Our 2019 Three Little Pigs

You can probably tell by the last few posts that I've been very excited to get pigs again this year. Not only are they a source of organic, pastured, chemical-free ham and bacon, but they are a great money-saver for our large family as well. So you can imagine how excited I was yesterday when our "pig guy" called and said he finally had a couple of pigs available for us! Usually we try to get our pigs mid-May, so we're getting a pretty late start this year, but that's OK with me - we'll have more garden produce for them when they really start porking out (meaning we'll save more on the feed bill). We should still have a full four months to grow them out, though, depending on the weather. Our processing date depends on when the heavy frosts set in, since we don't have a heater for their water trough. So when the water starts freezing overnight, it's time to butcher. If we have a normal fall, that will put our processing date in October or maybe even November.

But right now the weather is balmy and beautiful, and we're more than ready to bring some pigs home. We got the call before church, and on the drive home I texted my sister-in-law to ask if she'd like me to pick up a pig for her, too - she'd been toying with the idea of raising a pig, but hadn't decided one way or the other. She didn't text me back before we headed out to pick up the pigs after lunch, so I assumed it just wasn't meant to be for her this year. But when we arrived at the farm, lo and behold, there were three pigs in the pen! A black one, a pink one with black splotches, and a little pink runt. Now, not having heard back from my sister-in-law, and knowing my own weakness, I had only brought enough money for the two piglets I was planning on, plus my emergency $20 I always carry with me. When we got to the pen and I told the kids to pick out the ones they wanted, the farmer said he'd give us the runt for half price. I told him that all I had was the $20 extra, and without a second's hesitation he said, "Sold!" And that's how we ended up with three little pigs instead of two.

Which ended up being a good thing, since I got a text message from my sister-in-law on the drive home saying she'd like one after all! We'll be raising it here with the others, but she'll pay for her pig's feed (plus a little for our trouble) and help with the butchering. My daughter, who's in charge of the pigs this summer, is excited to earn her first "farm money".

So now they're home and all settled in, so we just have to settle on some names! All through lunch the kids were brainstorming names for this year's piggy pair, finally settling on Chris Hamsworth and Tom Piggleston (with my oldest son lobbying heavily for Benedict Baconbatch). The only problem was that when we picked them up, we found out that all three of the pigs are gilts (girls). So of course I suggested that we simply modify the names slightly so we'd have Christine Hamsworth and Thomasina Piggleston (which my daughter would not agree to until I assured her we'll still call them Chris and Tom). The runt has been officially dubbed Eggs Benedict Cucumberpatch (Eggy for short), and is already the family favorite.

And so begins another summer of pig-raising. I have to admit, I've missed having pigs this spring. They're such a useful homestead animal - eating food scraps that are too big for the chickens to manage (not to mention the chicken bones leftover after I make broth), clearing the thorns and thistles out of the pasture, and just generally being their happy piggy selves. Our little farm just feels more complete with them around.