# Freezer full of pork



## burntmuch (Aug 13, 2011)

The pigs are done. I raised 2 feeder pigs this spring.  Mostly on hog feed, but they got quite a bit of veggies . Then the last 3 or 4 weeks they got lots & lots of apples.. Took them to the butcher last week. Which was a piece of cake. Lured them into the trailer with weeds from the garden & hard boiled eggs.  My buddy who has raised pigs since he was a kid was amazed. One pig weighed in at 245 The other 230.  I got 240 lbs of of pork. Sold 3 halves at $225. to friends. . I got my half a pig for amost free. I havnt had any yet but it looks good. Next time I ll put more effort into getting more free food . But with hunting season around the corner & a batch of meat chickens in the pen. My freezer will be packed with all natural meat. Should get me thru till spring. All & all is was a great experience for me & the family.


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## freemotion (Aug 14, 2011)

You only kept 60 lbs for your family?  You're gonna regret that, my friend!   Did you have any bacon made, or ham?  I had some chemical-free bacon done for me.....it was AMAZING.  We just used the last of the bacon grease...yes, every precious drop was carefully saved and used.  Bacon/feta popcorn is my all-time favorite snack now.

We raised two pigs last year and this year we have four.  Three for us and one for the guys who will be doing the "dirty work."  

Tonight's supper:  Pork chops browned in grease from home-brined salt pork, also browned onions and garlic from the garden.  Added a jar of home-canned chicken broth and a jar of home-canned cream of mushroom soup and simmered for an hour or two.  Browned some more salt pork and cooked up green beans from the garden, and boiled up some organic red potatoes from the garden to soak up all that luscious gravy from the chops.  

Sixty pounds?  I could go through that all by myself in a couple of months! 

ETA:  Where are you?  Collect as many acorns as you can this fall.....it makes great pig food!  I put an ad on craigslist and people called me to come pick up their raked-up acorns!  I just piled 'em up in the pasture and what last year's pigs didn't finish, this year's pigs polished off....sprouting by then, but still very nutritious!


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## burntmuch (Aug 14, 2011)

We ended up with 67 lbs of pork.. I debated between keeping a whole pig or just half. This was our first time, so we decided to go with half. So the whole experience was almost free for us. Right now debating on doing a couple more for the winter. Hey do you think If I was to collect acorns over the next mth or so Would they keep in a bin, so I could feed them to the pigs in the spring, Thats if I dont do pigs this winter. Im in Michigan btw.


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## Hillsvale (Aug 14, 2011)

freemotion said:
			
		

> You only kept 60 lbs for your family?  You're gonna regret that, my friend!


Yup... our family of three ate two between September and May, ran out before this Junes girl hit the freezer...


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## ohiofarmgirl (Aug 14, 2011)

burntmuch said:
			
		

> We ended up with 67 lbs of pork.. I debated between keeping a whole pig or just half. This was our first time, so we decided to go with half. So the whole experience was almost free for us. Right now debating on doing a couple more for the winter. Hey do you think If I was to collect acorns over the next mth or so Would they keep in a bin, so I could feed them to the pigs in the spring, Thats if I dont do pigs this winter. Im in Michigan btw.


yes! do it! do it!! Freemotion got tons of acorns and finished some hogs that way. and you still have time to raise them up - and since it will be cold when they are ready, you can butcher them at home. nothing is as beautiful as a couple of hog carcasses hanging in your garage. i have a buddy that raises them year round for his family. he times it so he has an easter ham and then plenty for fall (he butchers just before thanksgiving).

GREAT WORK on the ones so far. and you'll love the natural meat and will probably never go back to store-bought.


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## freemotion (Aug 14, 2011)

I considered keeping them in a bin BUT.....they'd need a lot of drying so as not to go moldy and rotten, and it just became too daunting.  I didn't know how many acorns it would take to finish the two last year, so we just got as many as we could.  I'd only put the ad on cl halfway through the acorn "season" so missed a lot of opportunities.  That won't happen this year, I'm ready!!! 

We ended up with quite a large pile still on the field by slaughter day, and I figured the squirrels would take care of them.  They didn't.  Too many, and the ground was frozen by the time the pigs left for freezer camp.  In the spring, a lot of the acorns were sprouting, making them even more digestible.  Since that happy accident worked so well, we will be doing it on purpose this year.  The plan:  pile up far more acorns than the pigs can possibly eat in the sunny center of their pasture.  The further away the pile is from the trees, the less squirrel activity there will be.  The squirrels can only take so many, and if they are lured out in the open, well,  that is good, too.  The more we feed squirrels to the hawks, the less likely they are to go after my hens.  Stinkin' hawks.


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## Cabinchick (Aug 19, 2011)

Hi burntmuch:

I'm a little confused. I thought I read on a prior thread that you were buying your piglets in the fall? I just bought mine last week. Did you wait until now to slaughter them or did you buy them this spring?

And congratulations on your success!   I'm going to look into raising meat chickens or maybe quail to help keep the freezer stocked with wholesome meat.


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## burntmuch (Aug 19, 2011)

Nope these pigs were bought in late march. they were 50 lbs. I fed them thru july. then butchered the first week of august. I was asking about raising pigs thru the winter mths. I may be picking up 2 more feeder pigs this week, then butcher around Christmas time. Dont know yet. Im still new to this whole raising my own food thing so I ask alot of questions,  I just ate breakfast, my farm fresh eggs & my farm fresh suasage. It was awesome.


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## Cabinchick (Aug 19, 2011)

burntmuch said:
			
		

> I just ate breakfast, my farm fresh eggs & my farm fresh suasage. It was awesome.


 I have breakfast envy. I'm eating a bowl of Cheerios :/


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## freemotion (Aug 19, 2011)

67 lbs will go FAST!  I'd get those two pigs if I were you.....


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