Butchering the Pigs

Marco and Polo, our two pigs, became pork the first week of March. The mobile butchers came and they were fantastic. They walked back to the pen, where the pigs were calmly munching on grain, killed them with one shot to the head, and the pigs didn't suffer a bit. Plus they weren't distressed so the meat will be perfect.

Winesap and Alaskan Wild Berry wanted one pig. So there was one for us and one for them.

The truck couldn't get back to the barn because of the snow, so we dragged them up to the truck. Cindy, the cow, followed close behind. Prairie Spy was distressed at this and said, "gosh, Cindy, you're just the kind of cow that would watch horror movies!"

Here they are skinning the pig. They halve the carcass, put it in the refrigerated truck and then take it to the butchers to make bacon, ham, sausage, pork roast, pork chops and ribs. Yum!

It cost us $227.00 to buy one pig and raise it, and the butcher costs were another $200.00. So, with out charging anything for our time.... total cost was $427.00 for just under 200 pounds of healthy meat.

And here is part of the liver and the heart, sitting on my kitchen counter while I meditate on what to do with them, and I listen to the kids saying, "UUUHHH GROSS! we are NOT eating THAT!"

I can't say I blame them. I partially froze them to make them easy to cut. Then sliced the liver thinly and froze it and diced up the heart and froze it too. Probably we'll just have really healthy dogs...