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New Life on the Farm

written by

Sue King

posted on

February 25, 2021

FOR WHO HAS DESPISED THE DAY OF SMALL BEGINNINGS? ZECHARIAH 4:10A

It is hard to believe that we are only a few short weeks to the official start of spring. Winter has actually been quite easy to take this year.


Small Beginnings

Do you struggle with them? I know that I sure do. I am an impatient person by nature. I don’t like waiting for my plans to work out. I want the end NOW. I have been learning how to rest in the fact that God knows my desires and that He will work the details out in His timing. I have to constantly remind myself that, like a child I have to crawl before I can walk and walk before I can run.

As far back as my memory takes me, I have always desired to have a farm. It had to be a farm like grandpa and grandma’s. A farm full of animals and people. I have far exceeded the variety they had. Our farm started as a very small homestead with cats and dogs, a milk cow and our riding horses. Next came a few laying hens and a small flock of sheep. Finally goats (which we don’t have anymore because I loved my garden and orchard more than I loved the goats) ducks and geese.

My husband, Larry just shakes his head at all the critters I have. He is a cattleman at heart. His passion is for good cows and good horses. Together we have created a farm that we can both love. I believe that they would have very much approved. I like tractors, but would much rather work with living creatures than go around and around in a field on a noisy machine.

There is something about animals that touch my soul. They each have their own personality. Just like my children, I can empathize with them. I can enjoy their antics when they are happy and feel their pain when they have ailments. I had just had my third baby and had only been home for a few days when we had a cow having trouble having her first calf. I tried to help Larry assist her, but being so soon after childbirth I had to leave. It was like I could feel her pain in my own body.

Over the years it has become our goal to be able to make a living from our farm. We wanted people to be able to access the nutrient dense food we were enjoying and thriving on. I have heard it said that farmers eat like kings (no pun intended). We want our customers to have the same experience.


New Life on the Farm

Birthing usually signals spring for us on the farm. This year it is starting a little early for us. We are so thankful that the weather has warmed up and these little guys don’t have to come into that frigid arctic air.

The pictures above are of one of our sows and her very first litter of piglets. It always amazes me how tiny they are. She is probably about 350+ pounds. Those six little babies are definitely under 2 pounds. She is so careful with them. When they want to nurse she gently works her way into a laying position, then starts making little grunting noises to them. They all find their spot at the udder and fill their little tummies. If something threatens her babies you had better not be in her way. Momma pigs can be extremely protective.

We are anxiously waiting the arrival of the second sows litter. They should be here any day. I hope she is as good a mother as the other one.

When the snow finally melts away, these pigs will head out to the forest pastures where they will spend the summer and fall foraging to their hearts content. They will get to express their God-given characteristics, their pigness as Joel Salatin says. Working with the natural design of the pig will make the best pork you have ever tasted.

When we follow the Creators design for our animals they live a stress-free, well nourished life. In return they will nourish our bodies.

Did you know that our pasture/forest raised pork is available most parts of the year? We have a selection of pork loin chops, Boston butt roasts. Plus ham, bacon and sausages, all made WITHOUT any fillers or preservatives. That means gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free and nitrate free. Just good “clean” meat, sea salt and spices. You can find us at the Grande Prairie Farmers Market every weekend. Visit our online store and place your order there.

Do you have a friend or family member who has been searching for locally produced “clean” meats we would love it if you would share our farm with them.

See you next time!

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P.S.: As I promised earlier in this week you can get my recipe for Hascap Glazed Pork Tenderloin here. I served this with mashed potatoes and sauteed veggies. It was a family pleaser!

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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.

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