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<\/a><\/p>\nSince he began going through 50lb bags of feed every 4 or 5 days, his time with us started coming to a close.\u00a0 According to my sewing tape (and some odd calculations I found on the internet) he measured out at 243.34 lbs a couple weeks ago.\u00a0 Which meant the preparations for his final days were started.<\/p>\n
These preparations primarily involved:<\/p>\n
1.\u00a0 Calling the local processor to discover that, under no circumstances, would we pay that much to drop Papa Pig off and pick him up in butcher paper.\u00a0 Not unless we wanted our pork to end up costing $50\/lb.<\/p>\n
2.\u00a0 Asking friends and neighbors if they knew anyone who would help us butcher our pig.<\/p>\n
3.\u00a0 Being told by all our friends and neighbors that no one butchers a pig in the summer time.\u00a0 What the heck were we thinking??<\/p>\n
4.\u00a0 Swearing we would watch some youtube instructional videos and just do it ourselves every time we had to buy a new bag of pig pellets.<\/p>\n
5.\u00a0 Sweating prolifically every time we ran out of pig pellets and contemplated all the horrific things that could go wrong when amateurs attempt to butcher a pig by themselves.\u00a0 A pig that they raised on a bottle and still give daily belly scratches.<\/p>\n
6.\u00a0\u00a0 Buying more pig pellets.<\/p>\n
It was a vicious cycle.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, my persistent whining and complaining about the situation reached the ears of a co-worker who knew how to butcher pigs.\u00a0 And after asking why the heck we were butchering a pig in the summer, he agreed to help us.\u00a0 Which just goes to show that persistence pays off.<\/p>\n
So special thanks to my friend, James, who spent the morning teaching us how to properly butcher a 250lb pig.\u00a0 There is no literature or youtube video substitute for someone taking the time to stand beside you and show you how to do something.\u00a0 And it is people like James that ensure the next generation understands food doesn’t magically appear in the grocery store.\u00a0 Let that lesson not end with us.<\/p>\n
Extreme gratitude to the The Other Half, who shot straight and true with the first bullet so that Papa’s final moments were quick and brief.\u00a0 Pulling the trigger to feed your family takes a skill and strength of character that few men possess anymore.\u00a0 Lucky for me, The Other Half has the steel nerves to step up.\u00a0 Or else I’d have a 500lb pet pig by next year.<\/p>\n And, of course, thanks to Papa Noel Pig.\u00a0 Who taught us that a pig can be a kind, curious, gentle, and generous addition to to the family farm.\u00a0 Really generous. As generous as 3′ tenderloins.\u00a0 On each side.<\/p>\n Shoulders wider than Big’s chest.<\/p>\n Hams so large that they require a two-handed death grip carry by Pretty to avoid being dropped.<\/p>\n And racks of ribs so heavy that Little can’t even hold them by himself.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n