Not Your Average Christmas Ham

December 25, 2014

The Ham

It was a few months ago at the Mudgee Wine Show where I finally said it out loud: I want to get a pig and eat it.

Okay, I understand that sounds cryptic but I can assure you it’s truly not. Every week we walk the isles of the supermarket catering to our wants and needs for energy and if you are anything like me, you read the catalogs for the latest specials to save a couple bucks. If it isn't on special I don’t buy it but does that mean the product is not worth the money? *Light bulb*

How hard can it be to grow/ raise you own food?

I can barely fulfill my need for fresh herbs with my own herb garden so I am guessing if I had to raise my own animals for meat, the occasion where I do enjoy the beast would be much more sentimental, or perhaps appreciated. Thankfully one of the guys I work with raises pigs so I bought two. Okay it wasn’t that simple…let me break down the process.

I talked to Maurice (pig man) and he said: why have one when you could have two? What he really meant was pigs are much happier with company around them. They tend to get bored very easily and will show signs of depression if left alone. If I am going to raise my pigs and eat them, I want them to be happy.

Now the logistics come into play: Where would I put them?

I am so fortunate to work in an environment where these ‘crazy’ ideas are encouraged. When I was explaining my idea to Kim Currie, the brains behind the Zin House, she sounded more enthused about it than I did! Although it took a little more talk to convince David, eventually I got the okay to raise the pigs on the property at the Zin House. But still…I need to build a pen, provide a water source, and feed them daily. Luckily I have my brother Dean and my boyfriend Jean to help with all of that. Together we built a pen out of metal star posts, wire, old pallets, and found some old cement troughs to fill with water. This was my first time building an animal pen and without the help from the boys I would probably still be outside trying to figure it out.

The last step: get the pigs.

Jean and I drove out to Maurice’s place and there were 8 pigs in a small pen. We had to catch the ones we wanted and put them in the back of the ute (truck for my North American friends and family reading this)...This step was more difficult then I imagined. Pigs are fast and they squeal like crazy. Thankfully Jean has some experience with pigs and was able to show me how it’s done!

Once they were brought to their new home it took about a week until they became settled in. When we come by with food scraps they seem happy to see us, but I have told myself over and over….don’t get too attached because you are going to butcher them.

The plan is to hire a spit roaster and have a suckling pig roast for all of my friends and fellow employees at Lowe Wines and The Zin House to celebrate the beast! However we have been toying with the idea of using one of the pigs for sausage or cured pork. This will all be sorted out in time. Right now my focus is to keep our pigs happy and fed.

I know this is a huge ‘project’ to take on but I am hoping it brings me closer to the animal. We all have become so unattached and disassociated with the meat on our plate...most of us don’t actually understand the labour and resources that are required to fuel our consumption of meat. So this is my way of getting closer with nature, and I will document my journey!