Sallygardens Smallholding

Air Dried Hams and Salami

The pigs are no longer foraging the front lawn. The lawn has been sown with wildflower seed and the pigs are now pork. As the previous air dried hams were such a culinary success we decided to make four air dried hams. You can never have too much air dried ham, it's an absolute delight. Similarly you can never have too much saussison or salami which is why we made less sausage and more salami this time too. The only problem is the waiting and salivating in anticipation. We shouldn't have too much longer to wait for the salami but the hams were so large it could be another three months before they are ready. However, it's most certainly worth the wait.

We hang the salami in a muslin lined chicken wire cage and the hams are wrapped in cotton pillowcases to deter scavangers.

 

So we are without pigs at the moment but hope to get more weaners in July which is good timing as it means we will have more pork to process in the Autumn. October is a great time to be working on pork. It means the weaners have been growing during spring and summer when wild food is bountyfull and the weather warm, so the extra foraging they do adds to their flavour and the concentrate feed we give them goes further as less calories are burn't off to keep warm. And ideally, in October, there are few flies and the weather is cool, ideal conditions for butchering.

Sallygardens eBooklet Store

At long last I've managed to create a Paypal store which will make it easier for you to purchase our Sallygardens eBooklets. Instead of having to email me first to request a Paypal invoice you can place a direct order via this store front. Of course you can still use the old way, this alternative just provides another easier option . Look to the right hand side bar to find the store. Come on in and have a look around.

The Taming of the Pigs

Since the piglets arrived (and left, and arrived, and left again!) about a month ago we have been working on building a trust with them. Once it became apparent that they were too flighty to investigate the electric fence slowly but surely we had to take fast action before they decided to depart full time. We built a four foot high strong mesh fence with round posts roughly every meter. The mesh size was only a couple of inches, sheep fencing would have been useless because piglets are small enough to jump through the larger gaps.  Just above grass level and at pig shoulder height we strung around electric ribbon fencing. When the pigs were released into their new and improved enclosure they again made repeated runs at the fence for a good two minutes, but this time when they got pinged by the electric fence they couldn't just bolt out through it.

Once they calmed down they never went near the ribbon fencing again, and after two weeks turning the soil in their miniature 'training enclosure' we removed the mesh fencing. Four strands of electric ribbon fencing now contains them and can be easily moved around to new ground as they need it.

Why do we use ribbon fencing rather than wire fencing? Because a pigs eyesight isn't great, especially if they are are lop eared breed as the ears effectively act as blinkers, but they do learn where the wire is and avoid it. When the time comes to move the fencing, or the pigs, they won't want to cross the line where they've learned the ping exists. If you use wide ribbon electric fencing they can see it clearly and associate the ping with the ribbon rather than the area, so will readily move across the line once the fencing is removed. We find they might still need a little encouragement.

As you can see these piglets who ran the first few days are now well on the way to relaxing in their new home. We spend a few minutes with them during several sessions each day, not just at feeding times, so that they don't expect to always get food whenever we enter their pen.

Rearing Piglets for the Table, Course Dates for 2008

The large black piglets are at last settled in and they are ready to accept visitors! For the next three months we will be running courses for people to come to Sallygardens Smallholding and learn how to rear a pair of weaners for the table. If you have between a quarter and half an acre of land you can very feasibly raise a couple of pigs by buying in some eight week old weaners and fattening them to roughly six months of age. Your pigs will be living a very happy and fulfilling life, free ranging and happily grazing on the land. There are many hardy breeds that can be kept outdoors all year round. Perhaps you have a piece of land to reclaim from rushes or scrub, why not let the pigs do the work for you and reap the benefit of delicious pork at the end of the job! Such benefits include home made sausages, salami, air dried hams and out of this world roasts.

On the course here we start with a cup of tea and a chat at the kitchen table about your own circumstances and hopes for family scale pork production. Then we go outside to meet the pigs and discuss what breed of pig would suit your needs best, where to source them, welfare, fencing, housing, transport, feeding, handling, legal requirements, the final days of preparation for the abattoir and a couple of tips for processing the pork.

The maximum number of participants on a course is four, that way we keep it friendly and informal and we have plenty of time to discuss your own situation and questions. Once you've done the course you are free to contact us with any further queries. You'll also receive a printed copy of our booklet  'Rearing Weaners for the Table, A Beginners Guide'.

Upcoming dates in 2008 include ;
Saturday 20th September 2.30pm
Saturday 11th October 2.30pm
Sunday 19th October 10am
Saturday 8th November 2.30pm
Sunday 16th November 10am
Saturday 13th December 2.30pm
In 2009 courses would probably run again from roughly April. Email me to reserve a place on the course.

Pigs Make A Grand Entrance (Followed by a Grand Exit)

Last week we were thrilled to welcome a new pair of Large Black piglets to Sallygardens Smallholding. We've raised quite a few for the table and so we had an air of confidence about us this time that only comes from a certain level of practical experience. At my age I now know that this first flush of confidence in any given relatively new activity is normally swiftly followed by a realisation, usually initiated by some form of unforseen disaster, that there's still a lot to learn. However, the anxiety of taking responsibility for pigs welfare had well and truly disappeared and this time around there was only pure excitement and anticipation of their arrival to enjoy to the full. We shut them in for a day to let them settle and then introduced them to their dwelling which had been lovingly fenced with not three but four strands of electric fencing just to be sure, to be sure.

The family gathered around to watch their first pensive explorations around their new pen.  Fresh water and a bountiful bowl full of feed awaited to entice them out of the confines of their 'safe' house. Sure enough two little black snouts appeared in the doorway a minute or two after it had been opened. One minute we were all going 'ah look, so cute', the next, pandamonium. One shot out of the door, out through the mains electric fencing and made straight for the garden gate. Luckily I'd shut it tight just as a precautionary measure, but we never thought for a second that the pigs would have any thought of escape on their little minds and that even if they did have an inkling the overkill four strand close gap fencing would keep a wild boar inside, never mind an eight week old weaner. I felt a moment of smugness as I calmly explained to Dan 'It's ok, I had the foresight to shut the gate'. Unluckily, at this point, the pig managed to squeeze out under the gate. He legged it up the lane and promptly disappeared through another gate into a field.

I got a fit of uncontrollable giggles, but Dan took stock and shut the second piglet back in it's house lest he felt the need to follow his companion. I managed to keep my eye on the escapee and could indicate to Dan just where it had gone. Hot pursuit followed across the field, up a hill, down a hill, across another field ... 20 minutes of chasing a pig at top speed was impressive but even Dan couldn't keep up the pace. It became obvious that an eight week old piglet is capable of running at precisely ten meters gap in front of a fit grown man, indefinitely, no matter how fast he quickened his pace.

I've heard an urban myth, that pigs can't swim. I know its an urban myth because after the 20 minute chase it then launched into a river, swam upstream for a bit, then swam along a ditch before scrambling up into a field across the valley. Dan returned for the van and sped off. A few minutes later I could just about make out his orange jumper ranging up and down the hedges on the far side of the valley. I went indoors and began to get on with the chores, certain we'd seen the last of this pig. I daydreamed about how we would be known as the people who let their pigs escape into the wild, oh the shame of it, and how the huge and dangerous boar would savage peoples gardens and vegetable patches in the years to come.

There was a knock on the door. A neighbour said casually 'Rebecca, there's a pig on the lane, I presume it's yours'! I could've kissed him. Sure enough there he was just standing there near our gate. Of course I could still see Dan at the other side of the valley, searching. The irony of it all. The piglet trotted off back into the field and I couldn't give chase, I had three small children to mind and taking them into a field with six bullocks to catch a piglet just didn't seem clever. I put out a few handfuls of feed, leading from the field gate to our garden.

An hour later Dan returned, he wasn't best pleased to hear piglet had been and gone again since his escapade across the valley. We decided it was time for a cup of tea.  While drinking it we watched two neighbours across the valley give chase in vain for half an hour to a small oblong black spot streaking back and forth. After tea another couple of neighbours came to check the bullocks. Our story up to that point provided them great entertainment and as we continued regailing the saga we all spotted the piglet emerge and cheekily trot up the farmers field, bold as brass.

Through what can only be described as a perfect feat of pigmanship, herding and joint co-operation including hand signals that the SAS would have been proud of, we ended up with the piglet being safely returned to its shelter. Huge sighs of relief were breathed, and shortly after and very large fence was built using 2inch wire mesh, round poles and two strands of electric fence. They still tried to escape but the the tough fencing along with the odd bolt has finally managed to contain them. After a few days of sweet talk they no longer try to run.  Instead stay to dig, forage and even enjoy, rather than tolerate, a good old fashioned back scratch.

Where to Source Free Range Pork

Following on from interest in my previous post I'd like to highlight the fast growing range of alternative food sources here in Ireland. To find artisans local to your area have a look at the interactive Food Map of Ireland by clicking on the badge below, you can add contacts if you know of any not yet listed.

 

You'll notice on the food map a farm owned by the Chilton's in County Roscommon, not far from Sallygardens. This is a classic example of a family run small scale local business which caters for customers who have opened their eyes to the reality of intensive farming.  These freedom farmers raise excellent rare breed, free range, 'happy' pork who follow their instincts roaming the great outdoors. I know it's excellent meat because Dan helped them with their last sausage making session and was paid in kind with a decent whack of truly delicious sausages! You can either buy pork directly from them all prepared and ready to cook, or if you fancy getting even more hands-on you can buy a pair of eight week old weaners to rear at home.

For more details contact Andrew Chilton on 086 6627415. More pig breeders are listed on the Sallygardens forum pig category here, or you can buy an eBooklet for €8 about raising weaners for the table written by me, just drop an email to me here at irishsallygardens[at]gmail[dot]com.

Butchering Free Range Organic Pigs at Home

When your pigs get to slaughter weight you can take them to the abattoir and they'll kill, butcher and bag up all the meat if you wish. Of course after you've been through it all a few times you may start to get tempted by the thought of saving a few Euros, or simply be keen to have a go and attempt to do the butchering yourself. You can arrange with the abattoir for them to kill and gut the pig so you can collect the cleaned out carcass in two halves and attempt the butchering at home.

Amazingly (and you'll be even more amazed once you've tried it yourself!), a trained butcher can cut up a pig in little over an hour but don't use this as your guideline for completing a the job!  Allow a full twelve hour day with the help of at least one other person, preferably four keen workers. A second day will also be needed if you intend to make your own sausages and salami. Don't forget about freezer space, a couple of pigs will fill three or four drawers of an upright freezer.

Before you gather troops and collect the pig carcass it's vital you have a number of essentials to hand which should be organised  and lined up ready to hit the ground running a few weeks prior to the event. Invest in some butchers knives and a sharpener, ask your local butcher where he buys his own. Also buy a couple of rolls of plastic bags for packing and a good black permanent marker for labeling bags. It's handy to have a weighing scales for measuring out portions when bagging up too. 

If you also intend to make sausages ensure you have already decided on flavours and bought in the necessary herbs and spices well in advance, mix these the day before so they can be easily added to each batch of ground sausage meet as you work. Ensure you have sausage casings and a sausage maker ready to roll.  Buy and watch the River Cottage DVD 'Pig In a Day With Hugh & Ray', watch it several times and set it up in front of the table you'll be working on so you can play and pause the DVD as you make your cuts. We pool bought ours to share between friends.  Keep a well stocked first aid kit close to hand. Take regular breaks and eat well because you'll need to keep up your energy levels. Warn any squeemish, vegan or vegetarian friends and neighbours not to call in that day! Have some chilled beer and wine to crack open once you've finished to celebrate.

Again this is a fantastic experience for children to witness first hand. There is no mistake where their pork chops come from after seeing this. I'm all in favour of educating people as to where their food originates and if that results in my children choosing to become vegetarian then I'd be proud to assist them, we all eat too much meat anyway. I don't want them to be so disjointed from the realities of food that it comes as a shock that pork was once a living pig, or that their burger was a cow. So many kids (and adults) these days don't make the connection or never get the opportunity to, because meat is not packaged with any visual reminders of animals on the labels and our lives are so removed from the whole process. It's all too easy to mentally bypass the realities of life, death and animal welfare that is required for us to consume meat.

I've often had visitors to our home who meet our pigs and find them delightful creatures (which they are), then when I explain that they aren't pets but are for the table, the conversation usually goes ; 'That's so cruel, how could you?',  'Are you vegetarian?', 'No!', 'Do you eat pork from the supermarket?', 'Yes, but that's different', 'yes it is because our pigs are outdoors and free ranging, your pork has probably never seen the light of day and has been raised indoors', silent thoughtfulness then ensues. On the other hand I've had lifelong vegetarians stay with us who have decided to eat our meat because they see that the animal welfare issues that stop them supporting intensive meat production systems are simply not an issue here. Education and awareness followed by informed choice and less meat eating could improve life for a lot of pigs!

Making Time for Air Dried Hams

Sometimes when all the pork comes back from the butcher it can be quite overwhelming deciding what to do with everything. By the time you've made a years supply of various sausages and salami there's little or no energy left for much else. Something we tried with our last pigs which were butchered in February was so freeze the joints we intended to air dry. We recently defrosted them when a few rainy days arrived and so a little time indoors was well spent preparing the hams. Once they have been frozen and defrosted they only need half the curing time in the salt in comparison to fresh pork.

With our first hams we followed the River Cottage dry cure recipe but this time we tweaked it a little, changing the amount of sugar (within safe curing guidelines), juniper and bay, and adding a couple of other herbs and spices.

I suppose with each batch we will tweak the cure mix and so I begin to appreciate how mixes become guarded secrets from various parts of the world where they have centuries of experience and have tweaked to perfection!

But somehow Leitrim Ham doesn't have the same ring to it as Parma Ham or Jamon de Serrano. Anyway, not that we'd ever want to part with it by selling.

Divine Salami

A couple of months ago we began processing the meat from the two most recent weaners we raised for the table. Some of it went into Ox Runners (large intestine casings) to make our very first salami. We experimented with three recipes; plain, garlic and last but not least peppercorn, garlic & port. I was glad we had the comfort of our book which reassured us that the growth of white, blue and green furry mould was perfectly normal and indeed a very good sign.  We decided against using the preservative salpetre which keeps the meat artificially pink but also reduces the risk of botulism in air dried meats. It's something to read up on and to consider carefully before you embark on processing your own pork. Time ticked on and the salami hung tantalisingly in the wood shed to air dry.

Regular groping of the salami gives a crude indication as to when they're ready to sample. Finally, eight weeks later, the time had come to cut down the first salami. Before sampling the bounty the mould is wiped off with kitchen towel and the salami rolled in wood ash. And the moment we waited for .... sheer bliss.

Fanfare ... Launch of Sallygardens Pig Rearing e-Booklet

When we first started offering pig rearing courses to smallholders here at Sallygardens we got a steady flow of interested participants. Its been a real pleasure meeting other like minded people setting off into the world of self sufficiency and more often than not the teaching and learning has been a two way process. Many of our visitors have had expertise in other areas of interest to ourselves. Some have even kept pigs before on an intensive commercial basis and were delighted to see how things might work at the opposite end of the scale.

What I hadn't anticipated was the high level of interest expressed by people, not only from all over the country, but also from abroad. Since many folk can't travel to us for our two hour course, and at times we don't have live pigs on the smallholding, so we decided to offer an alternative in the form of an e-booklet that covers all the topics you need to start with raising weaners for the table. It's aimed at the smallholder and currently includes details of Irish agricultural law, but as requests for the booklet are received from abroad I'll be adding sections for the UK, USA and Australia.

Heres an introductory paragraph from the booklet:
Why I decided to write this booklet
We began life on our smallholding in the Spring of 2005. With no previous experience of livestock, and only a dabbling in fruit and vegetable growing, the learning curve was exponential! Hours, days, even months were spent researching everything from pigs to potatoes. Books, forums, websites and friends were, and still are, valued sources of information. As we progressed we collated all the collected knowledge in various files and boxes … this booklet is a distillation of all those nuggets of wisdom, something we wish we had found presented to us in one useful source! I hope that in these pages you will benefit from our research and save yourself hours of time, with information at your fingertips, direction to further sources and plenty of inspiration.

If you wish to buy the e-booklet please leave a comment on this post and I will contact you directly with a Paypal invoice or you can arrange to post a snail mail cheque. The e-booklet will be emailed to you on receipt of payment and costs €8 for an emailed version, or €10 for a hardcopy printout (A4 pages) plus postage.

I'm also working on similar e-booklets about goats, and another on poultry.