Pushing the envelope on nose-to-tail
Here at BOTL Farm, we firmly believe in utilizing the whole animal and we continue to come up with innovative solutions for lesser-used animals parts. Turns out, many people have dogs and since dogs are like tiny domesticated wolves, they enthusiastically eat lesser-used animal parts. Ask us about our whole line of pet treats, including tasty morsels like crunchy pig ears, crispy pig skin, goat horns, and more!
On that note, we have an abundance of pig skin and pig heads — we’re open to large purchases at a steep discount or crowd-sourced ideas of how we can turn these animals parts into usable products!
New pork products!
For the most part, all our bacon and sausage products are made at the slaughterhouse/butcher we use (Meatworks in Westport, MA) but there are few things they can’t make that are so tasty that we go out of our way to get them done at another processor rather than go without.
We take packages of meat, fat, and organs from Meatworks to Noack’s butcher shop in Meriden, CT where they are processed further. We just picked up this year’s worth of hot dogs, liverwurst, and smoked hocks!
Some of you may remember the liverwurst from the last time we had it two years ago, or maybe you didn’t get any because it sold out so fast. This is an old-fashioned recipe of pork liver pate. Once you thaw it, it’s excellent as a savory spread on breakfast sandwiches, banh mi, or a charcuterie board!
These hot dogs are not like any hot dogs you can buy in a store. The dogs are made with pork meat from prime cuts mixed with just the right amount of famously-good-tasting-Mangalitsa jowl fat. Let us know your favorite way to thaw and cook hot dogs when you just want a few!
This is our very first time having smoked hocks. They’re quite variable in size so you can get the right amount for your recipe. Smoked hocks make a great flavor base to soups, stocks, beans, rice, and other stuff. We think of them as really tiny hams.
What happens when our favorite boar takes a break
As you may recall from last time, we talked about how we’re a farrow-to-finish farm operation. That means we have mom pigs (sows) and we breed them, but we don’t have a dad pig (boar), so how do we end up with piglets?
There’s a nice company called International Boar Semen out in Iowa that we order from, of course! They have boars of many breeds and will overnight ship the semen in convenient packages, which we can use to artificially inseminate our sows. We always get semen from Large Black boars (the heritage breed of pigs called Large Blacks is descended from Iberian pigs in Spain and known for having long bodies, docile personalities, and large ears) so regardless of which sows give birth, the resulting piglets are genetically 50% Large Black so the entire litters are black in color.
Last March when we needed to inseminate two sows, we found out from the semen bank that their Large Black boar was taking the week off for rest and we couldn’t wait that long — when the sows are ready, they’re READY. So we decided to use semen from another heritage breed boar, a Red Wattle. My goodness, the resulting pig litters are a riot of color, patterns, and hues! It’s such a difference from our normal black piglets. It’ll be interesting to see them grow and see how they change.
Digging for water
Sometimes we like to remember our baby farmers selves who thought that buying raw land and bootstrapping it into a livestock farm was a good idea. Infrastructure projects are an ever-present part of our lives and this past month has been no exception, as we dig hundreds of linear feet of trench to install permanent water line to outlying paddocks. We also have run thousands of feet of above-ground line, but the trenching is a real doozy. But, we rest assured knowing that each infrastructure project we complete is an investment in our future and assures that our farm continues to become more efficient!
On the horizon are projects to build a farm road to access our furthest flung paddocks. And then, when we’re really feeling brave, expanding into more raw land on the acres we own across the Mount Hope River!
Farmers love to talk about rain
I guess farmers like talking about the weather in general, but during years like this one we talk about rain. And think about rain. And wish there was more rain. Although our rotational grazing and silvopasture management practices make our farm much more drought-tolerant than most, there’s only so much that management practices can make up for … and we’re beyond that. We, along with many others in our region, are directly affected by the drought conditions. We’re short on grass for our sheep and goats during what should be a lush time of year. The hay fields from which we source all our winter hay are hurting too (sorry, Willow Valley Farm!), so we’re feeling the pinch now and it’ll continue through this winter. Maybe this wasn’t the year to dig up a big portion of one of our fields to install that water line… hmm..
If you know any rain dances, consider doing them early, often, and thinking fondly of your local farmers while you’re dancing!
New Country Organics feed: it’s never too early
We’re pumped to continue to be busy resellers of a super-premium, organic, non-GMO animal feed company and meet what was an unmet need for our farming and homesteading community. We regularly supply 35 feed customers with whatever NCO products they need and staying organized can be a challenge! Some of our customers have started to project their monthly feed requirements and let us know at the beginning of each month what they’ll need for the following month. This gives us plenty of time to coordinate everyone’s orders and get shipments delivered in time. Whether you typically buy one bag or eight or more, any advanced planning you can do would be great! Keep us in the loop! But as always, we try to keep Classic layer and Corn-free layer in stock at all times.
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