQmTmzpAy17c_x93t1j9u4ajKSjK_N4QahgQoj9FuD-E_i5ffxsoLXeUsNJ56HJ-F82hN3DtdZv4A82XUXX/s1600/IMG_8093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7HZUGlBO3-3AzqncTsF-IYQLJItHIMDiHajfngah_upCyH00xXirlOIenRQmTmzpAy17c_x93t1j9u4ajKSjK_N4QahgQoj9FuD-E_i5ffxsoLXeUsNJ56HJ-F82hN3DtdZv4A82XUXX/s400/IMG_8093.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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In fact so much hell on that very dry ground of early June, that the old disc was worn out and we purchased a "new to us" disc for future use.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFcUoKTtxUCxfKVqFa9euzVqJ0m1nLG9H9SFic9IcuqrWykrAqcbRCd8UX1_i-YjIWd0YI9Do60_ofhmWXKvUWxD0e91KxbDLJsWLx1U-BRBpnyusIuiDUx6s0hDKxxOt2pTFqMQMuBkb/s1600/IMG_8113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFcUoKTtxUCxfKVqFa9euzVqJ0m1nLG9H9SFic9IcuqrWykrAqcbRCd8UX1_i-YjIWd0YI9Do60_ofhmWXKvUWxD0e91KxbDLJsWLx1U-BRBpnyusIuiDUx6s0hDKxxOt2pTFqMQMuBkb/s400/IMG_8113.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keegan telling daddy all about the new disc</td></tr>
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We ended up planting about 2 acres, all planted by hand.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVcoz5NatggNLFjNhGtB7X09pKnOwYa91bsDD20m3xxcu4MWTOZLe_Dx9taoYlgEWm72MWcxTxRPQMFk3IYggnWvE0wA6mWFXf4Rc-EBgaHKot7LxuL7VqOSrImyK4xWOIJH3fWaIdtRu/s1600/IMG_8092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVcoz5NatggNLFjNhGtB7X09pKnOwYa91bsDD20m3xxcu4MWTOZLe_Dx9taoYlgEWm72MWcxTxRPQMFk3IYggnWvE0wA6mWFXf4Rc-EBgaHKot7LxuL7VqOSrImyK4xWOIJH3fWaIdtRu/s400/IMG_8092.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Freshly planted in June</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwrJ5vav8O07EVsvFCfrO4-TB_DKsA9pPwk_yWrWuLDUiXVW6gBO7ZFmCMePX34N9q1KcicaDX9MVovjy-x6HTppNO4WpsdSqwZoutYNXnT10WvK3UshBtiZSrnVKMHUHgnKNJq8p0vNZ/s1600/IMG_8372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwrJ5vav8O07EVsvFCfrO4-TB_DKsA9pPwk_yWrWuLDUiXVW6gBO7ZFmCMePX34N9q1KcicaDX9MVovjy-x6HTppNO4WpsdSqwZoutYNXnT10WvK3UshBtiZSrnVKMHUHgnKNJq8p0vNZ/s400/IMG_8372.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="text-align: left;">Same field by August </span></td></tr>
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It worked out well with the wet summer we had and the pumpkins grew well. By mid-September, pumpkins were plump and in need of picking before the other wildlife around the farm got too hungry.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQ3jiElY7LGzxeF5ecs1JmLDAemmA1sWU7TxOpItsR9Y-iHN5GE-Qhde1nn0fO6-QGO5shEFvn0bT-44WoZ7w8mfbmRZqUH49hgQg_lgS2IDF3F6QxXshUXkZ056ANcuNme7I28MFBxLH/s1600/IMG_8373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQ3jiElY7LGzxeF5ecs1JmLDAemmA1sWU7TxOpItsR9Y-iHN5GE-Qhde1nn0fO6-QGO5shEFvn0bT-44WoZ7w8mfbmRZqUH49hgQg_lgS2IDF3F6QxXshUXkZ056ANcuNme7I28MFBxLH/s400/IMG_8373.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A big pumpkin growing in August</td></tr>
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Little boys had fun picking the little ones, and the those that were as big as they could handle. We stacked some of them in the barn for storage, but it would seem the rodents loved the taste of them too.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NGTPpd8XJgL36t-89qXgLMwa-2EtP2cvGSjgIHXU3lLfo2qKeamBYpkqy2Q6ZT2tdQpssiTZLpPtK8zXhYWngw1hNUMH9g_L_yMFchqz3wbh3YX2Eefguq14VZXFSJqc2igLZ5cGWkXC/s1600/IMAG1179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NGTPpd8XJgL36t-89qXgLMwa-2EtP2cvGSjgIHXU3lLfo2qKeamBYpkqy2Q6ZT2tdQpssiTZLpPtK8zXhYWngw1hNUMH9g_L_yMFchqz3wbh3YX2Eefguq14VZXFSJqc2igLZ5cGWkXC/s400/IMAG1179.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Will helping harvest in late September</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjg6OyLmB5tIdh3jWCNpUIbFhfA3GYVXYOSDfqYQGwWu9r3cjxmMd6khqvPaa8-eFUZkQ4-AJk55ezDzchvykL3WfBfKAGL1_hGu_vxlLz-WDCV0vWdug1ZpRLCRy2HVSC5HQh_FNw-JO/s1600/IMAG1172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjg6OyLmB5tIdh3jWCNpUIbFhfA3GYVXYOSDfqYQGwWu9r3cjxmMd6khqvPaa8-eFUZkQ4-AJk55ezDzchvykL3WfBfKAGL1_hGu_vxlLz-WDCV0vWdug1ZpRLCRy2HVSC5HQh_FNw-JO/s400/IMAG1172.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Storing some pumpkins in the barn</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHsMPxamO31MCjur4xUNLf-a9dwrvHlaHjJcfvrbfnlOM_HswYo7I6voB59uBgRcg53KWNgMzVWZq_8pCPouoo81YabcigJve4vwpj-jI8erHw3SXfSLTDCGxDWNGz6bcKPjVV_zCuuio/s1600/IMG_8741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHsMPxamO31MCjur4xUNLf-a9dwrvHlaHjJcfvrbfnlOM_HswYo7I6voB59uBgRcg53KWNgMzVWZq_8pCPouoo81YabcigJve4vwpj-jI8erHw3SXfSLTDCGxDWNGz6bcKPjVV_zCuuio/s400/IMG_8741.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Rodents love them as much as the pigs</td></tr>
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Now, a couple months later, little boys still enjoy the excitement of the tasty pumpkins as their daddy or poppa launches one in the air at just the right trajectory for a big explosion of guts when it lands; perfect for little pigs to dig in and devour.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Mmmm, pumpkins.</td></tr>
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-82821282860016219202015-10-31T12:00:00.000-04:002015-10-31T12:00:53.851-04:00Bacon Isn't Dead, and Neither Is This Blog...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Then tell me why it has been so long since there was a blog post? I'll get back to that, but first a funny story to share about Bacon going MIA yesterday. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">I got a call from Matt around 4:30 yesterday as little boys were waking from naps. Bacon loves to eat and he always enthusiastically shows up, but when Jim called him, he didn't show. With an unsettling feeling that we were going to find a dead pig, Matt left work early, but needed me to bring clothes for him since he only had nice work clothes. We were all a little concerned since 11 months ago we lost our first boar, Crybaby, and Bacon was his replacement. It would be awful to lose two young boars less than a year apart and you can't breed sows without a boar. Thankfully, just before I was leaving we got a call back. Karen, Matt's mom, had gone down to the barn to see what was going on and there was Bacon, standing in with little pigs, pushing them out of the way to eat their food. Jim had fed them first before he had gone on to feed the breeding stock. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little pigs eating.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">So how did this pig get out, you ask? Well... that would be a farmer error as it turns out. When they moved pigs last weekend they left a small gap in the fence and he just walked right out. (and by small gap, I mean 10 feet) Always lessons to learn on the farm.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The un-fenced spot. I can see why it was easily overlooked.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A quick fix until it could be properly patched today.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Okay, so I'm sure you're wondering why it's been almost 4 months since I had a blog post. I had several drafts started along the way, and plenty of ideas, but life got crazy. For starters, I had a bad case of pneumonia back in July that lasted several weeks. Shortly thereafter, my 95 year old grandfather passed away and there were lots of family things going on in conjunction. In mid-August, we also committed to starting some homeschooling with our oldest, Will. It has been so worth the time commitment for this enthusiastic little learner that begs to do school at home, but the time I spend prepping and schooling has cut into the time I used to spend doing farm-related paperwork and blogging.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boys had fun at the State Fair. Our tractors aren't that big.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Much has happened since our last post in early July. I hope to bring you up to speed over my next few posts. Of the remarkable news, our family received the Indiana Homestead award for the hundredth anniversary of the farm in the same family. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New sign on the farm.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Also, early October marked the second anniversary of Fork Right Farm in operation. Lastly, and probably most exciting news that contributes to my lack of posting is the fact that we are going to need another set of mud boots on the farm next year.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We're adding another pair of mud boots to the family!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Happy Halloween from Fork Right Farm! </span></div>
Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-82575185383479571962015-07-02T23:03:00.000-04:002015-07-02T23:03:21.995-04:00Fun On The Farm Through Little Eyes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The farm is such a wonderful place for kids to create lifetime memories. When I think back to my childhood, I remember climbing in the hay or walking on the feed corn still on the cob in the corn crib, and lots of time spent playing in the creek. </div>
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For Matt, it is memories of checking the fence with Pap or fishing at the pond with Grandma. I feel so blessed that our boys are already getting to make those memories, not just at one farm, but on three different farms if you include the one we live on, the one my mom lives on, and the one where Matt's parents live and he grew up.</div>
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It has been fun for me taking pictures of them this summer doing all of those things Matt and I remember doing and also some new things. (I know I was never allowed to knock the flower petals off and throw them up in the air like it was raining, but Grandma Karen made it rain flower petals for our boys.)</div>
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Or this photo where the walked round and round and round again on the tire with the pole sticking up. These were a perfect volleyball net pole or tether ball pole, but also very fun to walk on and wobble.<br />
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I think the best memories of all are the endless walks and nature hikes just seeing what our beautiful world has to offer. We are fortunate to share this farm journey with the boys and show them a different side of farm life where pigs eat grass, run in paddocks, and build mud holes the size of a Volkswagen.<br />
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-33875375243162390642015-06-20T23:34:00.001-04:002015-06-20T23:34:58.787-04:00Gardening with Dirt Angels<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Back in May, it was time to plant our garden. Thankfully, little boys were willing to participate so we could accomplish the task at hand. </div>
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We opted to move the garden this year to "the other side" which we hope will drain better than the side we usually use.</div>
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So I sent Matt to the greenhouse to buy plants. We usually buy our tomatoes and peppers, but plant our beans, cucumbers, melons, beets, spinach, squash, and zucchini from seed. We also purchased 4 varieties of onion sets. He came home with 28 tomato plants and 32 pepper plants, various varieties.</div>
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I got to plant the tomatoes and pepper while he planted seeds. Little boys were enthusiastic about helping. Actually, so enthusiastic that we had onions planted twice as close as they should be and there was stomping that nearly missed the tomatoes and peppers I had just placed. Matt usually runs a rope from post to post at either end of the garden in an effort to plant a straight row. Not sure that happened with Keegan pulling on and climbing over the rope as as he made the row.</div>
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For a short period of time the boys entertained themselves. There was great joy in stomping across the freshly tilled earth and leaving tracks, just like the deer do if you are unlucky. But the most memorable part was when Will laid down in the dirt and began to make angels in the dirt as if it was snow. He was so exited and proud of his work. I love the innocence of a child and how concepts fit together just perfect in their minds.</div>
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In the last month, our garden has flourished and the seeds turned to healthy plants. The weeds flourished too. We'll see about posting an update when those are under better control and a picture would be more presentable. </div>
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-42626678731195161742015-05-08T23:08:00.001-04:002015-05-09T10:21:52.649-04:00May is for Mamas - Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Okay, so it wasn't my intent to write a second part, but we received some interest and since we have photos of nest building, we decided to share this way rather than just random photos.<br />
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As we expected after our Wednesday night post, Molly had her babies on Thursday. <br />
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The first real sign that Molly was about to farrow is that her teats were leaking milk, but she was still eating, which meant she wasn't ready yet. Then, the next day she rearranged her bedding to build a nest. This is very common for unconfined pigs to do (not something you would see those limited to a farrowing crate capable of doing at this extent--remember, happy pigs...) Had these mamas had access outside of their paddock surrounding the barn, who knows what they may have collected from the field or woods to add to their nest, but this inspires ideas for the future. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stall bedding before farrowing</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nest prior to farrowing</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stall bedding after farrowing</td></tr>
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Molly is a great mama and had a big litter. Her babies couldn't have lined up better in this photo!<br />
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The first 48 hours are critical and when we are most likely to see any mortality. While this may surprise you, it isn't unusual. Some babies just aren't as strong as the rest. We really try to let nature take it's course and not intervene. The strongest survive and that is what carries the herd into the future.<br />
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<a href="http://blog.forkrightfarm.com/2015/05/may-is-for-mamas.html">Here is a link to May is for Mamas - Part 1</a></div>
Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-73849894854095088532015-05-06T22:07:00.000-04:002015-05-06T22:07:30.909-04:00May is for Mamas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
New life has graced the farm again in the season of tulips and lilacs. Curly opted to have her litter outside under the shelter on the side of the barn on Monday. These little guys are only 12 hours old in this photo, but proved to be quite active.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12 hours old</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 days old and already rooting in the dirt</td></tr>
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Molly is also due about this time but she is still looking larger than ever and miserable. It reminds me of how I felt or looked two years ago on Memorial weekend when Keegan came two weeks after my due date. We are thinking she might go tonight.<br />
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After my visit to the mamas that evening, I made my way around to check out the other pigs and gave proper ear scratching to those who wanted to visit me. Porkchop and Milkshake, a young boar and gilt, were happy to receive the attention and "scritchin" behind their ears and on their backs.<br />
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The other breeding stock looked like they were settling in for the night, slowly laying down, one by one around the paddock. A few of the other sows that are expecting at a later date could be seen carefully kneeing down on their front legs and then slowly collapsing their rear legs. <br />
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We went back again tonight to check on everyone during feeding. I especially liked this picture of the little boys climbing the fence to see the babies.<br />
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-37070974652752664402015-03-31T21:25:00.001-04:002015-03-31T21:25:43.304-04:00The Farmer You Know<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Have you ever sat down to dinner and thought about where you food came from? I'm not talking about the grocery store you may have gone to. How did that chicken breast, pork chop or egg end up on your plate? Who gathered the eggs or gave water to the pigs? Who harvested the vegetables or planted the seeds? Was it a big garden or a little one? When having a conversation with your 3 year old, these are very important questions. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chicken and eggs, from a farmer we know!</td></tr>
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Now what if you had the opportunity to take that a step further. Wouldn't the lesson be more memorable if following dinner you could pick up the phone and call your farmer to thank them for raising the chicken you had for dinner, just to tell them it was delicious and you appreciated their work so you could have a nice meal? This is exactly what we did Sunday evening.<br />
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We had chickens for a while but their free range status didn't mesh well with local predators, so we are buying our eggs and chicken elsewhere. We believe in knowing your food and knowing your farmer. Fortunate for us we could buy eggs and some whole chickens from my cousin. Following dinner on Sunday, we called them up just to tell them the chicken they raised was delicious and thank them for raising it. We certainly could not have done that had we been eating chicken from the supermarket that day.<br />
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If you have one of our business cards, the back tells why you should buy our pork, but that isn't the point of my post. Sure, I hope you will want to buy our pork, but I really want to inspire you to buy local and know who your farmer is. Be able to ask what exactly they fed the animals you are eating or tell you how they care for and treat those animals. Your packaged meat from the supermarket may tell you it is organic or pasture raised or antibiotic free but knowing your farmer allows you to ask those questions and provides far more transparency than any marketing term or sticker on a package.<br />
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And if you are in the same season of life as we are with young children, you too can give them the memorable experience of understanding where their food comes from by thanking the farmer you know for the food on you plate. <br />
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-6162774074529036712015-03-15T22:27:00.000-04:002015-03-15T22:27:13.268-04:00Celebrating Pi Day with Homemade Pie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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If you aren't familiar with Pi Day, it is the date on the calendar that is representative of the mathematical constant known by the greek letter <span class="pi" style="background-color: white; background-image: url(http://assets.piday.org/images/pi.svg); background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: contain; color: #333333; display: inline-block; font-family: freight-sans-pro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 0.85em; line-height: 24px; text-indent: -9999px; vertical-align: middle; width: 1em;">π</span>. 3/14/15 at 9:26 a.m. was the longest sequence we'll see in our lifetime of 3.1415926... and my nerdy husband whom I love dearly thought it would be great if we made pie with the boys. Of course he was conveniently busy when it came time to make it and it was a three hour expedition with two toddlers as a result, but it was a good experience and I think you will agree that they were engaged and had a lot of fun. I had to be cognizant of keeping it fun so they will think it is this much fun when they are older and much more useful in the kitchen. What made our pie special is that we use lard we rendered ourselves from Fork Right Farm pork. (yes, Matt is working on a guest blog tutorial of how to render your own lard. It really is quite easy.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Measuring ingredients and Will was pointing to the recipe in the cookbook.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Kv6mIfl7Fhv2A5FwSNjkPp_lpnff9Wyb-dMlrvMFMpTkS5uAOGG6gHecVOMe3Ph2x58UTH6VfxgsaCkCaprrQrQv-aL-AcakGiMWuH0j_O2w97ZD9S0Oq30_rNlYrk7PveRmLc3cl5hl/s1600/IMAG0608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Kv6mIfl7Fhv2A5FwSNjkPp_lpnff9Wyb-dMlrvMFMpTkS5uAOGG6gHecVOMe3Ph2x58UTH6VfxgsaCkCaprrQrQv-aL-AcakGiMWuH0j_O2w97ZD9S0Oq30_rNlYrk7PveRmLc3cl5hl/s1600/IMAG0608.jpg" height="400" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cutting the Fork Right Farm rendered lard into the flour for our pie crust.<br /></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rolling out the bottom crust (just before Will tried to pick it up)</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdMF-e2XdOacNNdrTAJnQ581_-6tdWF7hgB-rHa0uUqlozqH6BR8nIUxoG8DKLIiqEh9X3QkTpLCsXdFrRqxrlt5BJ6Jcjqi2V2jNRZLLCHsquCjOe89unPtGF2gkxX3E1hEveTsAWba4/s1600/IMAG0611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdMF-e2XdOacNNdrTAJnQ581_-6tdWF7hgB-rHa0uUqlozqH6BR8nIUxoG8DKLIiqEh9X3QkTpLCsXdFrRqxrlt5BJ6Jcjqi2V2jNRZLLCHsquCjOe89unPtGF2gkxX3E1hEveTsAWba4/s1600/IMAG0611.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">Cutting up the apples. Will really wanted to help cut but settled <br />for putting the slices in the measuring cup instead.</span><br /></td></tr>
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It's fun to sample the apples when Mom isn't looking</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixing the sugar for the apples.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">With dozens of cookie cutters, you would think I had a pig one. Nope. <br />Had to settle with a shamrock for St. Patrick's Day.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUusmbCFZv5nALAmy30V2uB6vnkW4Vv3mYxBqp4gjh5sdhHayMm1QwOQ2tvBM5J8nB_hszu4M8dyuw_p7vimc0OxnFsl7f3I8MgeYXwBED54BGjqXJQDkOXOkKnk8ctboK1GqIv3FPHVaF/s1600/IMAG0616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUusmbCFZv5nALAmy30V2uB6vnkW4Vv3mYxBqp4gjh5sdhHayMm1QwOQ2tvBM5J8nB_hszu4M8dyuw_p7vimc0OxnFsl7f3I8MgeYXwBED54BGjqXJQDkOXOkKnk8ctboK1GqIv3FPHVaF/s1600/IMAG0616.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Covering the edges with foil so they wouldn't burn</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17bYDY0jwhxfsimomoqLPbdHWw5585utUv49LOuMV9NEey9tkgFnirTLGexibpjLw56zVz5s-bK83e4U6kLGSu9SAU3apx_WZTF_09WwLkK2rls399fnckfi-WsH2iIn_PX9r7rW4tlpJ/s1600/IMAG0617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17bYDY0jwhxfsimomoqLPbdHWw5585utUv49LOuMV9NEey9tkgFnirTLGexibpjLw56zVz5s-bK83e4U6kLGSu9SAU3apx_WZTF_09WwLkK2rls399fnckfi-WsH2iIn_PX9r7rW4tlpJ/s1600/IMAG0617.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">And the final product!<br /></span></td></tr>
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I can honestly say this is my first completely from scratch apple pie, crust, filling and all. I've made pies where I bought roll out crust. And I've done pies where I made a crumb style crust and bought filling, but never the full combination. I'm probably my own worst critic when I say it could have been better. I believe I need to contact Matt's grandma and find out her recipe and which variety of apples she uses because it was not as good as her apple pies. <br /><br />
I'll be ready for the next Pi Day, even if it isn't Epic.<br />
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-12707808230992274522015-03-11T18:39:00.000-04:002015-03-11T18:39:44.444-04:00Not Just Another Crock-Pot Pork Roast Recipe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Whenever I find a good pork recipe, I just have to share it with our friends and customers. Yesterday I had a pork roast thawed, but had to work. Since I work from home, I had the luxury of remembering at lunch time that I still hadn't done anything with it and used part of my lunch break to get my meal ready. With a quick google search, the perfect recipe landed in front of me. This time, thank you Food.com for the following Crock-Pot Roast Pork Recipe. <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-roast-pork-344319">http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-roast-pork-344319</a><br />
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For those who don't like to cook and are intimidated by most recipes, this one can be simple with some salt, pepper and garlic powder on the roast and a cup of water with 2 Tbsp soy sauce in the crock-pot. And for those who like to cook and experiment, you could use whole garlic cloves and make a gravy if you wanted to.<br />
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As I have stated before, I generally start my crock-pot with veggies I have on hand so I don’t have to prepare any vegetables as sides for my meal. I emptied a one pound bag of baby carrots into the bottom of the crock pot and sliced a medium onion into petals. </div>
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Next, I put garlic powder, fresh ground pepper and Kosher salt on my pork roast and seared all of the edges in our cast iron skillet (if you don’t know, this helps hold in the flavor and keeps the roast moist, by holding in the natural juices). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Now, sit the roast in the crock-pot on top of the veggies with the fat side up (so the juices can cook down through the meat). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Lastly I poured over it a mixture of 8 oz. water and 2 Tbsp soy sauce; and then added a bay leaf.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Cook on low until roast reaches 160<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">°</span> using a meat thermometer. (My crockpot seems to cook faster than the time most recipes call for, easily drying out a meat if not monitored—this only took mine 3 hours on low even though the original recipe called for 4 on high or 6-8 hours on low.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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When it was finished I placed the meat on a plate, strained the vegetables into a bowl, and made some noodles for a side.</div>
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Even my little eaters wanted more pork before moving onto their carrots and noodles.<br />
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-46837127179758946312015-02-18T21:40:00.000-05:002015-02-18T21:40:30.184-05:00Keeping the Piggies Warm<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In case you haven't seen the forecast, temperatures are supposed to dip into the negative single digits with wind chills -15 to -25. Brrrr, it's cold out there. <br />
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We've been asked how our pigs stay warm, so why not write a blog about it.<br />
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All of our pigs have shelter. For the youngest ones, they are free to go in and out of the barn. The sows who are expecting or have babies are currently in large stalls in the barn and the the smallest babies also have access to a heat lamp but often prefer to sleep snuggled up to mama.<br />
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As for the big ones, we have put hay on two sides of the shelters to block the wind and they also use that hay to build nests. The pigs also like to sleep in piles for warmth. <br />
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Our outdoor waterers have have stock tank heaters in them to keep the water from freezing and the drinking nozzles have a drip to them which helps but they still get checked twice a day and thawed if needed. While they have hay to eat with a grain supplement, on these really cold days we increase the grain supplement to give more calories to help them stay warm.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfJ5hV1iq8Uo__FGsUxlAPtSuQAygVUDIrl51InvrXDVXXDZMW_RjjmOyUyqT1cUwSmaeftIk_GENbKrDrXOyqjyuHdo8Laa__blpQPQbvMOkbQeUEPoWl5GG1fil3FQFuRbXQk011_rP/s1600/IMG_7058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcfJ5hV1iq8Uo__FGsUxlAPtSuQAygVUDIrl51InvrXDVXXDZMW_RjjmOyUyqT1cUwSmaeftIk_GENbKrDrXOyqjyuHdo8Laa__blpQPQbvMOkbQeUEPoWl5GG1fil3FQFuRbXQk011_rP/s1600/IMG_7058.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pigs wanting attention. <br />'Pet me, pet me! Where is my food?"</td></tr>
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The pigs get around fine in the snow and it is fun to see where their tracks do or don't go in the paddock.<br />
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As for life on the farm, we bundled up the little boys this morning to get them out and burn some of that toddler energy. Will, our 3 year old, had fun shoveling the front yard and driving his dump truck across the yard like the plow trucks. <br />
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Keegan, our 20 month old, got cold much sooner and was a bigger fan of the hot chocolate after our adventure.<br />
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-47813124811953869422015-02-14T14:46:00.000-05:002015-02-14T14:49:29.821-05:00Winter Is Just a Different Kind of Busy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I find that I keep half starting posts but never get around to
finishing them. As this post title
states, Winter is just a different kind of busy, both on and off the farm. While the fields lay dormant and the garden
is a shade of mud, we have other projects happening this time of year and
planning begins for the year ahead. Seed
catalogs fill the mailbox. Orders are
placed for new things to plant, and the barn is wired with new electric. Hallelujah.
Now you can actually see in there during the dark days of winter!<o:p></o:p></div>
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A new year brings a new method of marketing our
product. Previously we only sold half
and whole hogs. We thought it might be
time to try something different since not everyone has a deep freezer; and when
you are only cooking for 1 or 2, it might take a long time to eat half of a
hog. Recently we introduced our pork packages. These will vary from one
processing to the next slightly, but they have around 30 pounds (two paper
grocery sacks) and contain an assortment of sausage, bacon, chops, and ham
steaks. Some also have roasts, spare ribs, or
neck bones. These are fabulous if you
want to try our pork and don’t want to commit to a half hog. The advantage of getting a half or whole hog
is you get more say in what you receive and how it is processed. For example, you might choose ground pork
instead of breakfast sausage seasoning; or you might get your chops cut in a
different thickness; or you could choose to have your ham steaks fresh instead
of cured. There are other options too.<o:p></o:p><br />
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In other news, I’m so excited to share that this week we
reached over 200 likes on Facebook! Social
media is pretty amazing and Matt and I are both part of various Facebook groups
related to topics that interest each of us separately. For example, I follow a Cincinnati baby-wearing
group’s off topic page where they ask questions of the group that are outside
the topic of baby-wearing even though that is what brought all of us to that
group. Someone was looking for
suggestions on where to buy a ¼ or ½ beef locally and that morphed into lots of
suggestions for local meat including a friend of mine tagging me and mentioning
our farm (Thanks so much Jennifer!). I
responded and shared more information and now we have a few new followers from
that group. We have done similar things
with other groups lately where someone asks about local meat sources and it opens up
the opportunity for us to share what we have to offer. There are so many forums to inquire about
local food these days and connect the customer directly to the farmer. There truly is something to be said for knowing your farmer and where your food comes from as well as the manner in which it is raised.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piggies have plenty of hay to keep warm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On the other side of the spectrum, Matt attended a
conference this past weekend for the local Food and Growers Association. This gave opportunity to network with others
and hear some success stories on how some farms are marketing their
products. He came home with a few things
for us to explore in the year ahead.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m working on a post (possibly more than one) to tell you about
the recent annual event where our family gets together and butchers a few hogs for
our personal consumption. After all,
this event is really what lead us to raising our own pigs and the creation of
Fork Right Farm.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-47908611056653746372015-01-04T23:28:00.000-05:002015-01-04T23:28:29.538-05:00Mud...Being the Safety for Feeding Time<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
News flash. It rained here...a lot. Today I was invited to go along for feeding the pigs, just in case Matt got stuck in the mud and needed rescuing. "Rescuing?" you ask. This would be assistance (witness) to when he gets stuck in the mud while carrying feed out to the feeder and can't move his feet, or when he slips, falls, and needs someone to be the rodeo clown distracting the pigs while he gets up before the pigs try to help him first. Sure, I've shared pictures of mud holes in past posts, but nothing like this. Pigs generally like mud and even they looked a bit miserable wading to the feeder. (Now before you feel too bad for the pigs, keep in mind, I'm showing where it is the worst, they have plenty of room to roam where the mud isn't deep and they have hay to build clean nests under the shelters where it is dry.)<br />
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It wasn't just sloppy in with the pigs, even walking behind the barn you stepped carefully so you didn't end up with mud on more than just your feet. I took my boots with me of course; no sense in having to scrub mud off my hikers when I have perfectly good rain/mud boots now. I even tested them in one of the puddles since we had 3 inches of rain and plenty to choose from. That's right, you could hardly see the tops of my feet in this puddle.<br />
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While I certainly didn't want to see Matt get hurt, it would have been good blog material if he had fallen in the mud or lost a boot. I don't know if you have ever walked in deep mud before, but it has a tendency to steal your shoes or boots. I can remember being kid and walking behind the barn when we had horses and losing a shoe. You balance precariously on one foot while you fish your shoe from the mud and try not to step in the mud with your socked foot for balance. Sorry, no pictures like that for you today.<br />
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At the next feeding area, you weren't so likely to lose a shoe as you were to get muddy from the over-spray of walking. Think of it like riding a bike through a mud puddle and having a streak of spots up your back from the splash. Even if you escaped that, you still had the risk of snout mud. (Term I just made up that refers to mud on your clothes from a pig sniffing you.)<br />
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And this spot, well...it may as well be dish soap on a slip and slide.<br />
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The consistency of the mud reminded you of something people pay high dollars for at a European spa. Don't think you would want a mud bath here though. Temperatures were dropping rapidly and are expected to be in teens tomorrow. The good news is the mud will freeze soon and you'll at least be able to walk again.<br />
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-7694823938469525502014-12-25T12:08:00.000-05:002014-12-25T12:08:05.680-05:00A Christmas Feast <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Last night was a new milestone for us, serving a traditional
prime rib for Christmas Eve dinner. We
had been dreaming of this moment for a few years now, but always had other
large family gatherings on Christmas Eve.
This year we celebrated the Eve with Matt’s immediate family at his
parent’s home. <o:p></o:p></div>
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His youngest sister prepared a shrimp appetizer, some
festive cranberry cocktails, and some twice baked potatoes. The other sister brought an apple cranberry
salad. His mom made roasted asparagus,
steamed broccoli, rolls, baked chicken (some of them weren’t eating prime rib),
and a chocolate chip cheesecake. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Matt used an apple wood smoke and cooked it on his Big Green
Egg. He makes some awesome meat with the
Egg, but this was our first prime rib.
Usually we do pork shoulders, brisket, turkey, chickens, or ribs on the
Egg. For this occasion he ordered the
prime rib right after Thanksgiving from a local butcher shop. We prepped it the night before with some garlic
cloves tucked in across the top and a coating of pepper and kosher salt, enough
to look like a heavy frost. </div>
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Then it sat
in the refrigerator overnight and was brought out again late morning so it
could warm to room temperature for an hour before being placed on the Egg. We used the drippings to make Yorkshire pudding
in the cast iron skillet. If you aren’t
familiar, it is a puff pastry and not pudding at all. YUM!<o:p></o:p></div>
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The meal was a success and we hope to make it part of our
traditions with our children in the years to come.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Obviously we enjoy cooking and this is something we like to
share with others. These last few years
we have started to give each of his sisters a Dinner Certificate for their
Christmas gift. </div>
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We allow them to choose
a meat, a grain, a vegetable, and a dessert and deliver it to them. It is more than what they would eat in a meal
so they have plenty of leftovers or they can invite others to share it
with. Matt makes the meat on the Big
Green Egg and I prepare the other sides and dessert. Here is what we recently delivered when they
redeemed their certificates from last year at the same time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<img height="226" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10676294_10205561323771972_2342990669016828422_n.jpg?oh=7cb1ec33b5d857b79895db48009966c7&oe=552F5C65&__gda__=1430549296_170d879cd03bd6e98668f74fb198250a" width="400" /></div>
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Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas with lots of
good food and companionship. Perhaps
next year you’ll consider some delicious Fork Right Farm pork. (sorry, no beef, but I told Matt we really
need to raise our own cow now so we can eat our very own prime rib at
Christmas)</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-92196327128748410292014-12-16T00:03:00.000-05:002014-12-16T00:03:21.834-05:00Its Only 32 Dozen Cookies <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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While I’m sure many people have large budgets for Christmas spending, my
approach has always been much different.
Gifts are nice, but for me it has always been more important to make the
rounds and give something that was handmade or baked. Even as a teenager I remember painting
snowman ornaments for close and extended family at Christmas. The really funny one was when I was 5 years
old I gave my uncle a giant peanut-butter cracker stack (visualize most of a
sleeve of saltines with peanut butter slathered between each in one giant
tower.) <o:p></o:p></div>
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My saltine and peanut butter
days are over and I’ve moved on to cookie baking for at least the last 10
years. In the beginning I had multiple
cookie recipes (as many as six) and gave each family a dozen of the different varieties. Then I pared down to 4
recipes and that lasted a year or two when it became too much and I dropped
down to just sugar cookies and a basic chocolate chip recipe that is well
received. I love the sugar cookies, but
since having young children, it is more difficult to bake, decorate,
and package them up, even if I bake and freeze the cookies ahead. <br />
<br /></div>
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These last few years I have only made chocolate
chip cookies. I love the recipe because it is freezable and they still taste equally good when they thaw (or even frozen if you are like Matt who sneaks a few out of the freezer at a time and I
find only 6 left in a bag of 3 dozen when I get them out.) Even better, I can fit a triple batch in my 6
qt. stand mixer. This is important since
I make a minimum of 20 dozen cookies each year, and often more like 30 dozen so
I also have cookies to take to the various events we attend during the holidays.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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As of this past weekend, my
baking is done. I had 12 dozen in the
freezer before, but on Sunday I finished the job with two-triple batches and
put another 18 dozen in for a grand total of 32 dozen (with some extras left for
eating.) <o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tGksAhBwLBgE2ld8GInQtjYu5I28ZoJrTZ7afhAv2sOqa5ilRcLC59qHeY5n3gPHfM1ln_ddNicWq5HW8hyphenhyphenqr0v9Q4ksAuKHo3WfRMZh_UQBYrCXwGv5DX_PPO2LfnaaMXcY-F2uQsMl/s1600/IMAG0363.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tGksAhBwLBgE2ld8GInQtjYu5I28ZoJrTZ7afhAv2sOqa5ilRcLC59qHeY5n3gPHfM1ln_ddNicWq5HW8hyphenhyphenqr0v9Q4ksAuKHo3WfRMZh_UQBYrCXwGv5DX_PPO2LfnaaMXcY-F2uQsMl/s1600/IMAG0363.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wore Keegan in my carrier while I baked. He slept at least an hour that way.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I wish I could remember
where I got this recipe, but since I've been using it for so long, I'm not certain. Perhaps it was on the package of one of the
ingredients along the way. Most importantly, they sure are delicious and always
get compliments. Below is the recipe and
at the bottom are a few tips I’ve learned along the way that make my baking
much easier.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Chocolate Chip Cookies<o:p></o:p></div>
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½ cup sugar<br />
½ cup brown sugar<br />
1/3 cup butter or margarine softened <br />
1/3 cup vegetable shortening<br />
1 egg<br />
1 tsp vanilla (I use McNess Super Strength Madagascar Compound, see note below)<br />
1 ½ cups flour<br />
½ tsp salt<br />
½ tsp baking soda<br />
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips<br />
Combine sugars, butter, shortening, egg, vanilla.<br />
Stir in remaining ingredients<br />
Drop by round tsp on ungreased cookie sheet (use parchment paper)<br />
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes (12-14 in my new oven) <br />
Makes about 40 cookies (less if your spouse steals a small bowl of dough)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Tips for these cookies:<o:p></o:p></div>
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1) Use parchment
paper! You can reuse it multiple times,
but use it and your cookies are less likely to burn, not to mention the easy
cleanup.<o:p></o:p></div>
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2) Purchase a
small cookie scoop like the old fashioned ice cream scoops that you squeeze and
it plops out. (saves so much time and makes consistent sized cookies)<o:p></o:p></div>
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3) Own at
least six good cookie sheets. Two are in
the oven, two are cooling, and two already cooled and you can begin plopping
dough onto them. (never put your dough
on hot pans or they will spread more than they would have if you used cool
pans—by cool, I mean cool enough to touch with bare hands)<o:p></o:p></div>
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4) Margarine
is adequate for this recipe, but if you were making sugar cookies, definitely
use real butter.<o:p></o:p></div>
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5) Buy Crisco
sticks. And if you are making a triple
batch, you don’t even have to slice it, just put the whole stick in, no
measuring necessary. (I usually get the
butter flavored ones) <o:p></o:p></div>
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6) Use a
quality vanilla like McNess or Watkins.
(Over the weekend I made two triple batches and the first was with my
last drops of McNess and the second was with a pure vanilla that was name
brand. Matt ate one of the cookies from
the second batch and told me something was wrong with them, “They’re okay but
not as good as usual.” I pulled a cookie
from the earlier batch to compare and sure enough, the vanilla was the only
difference.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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7) Freeze
them in gallon Ziploc bags, 3 dozen per bag, stacks of 4 tall and 3 wide. Just suck the air out of the bag before you
seal it and place them in the freezer.
They stack well and can be pulled out a few hours before use. You can also freeze them in individual
cookie/treat bags as a single stand, place in another bag and freeze them a
week or two before Christmas so you only need to pull them out the day of. I usually put them in a plastic bag labeled
for the place we are going with the correct quantity of packages so it is one
less thing to worry about during the busy holidays.</div>
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-91962759953705489712014-12-10T23:03:00.000-05:002014-12-10T23:03:21.090-05:00Christmas Pigs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Having pigs has changed my holiday decor. You see, before pigs, I would not have owned a light up Santa pig for my outdoor decorations, and I sure as heck wouldn't have had it on my front porch greeting my guests. <div>
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That would have been the kind of thing someone got me as a joke. (Ha, ha, bet you won't put this up in your yard. Hee, hee, hee.) Now that we raise and sell pigs, I saw it marked down 70% after Christmas last year and thought, "Hey, we need one of those, it would be great since we just started selling pork." My in-laws got one too and have it out by the barn this year.</div>
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But it isn't just lights, now it is about ornaments too. Last Christmas, Matt's Aunt gave us a really cool, and really thoughtful, glass ornament of a pig, showing the various cuts. It was so cool because she wrote on the box, "Fork Right Farm Est. 2013." We were excited to put in on our tree and Matt even took a pic of it with his phone and sent it to her to share our excitement. </div>
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Well, it was a good thing he got that photo. At 2 a.m. I woke to an awful crash and the sound of breaking glass. The sound was unmistakable after years of having cats when I was growing up. Our tree had fallen over and among the ornament casualties was our piggy ornament. </div>
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Our tree rig has been re-engineered to prevent future crashes and I'm certain a toddler could now climb it due to the aircraft wire from a hook in the ceiling running half way down the tree with zip ties to the trunk in 3 places. (don't get any ideas boys!)</div>
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Next on my to-do list, Christmas cards. You can bet there will be pigs on them. </div>
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-9382921967762256482014-12-01T20:46:00.000-05:002014-12-01T20:46:47.911-05:00Necropsy (Autopsy) On a Pig<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is not something I ever
imagined doing on one of our pigs, or any animal I owned for that matter. It is
with sadness and serenity I write this post.
Crybaby, our first boar and sire to our many litters, was found dead yesterday
morning. In an effort to be transparent,
I write this post to illustrate the hardship we and many other small farmers
endure on the farm and give a realistic picture of farm life and the efforts we
take to keep happy, healthy animals.
While we raise many of the animals knowing their fate, our breeding
stock we become much closer to. This
post is not meant for seeking sympathy, but to help the reader understand our
care and compassion toward our animals and create awareness of the challenges
small farmers face. <br />
<br />
As I first mentioned, I never imagined performing a necropsy on one of our pigs
to figure out what caused it's death, but there were some unique circumstances
here. About 2 months ago, Crybaby began
to have a mild cough. We know pigs are
sensitive and can often experience similar illnesses we experience as
humans. A few weeks later he had a runny
nose and started to lose weight when the rest of our pastured breeding stock were
still maintaining healthy weights.
Suspecting pneumonia, we treated him with antibiotics hoping to help him
get better. (We don’t use antibiotics on
our animals unless they are sick and need them to get better.) His runny nose improved, but returned 10 days
later. We had our vet come out and he
treated him with a stronger/different antibiotic and gave him some additional
vitamins. We isolated him from the other
pigs and gave him more feed. He put the weight
back on and was looking much better. Two
weeks after that vet visit, Crybaby became lethargic again with poor
breathing. At this point the theory was
he had ingested or aspirated something that had become lodged in his trachea or
the esophagus (not unusual for pastured animals). We treated him again with antibiotics and a steroid
and discussed a costly procedure of sedating and scoping his throat for
something caught, but our experienced vet explained the risk and that he may
not survive the sedation (pigs are very sensitive). We were encouraged to
wait and see what happened. As fate would
have it, his discomfort did not last long and here we are. <o:p></o:p></div>
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While it probably isn't
normal for farmers to perform such a procedure on their animals, Matt and I wanted to
know if there was anything more we could have done for him. Having our vet
perform such a procedure is not in our budget. We have an understanding of anatomy on a pig from processing our own
personal consumption meat. I'll spare you the details and visual documentation, but from this
procedure we learned that his lungs were filled with foamy fluid, and more
importantly, we found a mass on his larynx bigger than Matt’s fist. With where it was, it made sense that this
mass is what we believe was putting pressure on Crybaby’s airway and more than
likely he choked or asphyxiated due to it. </div>
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We know we did the best we
could in treating him and bringing the vet out more than once. There was nothing more we could have done that would have been economically feasible, or fair
to the animal. It is a difficult life lesson knowing we can’t always save them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It's sad for our family and
our farm as Crybaby was a gentle animal that sired great litters. He was just
hitting his prime at almost 2 years old. We'll grieve a bit, but we will move on,
as we must. Tomorrow is another day and
we are grateful for the live pigs we have.
Who knew that the little boar pig we brought into our home this time
last year, and named Bacon, would become the remaining boar we now depend on to
breed our current sows. I thanked my mom
today for encouraging us to rescue Bacon last year. Sometimes things don’t make sense to us when
they happen, but with time, the plan from the universe unfolds and the importance of certain
events becomes evident. R.I.P. Crybaby. 11-30-2014<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-46020502371292325162014-11-23T22:57:00.001-05:002014-11-23T23:02:41.768-05:00What’s Cookin’? Crock-pot Honey Balsamic Pork Roast (mmmmm!)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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There is something about the weather turning cold and the
impending holiday season that sets the tone for staying home on the weekends
and cooking for my family. Matt and I
both enjoy cooking in our home as you may have picked up on in our previous
posts. I would not describe anything we
do as complicated (okay, depends on your standards), but my toddlers entering the room certainly complicates our
cooking these days. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boys want to be in on the action and help of course if they aren't already under foot.</td></tr>
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This post kicks off a series of posts about different things
created in my kitchen lately.</div>
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As you might imagine, I have a lot of pork in my
freezer. While I enjoy making roasts in
the crock-pot, it felt like I was doing the same thing over and over. Googling ‘crock pot roast pork’ can be
overwhelming and some of those recipes are so darn complicated, my children are
not going to let me take my time and fumble through. Luck was on my side that day and one recipe
jumped out at me. Thank you Six Sisters
Stuff for the inspiration with your Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Pork Roast
Recipe. <a href="http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2014/04/slow-cooker-honey-balsamic-pork-roast-recipe.html">http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2014/04/slow-cooker-honey-balsamic-pork-roast-recipe.html</a>
I had all of the key ingredients and ad-libbed
a little to come up with this fabulous dish. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I generally start my crock-pot with veggies I have on hand so
I don’t have to prepare any vegetables as sides for my meal. I emptied a one pound bag of baby carrots
into the bottom of the crock pot and sliced a medium onion into petals. Then I added a large handful of peppers from
our garden we had cut up back in the summer and froze in a gallon Ziploc bag for purposes like this.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Next, I put fresh ground pepper and Kosher salt on my pork
roast and seared all of the edges in our cast iron skillet (if you don’t know,
this helps hold in the flavor and keeps the roast moist, by holding in the natural
juices). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Now, drizzle ¼ cup of honey over the roast. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Lastly I gently poured a mixture of 8 oz. beef broth (I used
bouillon), ½ cup balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce, and 1 tsp of
garlic powder. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Cook on low until roast reaches 160<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">°</span> using a meat thermometer. (My crockpot seems to cook faster than the
time most recipes call for, easily drying out a meat if not monitored—this only
took mine 3 hours on low even though the original recipe called for 8-10 hours)<o:p></o:p></div>
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When it was finished I placed the meat on a plate, strained
the vegetables into a bowl, and then put the remaining juice in a sauce pan and
brought it to a boil. I mixed 2 tbsp.
cornstarch with a few tbsp. of water and whisked this mixture into my boiling
juice to thicken it. I served this
beside my meat rather than pouring it on since the meat was already so moist
and some prefer to enjoy the meat without a sauce masking the natural flavor. (Perhaps grocery store pork could use this,
but with the full flavor of our Fork Right Farm pork, I prefer the sauce on the
side so I can enjoy the innate essence of the meat.)</div>
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Not all recipes I find on the internet are worthy of documenting in my Favorites
recipe book, but this one sure was, and even became a post. The vegetables were especially sweet and
flavorful. I definitely suggest this
recipe for your next crock pot pork roast!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I wish I had more pictures to share. Next time I make this recipe I'll be sure to take some step-by-step photos so I can edit the post and include them for the reader.</div>
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-17193333396190126172014-10-31T08:45:00.000-04:002014-10-31T08:45:50.555-04:00Piggy, Piggy, Pumpkin Eater<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Not every pumpkin in the patch is jack-o-lantern
perfect. Some rot before the majority of
the patch is “ripe” or they were nibbled on by some bug or small furry creature. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A few weeks back, we had the opportunity to collect some of
the imperfect pumpkins from a patch. </div>
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Of course
our little helpers couldn’t pass up this opportunity. And there is nothing like reaching to pick up
a pumpkin and your hands going through it. Yuck! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBk-Vxa6Ez3BP3NPOtEFBPS8UyjM2dXzGo9yhcivVzxj4Zznt1SRi2ajx7r1ZIZFrfM5U4-zbFBq9DSPg-6qT9zOTv4IaDaH_RjVtfslsa81NhlZddJ0XE04_ccjbNdfQ2sgYqN1pb9us/s1600/IMG_5879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBk-Vxa6Ez3BP3NPOtEFBPS8UyjM2dXzGo9yhcivVzxj4Zznt1SRi2ajx7r1ZIZFrfM5U4-zbFBq9DSPg-6qT9zOTv4IaDaH_RjVtfslsa81NhlZddJ0XE04_ccjbNdfQ2sgYqN1pb9us/s1600/IMG_5879.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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It was late when we got back to farm and
began to unload them, but the piggies were intrigued. A few broken pumpkins got tossed in the
paddock and the pigs feasted. They get a few pumpkins to share each day, enjoying the seasonal produce.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh53Xn6PsuHX-mCrQMVB9b-3408cBYLylDko1ceszHBYEtYUiggBjkqEECUvQyWcCbG7IIbvHML8TK9PcBNJoWzHqgJrNOmaJXLRU86OsF6Y9H0nwEpn_2VqUQ6QFNudQLZd05XwBiRsa08/s1600/IMG_6089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh53Xn6PsuHX-mCrQMVB9b-3408cBYLylDko1ceszHBYEtYUiggBjkqEECUvQyWcCbG7IIbvHML8TK9PcBNJoWzHqgJrNOmaJXLRU86OsF6Y9H0nwEpn_2VqUQ6QFNudQLZd05XwBiRsa08/s1600/IMG_6089.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Despite his small size, our son Will tries to pick up pumpkins to give the pigs but he just isn’t big or strong enough yet. I’m confident he has plenty of opportunity to help out in the future.</div>
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<br />Happy Halloween from our haunt to yours!
No tricks for the pigs, just some more tasty pumpkin treats! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-69962933016077812862014-10-12T21:48:00.000-04:002014-10-12T21:48:42.194-04:00Happy Birthday Fork Right Farm!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wow, what a year!
Fork Right Farm officially began its journey just over a year ago. Allow me to illustrate what we have
accomplished in our first year.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Breeding stock count is up to: 2 boars, 3 sows,
and 2 gilts</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">5 litters of piglets were born on the farm</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDHMrot8ES8KcO6rmcodDsCTdoz3lbThdiczPOkPEYCa8YY7fsQYZPL5La-_E7T0BVr35ZyyZ1QIElpl4Tbzcc5CE92MXhjZNDXkKFlUzdghV3a22Cx5ny_pT4RfSX9tD9XhPKamJbvFT/s1600/IMG_5011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDHMrot8ES8KcO6rmcodDsCTdoz3lbThdiczPOkPEYCa8YY7fsQYZPL5La-_E7T0BVr35ZyyZ1QIElpl4Tbzcc5CE92MXhjZNDXkKFlUzdghV3a22Cx5ny_pT4RfSX9tD9XhPKamJbvFT/s1600/IMG_5011.JPG" height="132" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvKzGACTCPj2QgvyIoLGTGnF4d3oA_nHYH65zU8PDYg_Zvn_rg8NPQiW2z9i1ZcC5bXbawLGEx8fOGap5tavd68R3irqYl281LrikIDCzbY6sIJg4xUaitN5Cj_MSQt87fISj4RKuiI7G/s1600/IMG_3814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvKzGACTCPj2QgvyIoLGTGnF4d3oA_nHYH65zU8PDYg_Zvn_rg8NPQiW2z9i1ZcC5bXbawLGEx8fOGap5tavd68R3irqYl281LrikIDCzbY6sIJg4xUaitN5Cj_MSQt87fISj4RKuiI7G/s1600/IMG_3814.JPG" height="132" width="200" /></a></div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Ran 4 miles of electric fence (9 paddocks) and
400 feet of hose</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Built 3 lean-to shacks, 4 troughs, 2 gravity
feeders, 4 gravity water barrels, and 3 stalls</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Pigs built 9 mud holes (some the size of a Volkswagen!)</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6OwWv9SIqGio-xXPUqqgxlqv7p-eB29Xf_apu6XpamZdFa_JpQV6MkxsSVSvu0b2t_sxJUCRHom45-y9BsHBfymUyvBVOtTBNu4smqysKoMCRXdK-nsZ56a6a29ZQZC05EJDNO6xa9XzS/s1600/IMG_5645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6OwWv9SIqGio-xXPUqqgxlqv7p-eB29Xf_apu6XpamZdFa_JpQV6MkxsSVSvu0b2t_sxJUCRHom45-y9BsHBfymUyvBVOtTBNu4smqysKoMCRXdK-nsZ56a6a29ZQZC05EJDNO6xa9XzS/s1600/IMG_5645.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">3 groups of pigs went to freezer camp</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Purchased another tractor</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Our farm was published twice (</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.6666660308838px; text-indent: 0px;">National Young Farmer’s Coalition (NYFC) Blog and in the Bright Beacon, a local newspaper)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Wrote 33 blog posts and published 105 Facebook
posts</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course all of this is possible because of some amazing
family, great customers, and delicious pork.
Thank you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looking back, I think some of our most memorable experiences
were:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Bringing home our first breeding stock</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7xwbCi_e1tyPY7jEGEFAM9DFfWJYeToHoiXhwVuohr3W7j83vk-KnvKQFxQ-ANOjs0JHucKbRzIcIZ_i3WUL0W9Ud2mEg7tt09TZrCOr9z7giS88tVwSfp2kXvo95Nx06BeQ-YXTguTL3/s1600/IMG_2520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7xwbCi_e1tyPY7jEGEFAM9DFfWJYeToHoiXhwVuohr3W7j83vk-KnvKQFxQ-ANOjs0JHucKbRzIcIZ_i3WUL0W9Ud2mEg7tt09TZrCOr9z7giS88tVwSfp2kXvo95Nx06BeQ-YXTguTL3/s1600/IMG_2520.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Rescuing Bacon, the piglet we brought into our
home for weeks and bucket-fed</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9b1izK2F4LBxzzObN1qAROWU__vYIZOe5QafeDH15o04bLSCs7GkLk4Tt7W0xuPgAVCl9mW_hGoP4SfAioJl5U9Ab5VjAVuLusajjKeDYHJKV9fYgd17BVkWsBwyfKzHJiaR_PFOrBlm/s1600/IMG_3310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9b1izK2F4LBxzzObN1qAROWU__vYIZOe5QafeDH15o04bLSCs7GkLk4Tt7W0xuPgAVCl9mW_hGoP4SfAioJl5U9Ab5VjAVuLusajjKeDYHJKV9fYgd17BVkWsBwyfKzHJiaR_PFOrBlm/s1600/IMG_3310.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Selling our first pigs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Putting up hay for the coming winter</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjO_TysuhC0En-DFhu0tne0w6ZCt7EBvzI3syZQtxySComEFWwCw1Z9XfdCcv0Qel60ZulKAFRVtULc1jfbL_S8fevrNB4KODbO1cMi2R24lAhhNF6Yr0yXkgc5Ks4_E4Fskg-IHXud1x/s1600/IMG_5227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjO_TysuhC0En-DFhu0tne0w6ZCt7EBvzI3syZQtxySComEFWwCw1Z9XfdCcv0Qel60ZulKAFRVtULc1jfbL_S8fevrNB4KODbO1cMi2R24lAhhNF6Yr0yXkgc5Ks4_E4Fskg-IHXud1x/s1600/IMG_5227.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">·</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Taking our young boys to visit the pigs</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4z154NbDB3B1RkGT88AAle5V4xuFXXtjQMn1pftezgq2I9RmRyk0U-P5AFpra-WDx9u4izG-QhMbrKxLyAFXbY6WxVjTpAhqaTKssbc-dOE62kvzSJ-QoAsG4zafB3et43wpR9rb_hU1/s1600/IMG_5623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4z154NbDB3B1RkGT88AAle5V4xuFXXtjQMn1pftezgq2I9RmRyk0U-P5AFpra-WDx9u4izG-QhMbrKxLyAFXbY6WxVjTpAhqaTKssbc-dOE62kvzSJ-QoAsG4zafB3et43wpR9rb_hU1/s1600/IMG_5623.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are excited to see what the next year will bring!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1ZAA3HJ-XHKwcf9Rrw9FiKKeznWUISRlt5-ujGdrmF6BbJnDEK90U64ftubXaJ_u_flUS5oO399zrCe_qW_R12wxbyhCcO_6qnSRID02YTffsgXJwZsV4JFkU6VpVyQ4sd6ca8rlZWoD/s1600/IMG_5686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1ZAA3HJ-XHKwcf9Rrw9FiKKeznWUISRlt5-ujGdrmF6BbJnDEK90U64ftubXaJ_u_flUS5oO399zrCe_qW_R12wxbyhCcO_6qnSRID02YTffsgXJwZsV4JFkU6VpVyQ4sd6ca8rlZWoD/s1600/IMG_5686.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-59612637853720376452014-09-26T20:07:00.000-04:002014-09-26T20:07:08.082-04:00Digging Potatoes With Little Boys<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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What do you do on your Friday nights? On one of mine, I got to watch my little boys
get dirty digging potatoes with their daddy, poppa, aunts, uncle and cousin. They were so excited. Imagine being a little boy...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3U4S5Myh6R_s6j0_JFuTQ6eJ6YVx1B9_x5PSBNNQ9aJV6lwHSGnO_v9gMgDKGjEvYgjTDaclE-F_jJ7pZIbfzUuf-Gv5b7BQ4QcmVxHHxPfLztEA9YcMCxxs5CzTRex0fAYOyvKlcmuep/s1600/IMG_5587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3U4S5Myh6R_s6j0_JFuTQ6eJ6YVx1B9_x5PSBNNQ9aJV6lwHSGnO_v9gMgDKGjEvYgjTDaclE-F_jJ7pZIbfzUuf-Gv5b7BQ4QcmVxHHxPfLztEA9YcMCxxs5CzTRex0fAYOyvKlcmuep/s1600/IMG_5587.JPG" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
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“Yay, we're at poppa’s house! Daddy told me we get to dig po-tay-toes. We are out by the garden and Aunt Amy is on the
big tractor. Mommy told me where I have
to sit so I’m safe when the tractor drives past. Poppa walks behind the
tractor with this thing they call a plow.
It rips open the ground.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUoLaGOOtmpwpihSqBiu4wB05dj30cZvLZb3ehaMrF5hMUuBo3JVIkPOAIYg3GyEZRs9q7zWXlYupOBzIVar5sa3I8i-l3Rs8KSvbQLHBsXOvIWSFeoHcsDhrwIUBcRsBYHgcx79Xtubr/s1600/IMG_5578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUoLaGOOtmpwpihSqBiu4wB05dj30cZvLZb3ehaMrF5hMUuBo3JVIkPOAIYg3GyEZRs9q7zWXlYupOBzIVar5sa3I8i-l3Rs8KSvbQLHBsXOvIWSFeoHcsDhrwIUBcRsBYHgcx79Xtubr/s1600/IMG_5578.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
“When the tractor is stopped and Aunt Amy climbs down, we
are allowed to leave the spot we were told to sit and can run to the long row
of fresh dirt. This is where we hunt for
buried treasures (potatoes). My brother,
cousin, and I pick them up and drop them in a bucket. The adults point to more for us to pick up and
we carry the filled buckets to the wagon and dump them.”<br />
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“When it is time to dig a new row, we go back to the place
where we were told to sit before and the tractor goes through again, digging
up more treasure.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">“At the end of the night, we got to ride to the barn on the wagon
full of potatoes.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">It was so fun!” </span></div>
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-63007410146862291252014-09-16T18:41:00.000-04:002014-09-16T18:41:04.103-04:00Tomatoes Galore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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When you have a lot of tomatoes, you have to find something
to do with all of them. Granted, we set
ourselves up for this conundrum by planting around 30 tomato plants. Why so many you ask? Well, if you are going to the trouble of
making a mess processing them, you might as well have enough ripe at one time
to be able to do a giant batch of sauce or salsa. Of the plants we have, most are a large
slicing variety, but we also bought a pack of cherry tomatoes figuring the boys
would like them. As you saw in one of our
previous posts, they do like them and enjoy plucking piles of green ones. Will, our 2.5 year old, has become more
helpful. He would carry the little
bucket while I picked and then go dump them in the big tub for me. This saved me from moving a 4-5 gallon tub
multiple times while I moved up and down the row. He also helped me pick the cherry tomatoes
while I continuously reminded, “only the red ones.” I ended up with 12-15 gallons of big tomatoes
and 2.5 gallons of cherry tomatoes. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_edoIOpya6ghYyV9SSmrmBLTjNMRbyQaOPHReYni5diWBp2ARXUFchOf3kTt52MnCKXfr_q5o40IQNDbeJGM_P1tAelTMXenBI4DCgAnbcjziBZmjKSWJ4ohoxj92RqVkTydT-f731fWe/s1600/IMAG0151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_edoIOpya6ghYyV9SSmrmBLTjNMRbyQaOPHReYni5diWBp2ARXUFchOf3kTt52MnCKXfr_q5o40IQNDbeJGM_P1tAelTMXenBI4DCgAnbcjziBZmjKSWJ4ohoxj92RqVkTydT-f731fWe/s1600/IMAG0151.jpg" height="400" width="226" /></a></div>
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So
what to do with 2.5 gallons of cherry tomatoes?
The boys and I made oven dried tomatoes (similar to a sun dried tomato)
to use in sauces, on pizza, and any other recipe we like. It was a fun project with them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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First they helped pick the greens off the tops. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg65tiZZEGVjn6Wd9WJkKiZUZaiqkZ38Sgmzxu3trdNvAYfiWZtV6yjgcZHt3BeSt0rck9X09fF64K-vemz1ryixhMrJa8_P9h03UFeXAudww2dj1Exb62y9lQ-C79XPCEIQjtFsMfRNdQb/s1600/IMAG0123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg65tiZZEGVjn6Wd9WJkKiZUZaiqkZ38Sgmzxu3trdNvAYfiWZtV6yjgcZHt3BeSt0rck9X09fF64K-vemz1ryixhMrJa8_P9h03UFeXAudww2dj1Exb62y9lQ-C79XPCEIQjtFsMfRNdQb/s1600/IMAG0123.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div>
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Then I washed them and cut each in half. After that it was time to squeeze the seeds
out. This part was great fun. Keegan, our 15 month old, really enjoyed
squeezing the tomatoes in his hands and transferring them back and forth
between the bowls.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6tt7qMKTVNqHp_wQjeAlRdVyRFpSlDzZYVZ2ULAxDBNStwqs7G1LWEILst0VaQ7OQNpFTlE-xgpU9AKABPM4PrSTlk29amn3qGflpjZfC2yLHD7KX3m3MPlKSIeWHC8rI58Y1kMCHL0SR/s1600/IMAG0125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6tt7qMKTVNqHp_wQjeAlRdVyRFpSlDzZYVZ2ULAxDBNStwqs7G1LWEILst0VaQ7OQNpFTlE-xgpU9AKABPM4PrSTlk29amn3qGflpjZfC2yLHD7KX3m3MPlKSIeWHC8rI58Y1kMCHL0SR/s1600/IMAG0125.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div>
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Lastly I spread them out on parchment paper covered cookie
sheets and baked them in the oven at 200 degrees for 4-6 hours.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPptDm_CXVbLE6Ymh6a84CwuSBvrXZQsa4VG5hbP_UNl8AQUjrpRH2LNbQpnw1BYSGnBxEjyfaGnOhd4M6VELq2Q0CLbPPZ0QgcU76j0_odMS2HnCDqTmSiUt4EV4kd4J65vpwn1r-NFkG/s1600/IMAG0127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPptDm_CXVbLE6Ymh6a84CwuSBvrXZQsa4VG5hbP_UNl8AQUjrpRH2LNbQpnw1BYSGnBxEjyfaGnOhd4M6VELq2Q0CLbPPZ0QgcU76j0_odMS2HnCDqTmSiUt4EV4kd4J65vpwn1r-NFkG/s1600/IMAG0127.jpg" height="400" width="226" /></a></div>
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When we were done I transferred them to a bowl for the boys
to marvel and the little one thought he would sneak a few from the kitchen
counter.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAWL_eUFzI-47DeB4RLV1RL2sTB1yF7ShCDhIoZpa6hNyR-_VN1sue_baBSChZeORljY3B-D9fbWhedc_zI-AzK8tyJV6iyiHnKXkD0-0M4TpunV4YG51G15lc6DtWCD7kf5FJJt0QRdX/s1600/IMAG0129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAWL_eUFzI-47DeB4RLV1RL2sTB1yF7ShCDhIoZpa6hNyR-_VN1sue_baBSChZeORljY3B-D9fbWhedc_zI-AzK8tyJV6iyiHnKXkD0-0M4TpunV4YG51G15lc6DtWCD7kf5FJJt0QRdX/s1600/IMAG0129.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVxUMzBNyFVnfohBrr5hJ0dexY3sYpR_MiFI77hJrj2MRxdwOdFCGRiGBiC_BioYcVISu6Xs29YoG-guPeYlmWgITVLotyWbGQ6U34IbBUB_WnnwjBKFhNZ0m65CQSnfiJou7jbrN2i1ZX/s1600/IMAG0130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVxUMzBNyFVnfohBrr5hJ0dexY3sYpR_MiFI77hJrj2MRxdwOdFCGRiGBiC_BioYcVISu6Xs29YoG-guPeYlmWgITVLotyWbGQ6U34IbBUB_WnnwjBKFhNZ0m65CQSnfiJou7jbrN2i1ZX/s1600/IMAG0130.jpg" height="320" width="181" /></a></div>
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I placed all of them in a freezer bag and store them in the
freezer until I’m ready to use them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-79646301444724169472014-09-08T22:37:00.002-04:002014-09-08T22:37:42.404-04:00Mud = Happy Pigs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Last week we introduced you to the mud our pigs love and showed
how their havens grew through the summer.
It only seemed right to follow that post with some better pictures to show
you what maintenance (from a pig perspective) each group has done.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-rfTDUmdnONPOXV41h2cWZYEK1nGfh4Vttp375cPzXl1tZKAuR47Hb2NzYauf1M2PuLjrSKPXh788eqMVQTEU9rKqK9klW78UrjwJ7uKSmZQpJ8wMRZ6yZA2JzNm_plz20Aht7JTuwLGg/s1600/IMG_5645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-rfTDUmdnONPOXV41h2cWZYEK1nGfh4Vttp375cPzXl1tZKAuR47Hb2NzYauf1M2PuLjrSKPXh788eqMVQTEU9rKqK9klW78UrjwJ7uKSmZQpJ8wMRZ6yZA2JzNm_plz20Aht7JTuwLGg/s1600/IMG_5645.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These peewees bask in their mud</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhewpLpIC-w7YbMbzc6dgtNj0TWE4h-f1yrsuz4o8D6ADTnrDheClYOYJ8yQV5i6JVQBIIRjPCU41qq_vIAy9H9ZxytEQvFygrRhO2-Tk5gTHmuFkNmaj_vbMz7-8OFjtJAx6QmymIwp8qa/s1600/IMG_5646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhewpLpIC-w7YbMbzc6dgtNj0TWE4h-f1yrsuz4o8D6ADTnrDheClYOYJ8yQV5i6JVQBIIRjPCU41qq_vIAy9H9ZxytEQvFygrRhO2-Tk5gTHmuFkNmaj_vbMz7-8OFjtJAx6QmymIwp8qa/s1600/IMG_5646.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bacon and his ladies opted for a double mud hole </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Lots of pigs live inside for their entire lives. The difference on Fork Right Farm is they get
to be pigs the humane way. Here they can
wander the pasture, eat grass and other greens, root in the dirt with their
snouts and wallow in the mud. We provide
fresh water to them daily and while filling their trough or pan they enjoy a
spray down with the hose if they are standing nearby.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrOeYzhQeLoq_KPPTOJGb9aL25HfPS4RZaGSeFQV7AX0Wm9hQOw5TeTFJvKyifVBYRAauZ65OBb49LH-OXfHah81MFRwOrMzEjtiu91CQ5_7jUsxaHaLVKEQ6C4IItcTyqxa4VjdOqNwM/s1600/IMG_5648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrOeYzhQeLoq_KPPTOJGb9aL25HfPS4RZaGSeFQV7AX0Wm9hQOw5TeTFJvKyifVBYRAauZ65OBb49LH-OXfHah81MFRwOrMzEjtiu91CQ5_7jUsxaHaLVKEQ6C4IItcTyqxa4VjdOqNwM/s1600/IMG_5648.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of several mud holes the breeders made</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4EuB52TJNDLGivu0FBQ1JdDK1ENlYUGlAX2LW3-wKj7NBGQ1mTIJkDbaAYhFGKeI0gNpfFAZESgmQd00Gxve1XmoSlG2ciR_nGjqXQ13Qn2bDY6LnNzIutk9dB7gDLxxgDMFZyNc-AR7/s1600/IMG_5644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4EuB52TJNDLGivu0FBQ1JdDK1ENlYUGlAX2LW3-wKj7NBGQ1mTIJkDbaAYhFGKeI0gNpfFAZESgmQd00Gxve1XmoSlG2ciR_nGjqXQ13Qn2bDY6LnNzIutk9dB7gDLxxgDMFZyNc-AR7/s1600/IMG_5644.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls are still trying to get their mud hole started</td></tr>
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For farrowing we pen the sows in the barn to keep them safe. A week after the piglets were born, our sow
Margaret made sure we knew when it was time to let her and the babies into the paddock. Destruction of the stall walls was her
communication method. As soon as we let
her out, she settled down and immediately found some dirt to lay in and
root. It only took a few days for that
spot to become the start of the mud hole Missy and her babies currently enjoy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvXQNuOki858_F3etDjfgkaJW2_FJlU58VUGOfpoMbkfG9aL2LL1vE7UjHZ6m805DDtwiiR2GrjXE332ecltjmeFRvJPnHXyyjWBv-XpqWa31cyIiunbAUUxNL1NGDMCFalrgUu7SCkCE/s1600/IMG_5643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvXQNuOki858_F3etDjfgkaJW2_FJlU58VUGOfpoMbkfG9aL2LL1vE7UjHZ6m805DDtwiiR2GrjXE332ecltjmeFRvJPnHXyyjWBv-XpqWa31cyIiunbAUUxNL1NGDMCFalrgUu7SCkCE/s1600/IMG_5643.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missy and her babies</td></tr>
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Little boys seem to have the same allure to the mud and puddles.</div>
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010444821623075540.post-29400762187209311562014-09-01T22:20:00.001-04:002014-09-01T22:22:21.309-04:00The Pig Days of Summer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We have all heard of the dog days of summer, that sultry
part of the season marked by the rising and setting of Sirius, the Dog
star. At Fork Right Farm, we can call
them the pig days of summer where we watch the fat butts lay in the mud, trying
to beat the heat. Even the newest litter
loves the mud. Not enough mud? Then lay in your water bucket to cool
off (yes, one group does this). We have 5 different groups of pigs
and it is funny to see how each works the ground to make their particular mud
hole home.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXobJv8gvLeZTvFQGrNVNqAGgJrxvwVNCuqLOrHf7UV17CkoBtE2j1b6HICRkP0qA23_tZCXhvVnSMvlp4H2Ee7DzXS0O4DdQOBCiPLKgw06vALeu9IFxOXc4LJDMwip1_xG8fP4JjgCU/s1600/IMG_5633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXobJv8gvLeZTvFQGrNVNqAGgJrxvwVNCuqLOrHf7UV17CkoBtE2j1b6HICRkP0qA23_tZCXhvVnSMvlp4H2Ee7DzXS0O4DdQOBCiPLKgw06vALeu9IFxOXc4LJDMwip1_xG8fP4JjgCU/s1600/IMG_5633.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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The youngest litter is about 4 weeks old now. By the end of September, this group will
wean.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The next group will be 3 months old. Some of them were sold as feeders. The remaining three, whom we call “the girls”
will be kept for our family’s freezers later this winter. These adolescents are a really fun size where
they are curious and like attention but aren’t too big yet where we can take
the little boys in with them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The group after that have been referred to as the
peewees. These piggies really love their mud and it is
amazing to watch how their mud hole has grown through the summer. This is the next batch slated for freezer
camp which is just a few weeks away. If
you would like to purchase a half or whole, let us know a.s.a.p. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEL1IYLd3dsr1p7uh_fFOZhLV-_Z2wI18tqf4bDctBB-1tIRXEGEOIfw9uHXG3EbmBdWglFkzFg-XMI6liB6EMfXHlByOrAamwRh40ZeWSDTas_jaGH6B2-GOVK-5dknQh5BygScT1jQz1/s1600/IMG_4810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEL1IYLd3dsr1p7uh_fFOZhLV-_Z2wI18tqf4bDctBB-1tIRXEGEOIfw9uHXG3EbmBdWglFkzFg-XMI6liB6EMfXHlByOrAamwRh40ZeWSDTas_jaGH6B2-GOVK-5dknQh5BygScT1jQz1/s1600/IMG_4810.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqKkrxeKSlcEu5xxGnaQBcSPlmT-8TRPvXgQeiK14upxRXY88rqjFIG5fzLgycwD8S8zg4oSSKX4Q22a5HCPzeGw-7QWGMK6KIqPhGdiPqHpTfRuqiisGJQOjXZT0hBIRODFefVio0hG0/s1600/IMG_5043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqKkrxeKSlcEu5xxGnaQBcSPlmT-8TRPvXgQeiK14upxRXY88rqjFIG5fzLgycwD8S8zg4oSSKX4Q22a5HCPzeGw-7QWGMK6KIqPhGdiPqHpTfRuqiisGJQOjXZT0hBIRODFefVio0hG0/s1600/IMG_5043.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmyEVJnAx6g6pktBS9IsUnWRf95Qtf4M3ZKp7MURgsUxr4rl0PtY4RCB4Sio8WK3aXoixsCvK6t4XxRzBxkdGs2UVKLXmLO4HcFC5356Q0CLRldIt5kbGp1NlMTr-eCj9e5CzujflxHpW/s1600/IMG_5444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmyEVJnAx6g6pktBS9IsUnWRf95Qtf4M3ZKp7MURgsUxr4rl0PtY4RCB4Sio8WK3aXoixsCvK6t4XxRzBxkdGs2UVKLXmLO4HcFC5356Q0CLRldIt5kbGp1NlMTr-eCj9e5CzujflxHpW/s1600/IMG_5444.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These three pictures are the same mud hole at <br />
early summer, mid summer, and recently before we <br />
cut the side of the hole with the tractor to avoid broken legs.</td></tr>
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Next are the young breeding stock who will be our next group
to help grow the herd. This features
Bacon, the boar pig we rescued from our first litter, and two mild tempered
gilts.<br />
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Lastly are the original breeding stock comprised of Crybaby
and his three sows. With any luck, our
next litters of piglets will arrive in December.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkPbB19eGQqsNu8wFigtk3OTk2eq1CtnEPtjuC7Aft9xCW2kmz0KN40tOh1XSmfNvwAC4jusamRF1AC6q5xHwnpHUo6cGvh7l-isOUTrPBInKMpGyvkLYhEQwHQ1_wOZjPvMIUJTtKnEI/s1600/IMG_5446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkPbB19eGQqsNu8wFigtk3OTk2eq1CtnEPtjuC7Aft9xCW2kmz0KN40tOh1XSmfNvwAC4jusamRF1AC6q5xHwnpHUo6cGvh7l-isOUTrPBInKMpGyvkLYhEQwHQ1_wOZjPvMIUJTtKnEI/s1600/IMG_5446.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hosing down the piggies on a hot day</td></tr>
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Sharlenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02350782216346830387noreply@blogger.com1