Friday 31 March 2017

Exhaling


After a couple of really busy weeks, I can feel this part of my world taking a big slow breath out.
Last Sunday Brian and I butchered a pig. This is the pig that we keep for ourselves, and we prefer to take full responsibility for the meat that we raise and consume.
A big job. It's not pleasant either. Both of us have our set tasks, according to our strengths, and we work well as a team.
All set up and ready to go. The water is boiling in the old copper and will be bucketed into the bath to scald the carcass.

Brian takes over to do this part of the process, then the carcass is put into the refrigerated cold room for a week before we cut it into portions, and put the bellies into brine for making bacon.
I wrote a more detailed post about the pig processing around this time last year.
We try not to waste any part of the pig, so I'm going to have  another try at making brawn this time using Lucy's recipe from her blog Dawson Valley Free Range.
The first time we killed a pig I made brawn with the meat from the head, but it didn't gel properly and neither of us liked the taste, so I'll let you know how I go using this new method.
The day after we killed our pig, we took the remaining two pigs to the butcher as it's not legal to sell the meat unless it's killed in a registered abattoir.
When animals leave the farm it creates a big gap. There's less for me to look after, but there's a gap. Every year, after the pigs have gone, I'm haunted by them and I hear their playful grunting and barking for a few days. Weird but true!
I've informed Brian that I don't intend raising pigs next year. I'm going to have a break from being tied here during those five months. As well as a couple of short holidays I might take on the spur of the moment, (because I can) my niece in Victoria is getting married in February, and I think it's too much to expect someone else to look after the pigs to the standards that I've set myself.
So you can see how far ahead we need to plan things when we have farm animals.  Our window for pig raising is from October/November to March/April, to avoid the wettest part of the year.




Mulga Bill has gone to his next appointment, but not without a couple of postponements.
We waited three weeks from the date that we know he mated Lavender and as she showed no signs of interest in Mulga for those couple of days, we made plans to transport him to his next holiday the following day.
The farmer was waiting for us to deliver him, but as we were moving the cows towards the yards we noticed him taking a lot of interest in Lavender.  So, it was looking very much like she was cycling again, which would have meant that she didn't get in calf three weeks before.
A phone call was made to the waiting farmer, postponing his (Mulga's) delivery, while we kept a close look out on their behavior over the following few days.
After four more days he stopped following Lavender around, so we knew it was OK to deliver him then.
They didn't appear to mate again, but I'm not one hundred percent sure, and will be prepared for the arrival of her calf on the date according to the first mating. In early December.

So it's quiet here.
No pigs, and no Mulga Bill bellowing his presence across the valley at numerous times during the days and nights.
My days are different too, and I'm finding time to get other things done around the place.

But the best time of day is in the mornings when I walk over to the dairy to meet my girl waiting there for me.
 The weather has cooled off, the daytime temperatures have been below 23 degrees, and the nights cool enough for a jumper, so you know what that means!
The chimney got its annual clean, the kitchen wood stove is burning, and turning out lots of baked foods.
Oh Autumn! My favorite time of year.
Thanks for visiting.

14 comments:

  1. I love autumn too. The heat of summer disappears and the plants start growing again. I think that's when the garden exhales too. :)

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    1. The heat has left us Chris, but we're still waiting for the opening rains.

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  2. Sally do you use the lard in your soapmaking? I hope to learn how to render animal fat in my crock pot this year.

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    1. Chel I render the pig fat to make lard, but I love using it for cooking and can't bring myself to use it for soap. It makes the most divine pastry! I use the rendered beef fat for soap though, with coconut oil and olive oil. There seems to be many ways of rendering the fat, I wrote a post a couple of years ago about how I do it, but the crock pot method sounds simple too.

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  3. Autumn is my favourite time of the year too, Sally. Last night, for the first time in many months, I needed a blanket. It was finally cool enough this morning to go outside, soggy after all the rain we've had, and rejuvenate the veggie patch ready for planting soon. Meg:)

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    1. So nice to snuggle into a blanket again Meg. Autumn restores our motivation and energy levels too.

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  4. great post, always enjoy your words
    we are finally drying out here, it's turned so green again
    thanx for sharing

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    1. Thanks Selina. I hope you're not going to be affected by what is still yet to come there in parts of Queensland. We are really dry here now and eagerly awaiting the opening rains that usually come towards the end of this month.

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  5. Firstly I would like to mention that I am a bit jealous because of all this talk of jumpers and blankets ;-) My ceiling fan was going full pelt last night and we had 30 degrees today.

    As a young child I stayed on a farm and watched the process of a pig being slaughtered and butchered. I do admire how you and Brian produce your own meat. We have talked about doing this with our neighbours, and it might happen one day; alternatively, it might just stay a topic of conversation over Saturday afternoon drinks.

    Short, spur of the moment holidays, sounds divine. I hope you do have the chance to take some. We have no animals at the moment and I keep thinking we should take advantage of the fact and have some long weekend trips away. My idea of bliss is visiting small country and seaside towns. Though small seaside towns are becoming harder to find now days.

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    1. I too love small country towns Sherri, the bakeries especially! The reality is that spontaneous holidays are a thing of the past with all of these animals, and B's work commitments. It was January when I planned our three night holiday coming up at the end of this month, and the logistics are quite exhausting! I imagine that many of my future short trips will be taken alone.

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  6. I really admire your ethics behind raising meat Sally, we are vegetarian here. I'm not surprised that you hear the pigs and love your honesty about all things raising animals, I learn a lot from it. People always give me a strange look when we are talking about raising meat, they generally don't have a clue and surprised I know something and I have a little chuckle to myself because the info is usually from your posts!!!! Wishing you Light and Love, Jude (@fairywrencottage instagram)

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    1. Hello dear Jude, I didn't know your family are vegetarian, but you are a very open minded one and I do apologise if there is ever anything in my posts that might offend. I was veg for a few years, here and there, usually for moral reasons, but I can now only accept eating meat if I know the provenance (if that's the word?) of the animal. Good on you for showing that you do know a bit about animal raising and how it should be practiced, not necessarily how it's conventionally done. :)

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  7. I found your blog through Meg and have just spent a wonderful hour browsing through your old posts. I only have a tiny garden way up in tropical North Queensland but I try to cram as much into my small space as possible. I am enjoying slightly cooler weather too, so out in the garden I have been for the past two weekends planting seeds and anxiously waiting for the green shoots to appear. I will enjoy following along with you on your adventures. Gillian

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    1. Hello Gillian and welcome to our part of South Australia, which is so vastly different from where you are. I covet your mangoes whilst you probably dream of our stone fruit, apricots, peaches etc. I'm so dreadfully behind with my blogging and reading of other blogs, but I hope to have a good look at yours soon. Thanks for leaving a comment. :)

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