The pigs have arrived

Remember how I referred to "our pig" in my last post? We actually ended up buying two on the recommendation of Mulefoot breeder Mark Sponsler. Apparently pigs get lonely, and although the farm already has two resident sows, they can't all be combined in one pen. Violence might ensue. The sows are both pregnant, so the plan is to slip the mulefoots into the pen after they give birth, and hope the sows don't notice and pitch a fit. Or feel inspired to murder the interlopers.

Matt picked up the pigs and drove them back to Pinehill Farms last week. Here they are:

When I first saw the photo, I sucked in my breath for a moment. I have a weakness for cute. I had to force myself to look away and avoid dwelling on it. It's much easier to dissociate when your pork takes the form of a chop wrapped in butcher paper instead of a baby animal, round of snout and perky of tail. That's one reason why we're not naming them.

Right now they're about eight weeks old, both purebred mulefoots (mulefeet?). We couldn't work out organic feed, since the existing pigs are fed conventionally and soon they'll all be sharing the same trough. Randy and I would have to pay for all of the pigs to switch to organic feed, and since organic is about double the cost of conventional, it just didn't add up this time around. It's a disappointment but this first year is a grand experiment, and the fact that Matt and Angie are raising them on their own land with love and daily commitment to their well-being is definitely the most important part.

The farmers meet their charges.

Meanwhile, we seem to be forming a small pork CSA in spite of ourselves. Since I'm a nervous Nellie, I was skittish about signing up people to buy our meat when, like I said, it's all a grand experiment this first year. What if it comes out dry and tough? What if we can't figure out the shipping situation? But there is the small matter of approximately 400 pounds of pork that must be dealt with, and everybody thinks I'm crazy for being so neurotic. The People Want Pork! If you live in Chicago, San Francisco, or somewhere in the vicinity of Grand Rapids and want to get in on the action, let me know.