Things that keep you out of the workshop

How many seconds in a 100kW induction furnace?

Mark Rand RTFM

In article , Andrew Mawson writes

Oh, now I'm *really* envious. I'd *love* a couple of pigs.

You need to wear a hat and then when you are in the pigsty . When someone is asking for you, your missus can say he's in the pigsty, he's the one with the hat on..........................

John S.

Me too. Such versatile animals. Bacon, sausages, pies.......

Charles

Whatever else you do, don't name them! Not even as Ade Edmondsons macabre 'Bacon Sandwich'. We had a Vietnamese that became a pet that way. She was a delightful creature and used to live in the kitchen between the dog basket and the CH boiler - she did like the warmth! She died a natural death and we couldn't bear to send her to the butchers.

We seperately had some home grown whites and Durrocks which we kept outside and it was unquestionably the best pork I have ever tasted, made Sainsbury's special organic blah. blah seem both tough and bland in the extreme.

Richard

What breed are they?

Regards, Tony

Never mind the breed, what do they taste like?

As a wise person once said "I hate the countryside. It's all full of animals running around uncooked"

Ned Ludd

If they're going to end up on the table & it's your first time with pigs then DO NOT let them be looked upon as anyone's pet. Ultimately it's a waste of time 'cos if you do pluck up the courage to have them slaughter'd then someone's not going to eat them !

Pigs can be great characters & it's diifficult not to feel a certain amount of affection for them. Some of my earliest memories involved the animals we kept for the table along with some of the harshest lessons.

I brought my kids up to know the differance between a pet, a wild animal & food for the table. My kids now insist that my grand kids aren't subjected to having "Thumper" or "Porky" placed before them on a Sunday.

If you're serious about raising them for the table then find & talk to a slaughtering butcher now. I do my own fowl & rabbit but a pig is a bit too much to eat in one go, there's so much that you struggle to even give it away. My butcher has several folk who all raise to a certain standard, then when one comes of age (so to speak) it's shared out amongst us.

Nothing, absolutely nothing compares to the quality & taste. If you've been eating supermarket meat then I feel sorry for you.

Make the choice NOW. Pets or food ?

Large Blacks - I'll fatten them both to porkers, which should be about the end of October / first week in November, then it's off to the local abattoir.

We have half a pig in the freezer at the moment that was from the same boar and sow, and that's very good meat.

AWEM

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animals we kept

subjected to having

you've been

Don't worry - they are definately for the table. Last year we had a half pig from some friends in the village who fatten weaners, and the wife and I actually butchered it under supervision, however, it's a lot of hard work and these ones will probably be butchered by the abbatoir as they don't charge a fortune.

Anyway quasi grand daughter (13) who came today is already demanding the crackling

AWEM

So its roast pig ches AWEM at the end of October then?

Regards, Tony

IME run of the mill abbatoirs are not a patch on the (quite rare nowadays) slaughtering butcher, find one & you won't regret it.

As for that quasi grand daughter (13 going on 21 ! ), you hold her close when those scratchings are placed in front of her. Been there, done that.

Thank heavens for that, Thought they had been in a fire.

G.harman

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demanding

You don't get very small abattoirs these days as there has to be a (paid for) government official in attendance which means the small places cannot afford the overhead - the one I use is:

AWEM

Train 'em to find truffles then you can make your fortune!!

Is Kent good truffle country then?

No chance but Andrew is in Sussex and anything is possible there I've heard that water has been known to flow uphill even :-))

Henry A Man of Kent

You can still get homekill here. According to people I've talked to you can taste the difference in the meat as there is no stress on the animal prior to killing like you get when taking them to an abattoir. One of my wifes friends had to take their cow to an abattoir one year as the home kill guy couldn't get out for some reason and she said it didn't taste as good. Some livestock is something I'd certainly like to try inthe future, I'm very envious Andrew and I'm sure they will be delicious.

Regards Kevin

Versatile indeed. They do say you can eat everything but the oink.