Oink!

Meet Pork Chop and Bacon Bit (AC calls them Porkie and Hammie.) No, they aren’t Disney names, but we figured we’ll have them long enough to warrant names, so we chose names that remind us not to get too attached! 

The farm we stayed at in Canada had large, commercial-sized breeds that I did not love, so I swore we would not be in the swine game. But in December, AC surprised me with an update that she’d been thinking about pigs as a way to help the farm sustain itself financially. My compromise was that we could have pigs if I got to pick the breed. After extensive research, I settled on Mulefoot pigs because they are known to be docile, good mothers, and have delicious, dark-red, marbled meat. The Mulefoot breed is named after their unique uncloven hoof, like a mule’s, and, as of 2013, The Livestock Conservancy considers them to be critically endangered.

In other news, at least three goats are for sure pregnant (and by “for sure pregnant” I mean we’re still too cheap to pay for ultrasounds, but the ladies are definitely bigger and rounder)! We got a new goat, Dory, on New Year’s Day. She kidded a few days before we got her, but didn’t take to her kids so her previous owners kept the babies and gave her to us in exchange for 3 rabbits. We’ve been milking her since she arrived and made a big ol’ batch of goat cheese and 2 batches of ice cream. Thanks, Dory! She has earned the “board for shame” twice now because, true to her namesake, she can’t remember how not to get her head stuck in the fence.

We have 18 bunnies right now, from three mamas. One doe, Abu, was a first-time mom and did everything right *except* protect her babies from the cold February air. So, sadly, we lost all but one of hers. That lucky one, though, has enjoyed being an only child and hogging all mom’s milk and attention. S/he grew so fast that we started calling it Lil’ Chunk. I think I’m getting attached (shh don’t tell AC.)

The chickens are laying and it looks like we might have a good garden season. I switched from plastic seedling cells to soil blocking and the additional air circulation has been a game changer! I started my seedlings early this year because they grew so slowly last year, but in their new soil blocks, they took off – it’s a good thing we have our greenhouse because I’m running out of space for the tomato plants that are already ready to be put in the ground.