Monday 26 January 2015

Planning for pigs and a Birthday Boy



 Hello Fellow Frugellers and especially Mumasu on the follower bar and Suzanne, John Gray, Natalie Lash, Louise Tomlinson and Mobe Stephenson on Blog Lovin.

I don't give a blow by blow account of my days. I'm lucky enough to lead a pretty busy, interesting life (well I think so) but only post when the mood takes me and today is one of those days!.
The bees are out for cleansing flights again today, but it looks as though they will be tucked up again for a few days as a cold front approaches. As always we have enjoyed getting ready for the "worst" I know we should be more grown up but we like to prove to ourselves that we can cope with anything that life and the weather throws at us. I suppose it is the Self-Sufficient side of us.
David has cut a lot more logs today on his new cutting bench that our eldest daughter and her husband bought for him at Christmas. It is so much safer to use, with a holster and blade guard that frees up one hand if needed.

The ground has been a little dryer the last couple of days, so I have covered the strawberry beds that the chickens have been decimating with some coarse compost and then netted them. They should pick up by spring (the strawberries that is) I have also been digging up the jerusalem artichokes, while the ground isn't too muddy.
 David and I have also been moving laying boxes and rabbit hutches around the barn to make room for the pigs that we hope to get in the next couple of weeks. We have been giving a lot of thought as to how to feed them as cheaply as possible. Obviously we must feed them with a proper pig food to ensure that they get all the nutrients they need. If we feed them entirely with pig food we estimate that the meat will cost us as much, if not more, as pork bought directly from the butcher. Clearly they will have a good life with us and be reared with respect and love (yes, and why not?!) But my blog doesn't have Frugal in the title for nothing. We aim to supplement their bought food  and make the rearing of them cost effective i.e. cheaper.
Feeding pigs is a serious business here in the UK and governed by strict rules. Feeding scraps to pigs is illegal. Feeding pigs any food that has seen the inside of a "food room" is also illegal. "Food room" means my kitchen, a restraunt or anywhere where food is prepared that may have had any contact with meat. So, for example, if I pick a bucket of apples and take them into the kitchen to sort the blemished from the keepers, I cannot then feed them to the pigs. If I sort them outside then I can. I can feed rejected peas from a local factory because they only deal in peas and no other product, so I have asked them if we can have their sweepings, but haven't heard yet. My friend works in an old mill and keeps the sweepings for us. We have now saved several bins of this wholemeal, organic flour, which are also allowed. My several stands of artichokes are going to come in handy as apparently pigs love them. As I have said I am currently digging them up while they are at their best, cleaning and drying them and putting them aside. All the small and misshapen potatoes, apples, pumpkins and parsnips that are currently in store outside will go to the pigs too. Finally we now have, courtesy of our Godson, several bags of spent maltings a week from a local micro-brewery. So bring 'em on!! I'll keep a careful account of the cost and share it with you.

The family, plus our friend that cuts everybody's hair while she is here, were here for tea on Sunday. This is usual but this time it was in the nature of a birthday tea for David. His birthday is actually on Tuesday, but what's a day or two? This birthday is a special one as he is 70. He was told that he would be lucky to make his sixties some years ago when we was fighting cancer. Since then he has had several health hiccups and open heart surgery and has proved them all wrong. The wonderful NHS, being bloody-minded and having a wife that practices a "studied neglect" has helped!
Here he is, sans Freddy Boswell hair, with the dog's breakfast that is a chocolate fudge cake. Looks weak doesn't he?
He here is with YGD doing Sudoku from the book she bought him. They enjoy doing these together.

His "big" birthday present is a day out with his children and grandchildren (and me) at Harry Potter World. We are all very excited at his present. I have another "big"present to give him tomorrow on his actual birthday. I have bought him a turn table so that he can play the pile of LP languishing in his cupboards. This is very gracious of me as it will mean that I will have to suffer his marching music and folk music.
That's all for now. I am off to watch the last of the series of "Walking the Nile" which we recorded last night while we were out. We have really enjoyed this short series.
After tomorrow, I shall be busy getting ready for a couple of important Civic Society meetings and while I won't be posting I shall still be keeping up with my favourite  blogs.
Keep warm and safe dear Frugellers
Gillx

20 comments:

  1. This year you can grow those big swede type things (Mangle Wurzels?), they grow like crazy and the pigs love them. I've even used them myself in soups!

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    1. I need to identify a crop that grows within the growing time of the pigs too. Last year I threw pounds and pounds of overgrown runner beans away. I guess they could be seen as a pig crop too.

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  2. We're planning on doing the same with pigs but not sure what to grow for them. Apparently they hate parsnips.! The rules around pigs are stupid and put in place to prevent big producers using the wrong foods I feel. I'll be very surprised if pigs around the country aren't getting kitchen scraps.

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    1. I didn't know they didn't like parsnips! hey ho. The laws were tightened up after the last F&M outbreak, which was caused by someone who called himself a farmer feeding untreated swill/leftovers from a ship. Did you know you are not suppose to feed scraps to chickens either?!

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    2. Yep I know the laws! I bet if we were ever at war again the laws would be changed pretty damn quick!

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  3. A Happy Birthday to David, hope you enjoy the music!
    I'm wondering about blogging every day/less often. Sometimes I think it taking up too much time and not saying much, other times I enjoy it as a useful diary.

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    1. Thanks. I am listening to the Post Horn gallop as I type this (some brass band).
      I don't think your followers would be too pleased if you blogged less often Sue.

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  4. I believe people use to go out with a pail and collect snails to feed to the pigs .. good protein I should think .. and a way of keeping down the pests.. and of course acorns etc .. any free food would be good.
    When I was a girl the local farm had regular deliveries from the local bakery... it was amazing seeing sacks of bread being tipped into an old galvanised bin. Good Hovis loaves and some still wrapped in their packaging. The farmers wife was first there to select her bread for the week .. the freshest being only a day or so old .. the rest was then fed to the cows and horses .. and chickens.
    Sounds like you are very organised with possible sources of food .. the more frugal the better!

    Vicky x

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    1. Never heard of the snails thing. win win there I reckon.
      The last time we kept pigs, many years ago, we used to get all the excess and old bread from a local bakery too for the pigs, but not until I had picked through it. We also got the veg outers from a local hospital and often found whole caulis and carrots that had been missed too (for us)

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  5. Happy 70th to David! We have snow forcast here, doesn't happen very often so we'll see if they are right. Stay warm x

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    1. Thanks (says David)
      Sleet and hail here today in between bright sunshine. If we have snow it will be tonight I think. If you get snow I will get a call from my friend in Callington telling me !

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  6. Happy Birthday to David and I'm sure you will have a great time at Harry Potter world, I'd love to go. I remember when we lived in Manchester in the 60's we had a rusty old 5 gallon drum by the garbage can. Mum put all the veg. peelings in there and the 'pig swill' man came once a week and took it (the contents) for his pigs. I can't remember if any meat scraps went in there. I doubt it, mum would have used them for some meal or another!

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    1. Thanks from David.
      can't say that we have any meat scraps either as we have a cat and the family all have dogs. The problem with the modern legislation is that anything that has been in the same room as meat must be considered polluted by it. The waste is unbelievable since this legislation.

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  7. Happy 70th birthday from Blogland David. A Red Letter Day - the farmer reached it two years ago and is still going strong. I showed him your log cutting machine but he says what is wrong with his saw and in extreme circumstances his chain saw. He will never learn.

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    1. Thanks Weave.
      David's machine is a sort of bench that holds his chain saw for him, so he is still using it (scary aren't they?) When David goes out with this lads felling trees I always say "don't forget to tell the ambulance men that he is on warfarin"! and I'm only half joking.

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  8. Happy birthday to hubby D, wonderful to see him looking so well. I imagine you have all had the time of your lives today at HP world. Doesn't do anything for me at all HP but hubby does enjoy the films. I had to smile reading your comment about hubby's music, Mr B hasn't moved on from the 60's with his taste, when we go to our bolt hole in Lincolnshire I have two and a half hours of 60's music to endure lol. Its even worse in our current car you can plug your ipod into the stereo and play it through the cars speakers. Myself I love to listen to Westlife, really love their music and would happily adopt all the group :)
    Evidently you're living in Derbyshire, me too I moved to North Derbyshire when I married, we live in or just outside Chesterfield the home of the crooked spire church. Is the photo one of your home it's beautiful, my parents were gamekeepers until retirement living in cottages like the one in the header photo.
    I do believe we are expecting snow this week, we'll be fine just as long as we don't have power cuts. Our freezer is chocca block with cooked meals and goodies to make more meals.
    When I was young my maternal Granddad had a pig in those days you were allowed to feed the scraps, he also fed on apples to make the meat sweet. When I first worked at the local school, late 70's to the 80's the school kitchen had a large bin in which left overs were put and the local pig man came every few days to collect it. Wouldn't be allowed nowadays.

    Enjoy your week
    Peg x

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    1. Thanks for the birthday wishes for David.
      You have no idea what music I have been subjected to today.. it;s nothing short of abuse and I am traumatised! Serves me right I should have known.
      I like to go shopping in Chesterfield. it still has a half-decent market and a good selection of shops and the people are friendly too.
      Yes the photo on the header is of our house.
      No no pig bins nowadays.
      keep warm

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  9. They are silly rules regarding pig feed, I did feed ours vegetable peelings and next door kept there peelings for me to, I did go round our hedgerows collecting nuts for them which they loved and also weeds from the garden.
    I have just found out there is fruit and veg wholesaler locally who has boxes of fruit and veg going for free labeled not for human consumption, wish I knew when we had our pigs.

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    1. I should have thought of nut collecting last autumn shouldn't I? They will be gone before they are ready this year I should think.
      Always good to look for new sources of food for the animals.

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  10. Happy Birthday to David, he looks extremely fit and healthy for 70, must be your good cooking Gill :-) Looking forward to hearing the piggy adventures. Xx

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