"Subscribe & Save" program coming soon. Watch for details!

MY DAUGHTER INTERVIEWS ME: A GUEST POST

written by

Sue King

posted on

May 15, 2020

Hi there Harmonys Way Family Farm friends!  My name is Stacy Flynn.  I am the oldest daughter of Larry and Sue King, you favourite farmers! 

I am excited to do a take over this week.  I want to give you a unique view of Sue in particular.    I will be asking her a few interview questions so you can get to know her better.

Stacy:  Hi Mom, how has your week been?

Sue:  It's been good!  It hasn't been a bad week, it has just been a busy week. One crazy day after another. 

We have lost a few animals this week which has been disheartening.  

Someone asked me, “why do you keep doing what you do when life gets hard?”  My answer is; I honestly don’t know.  I think it is because we have a calling to raise nutrient-dense food for folks in our community who value locally grown, clean food.  Plus, we have not had the liberty to “pack it in.”

Stacy:  I am sorry to hear that you have lost some of your animals, I know you have a special bond with each and every animal and that it can be hard to lose them.  It is so easy to question why you are persisting in your work when you lose what is dear to you.

 What have you been working on this week?

Sue:  I have been working in the shop three days this week.  On Monday and Tuesday I cut up a lamb and a pig.  Wednesday I made thirty pounds of savory pork breakfast sausage.  

Thursday I bottled  kombucha.  Next week I will be focusing on a half dozen different beef sausages and making up 250 pounds of cabbage into sauerkraut. I am also hoping to start planting my garden; peas and potatoes are first on the roster.  It’s been such a cool slow-starting spring so I am not in too big of a rush yet.

Stacy:  The thing I most remember about being on the farm is that the work never stops. I also remember when I was growing up you were constantly doing farmers markets.  Then you took a 6 year break and started back up recently. What was the reason behind the break and what inspired you to start back up.

Sue:  There were a few reasons for leaving the market; mainly that we had a growing family that needed to have their mother in the home more. When we left we never planned to go back.  After selling our animals through the local auction market  we realized that was not a viable option for a small farm.   Larry's work as a farrier was slowing down and we needed other revenue streams to make a living for our family.  We had already made the investment into an on-farm food handling facility that allowed us to sell direct-to-consumer.  The way we see it is that direct marketing is the only way to make a living on a small farm. 

Stacy:  Do you enjoy it being back at the farmers market? Do you like being able to connect with your customers and offer them face-to-face interaction?

Sue:  That's part of why I love doing it.  I am very passionate about good food and what you choose to nourish your body with. Being able to connect people with a face that provides their food is very rewarding. This time around I have had a very different experience that has affected me positively.   More people are realizing the importance of locally produced food and  are looking for farm-to-table options.  I am very grateful for the new connections and partnerships that have arisen because of this.

Stacy:  Thank you so much for sharing a little bit of your heart and the inner workings of the farm.  You are an inspiration to me.  It is very special to have an example of a hard working woman who pours her all into what she is passionate about.

When you subscribe you will receive our little booklet, 4 Fabulous Pastured Pork Recipes absolutely free. 


More from the blog

Are you Absolutely Satisfied with Store-Bought Pork?

Are you Absolutely Satisfied with Store-Bought Pork?

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY PORK DISHES ALWAYS HAVE SO MANY SWEET SAUCES ON THEM? For many years this question never crossed my mind. Until we started raising and eating our own pasture-raised pork. But what lead us to start raising pigs?  Neither Larry nor I had much experience with pigs growing up. We started our married life buying all our pork in the grocery store, but then switched to sourcing it from a neighboring conventional pork producer. We were not aware that most of the pork that is available in the grocery stores comes from pigs that have never seen the light of day. They spend their whole life crowded into huge hog barns. They are fed an industry standard diet of grain with no green, living food at all. They are crowded into small spaces with many other pigs where their natural ability to move is restricted. Much to our surprise and horror, we discovered that the neighbor we were purchasing our pork from was raising them no differently than what we could get in the store. At that time, little did we know that eventually Larry would face a digestive issue from this type of pork. After certain meals he would feel sick to the stomach and end up with diarrhea. It got so bad before we clued into the cause. When we quit eating pork these issues went away. Now we had a dilemma. We really like pork but couldn’t eat it anymore. Being the DIY homesteaders we were back in those days we decided to buy a couple little pigs and raise them ourselves. We knew that we didn’t want to raise them in a barn. So outside they went. These were the happiest pigs I ever saw. They were free to roam around their pasture, rooting in the soil and wallowing in the mud while searching for whatever they thought was tasty to eat. We fed them grains from a neighbor, kitchen scraps and milk from our milk cow. When they were big enough to harvest, we sent them to the processor, not knowing if we would even be able to eat this pork. Much to our delight Larry had no adverse reaction to the meat. It was delicious! The meat was firm, not mushy like barn raised pork. It also had a richness to it that we had never experienced before.  No more bland and flavorless conventional pork for us.  No sauces required! We thought that we couldn’t be the only people who had experienced something similar and wished for a pleasurable eating experience. This success started us on a new farming adventure, raising pastured pork for sale. Encouraged by the success we had with our first pigs we decided to purchase our breeding herd. We have tried many breeds of pigs over the years and have settled on the Berkshire breed. They are a heritage pig that matures slower thus producing an excellent quality meat and the best lard fat that I think you can get. I have heard it said that Berkshire pork is the gold standard of pork among chefs. Besides that, they are very personable and entertaining to have around!  And mischievous. I truly believe from our personal experience that all animals that we raise for food need to be able to live in conditions that are natural for them and have the ability to express their God-given characteristics. When we domesticated animals, we became responsible to steward them well. We strive to do just this with all our animals. One of my favorite cuts of pork is the Boston Butt Roast.  It is juicy, tender, melt-in-your mouth meat. This is the cut that pulled-pork is made from. It is an economical cut that we also use to make ground pork and our special gluten-free, nitrate-free sausages. When you purchase our pasture-raised pork you will experience what real pork should taste like. We offer a variety of options when it comes to purchasing our pasture-raised pork.   Individual cuts to suit your needs. Pork Chops, Traditional salt-cured and smoked ham and bacon, Whole Tenderloin, Boston Butt Roasts, Ground Pork, Breakfast Sausages (Nitrate-free, Sugar-free and Filler-free). Coming soon!  Our "1/4 Pork Bundle."  Our newest addition to our pastured-pork line-up.  This bundle is perfect for a smaller family or if you have limited freezer space.  It will consist of a variety of the individual cuts, including Pork Chops, Pork Sirloin Steak, Ham Steak, Bacon, Ground Pork and Sausage. And, last but not least if you want to customize the cuts you receive, we have whole hogs available.   You can find all of these options in our online store. Do you want to try my simple Boston Butt Roast recipe? It’s so simple. I place the roast on a rack in my cast-iron dutch-oven. Add a little water. Sprinkle chopped onions on top (I used my home-grown dehydrated onions) salt and pepper. Roast until the internal temperature reaches 160F. I slice it and serve with apple sauce, oven roasted potatoes and a veggie.  You can purchase our pasture-raised pork from our online store or from us at the Grande Prairie Farmers Market on Fridays or Saturdays.

Read more
Return To Top