Pigs for Play and Pork

Tamar Haspel is not your average farmer. She left life as an urbanite and moved to a Cape-Cod farm. In addition to an elaborate oyster-farm, she grows vegetables and fowl, hunts, gathers, and fishes. Her blog, Starving Off the Land, is as hilarious as it is informative and inspiring. Her most recent venture is chronicled in a series of Washington Post articles. She is raising pigs for slaughter. 

Anyone who has ever been to a petting zoo knows how hard that must be. Pigs are adorable, and even if you are a fan of pork belly or tenderloin, it is hard to reconcile the image of bubbling bacon fat with the image of Babe. But Haspel is acutely aware of that. She went against the advice of farmers and friends, naming her pigs Spot, Doctor Evil, and Tiny. 

"That advice is at odds with our desire to give these pigs the best life we can. They’ll be on this earth for some seven months, and I want those seven months to be time worth having. Because pigs are smart and social and curious, Kevin and I are part of their quality of life."

This is the first of three features by Haspel on raising pigs. Check out her blog for commentary, how-to, and a live cam of the Pig Stye. 

Pig To Table Project: Off to a Happy Start from The Washington Post