January and February have been cold months (relatively speaking, I know) and I would have to admit... I was a bit hibernating. I did not have much energy for anything. Actually, winter is meant to be a resting period, a down time after the hectic high season. But anyone who knows me well, knows that I have a hard time "slowing down" without developing a guilty feeling. So, those months might have been a down time but lots has happened..., just at a slower pace :)
This winter, we have had cold nights with early morning frost on the ground but we have not seen a flake of snow.
So, in February, we went for a Sunday drive looking for snow and we found it at the nearby ski resort.
I was able to walk on the snow reaching for this so called "igloo" without problem. Memories of my youth passed through my head as I was walking on the snow, feeling each cracking under my body weight.
Mike was a bit less lucky and fell with one leg in the deep snow bank. He came back to the car walking really slowly and directly removed his shoes filled with icy snow
That day, we kept on driving around and it was quite enjoyable. I would have to admit, when I moved to the South of France, I said to myself: we will not be driven by work, we will enjoy life, take some time off, discover the region, bla, bla, bla. And yet, in the last 2 years, we have nearly seen nothing. My fault....
And we found this cool place. Can you see Mike?
Mike's "Australian" pick-up truck
When we arrived in Europe, Mike had brought his 1974 Jeep Honcho pick-up truck. It had a 5.9 liter engine that was quickly converted into propane gas to reduce costs, had a normal sized box and a single cab.
In Canada, we were not used to see small trailers behind cars or 1/2 pick-up truck.
Today the day that Mike if fully converted to the European way!
His 1994 Mitsubishi L200 is a puppy in comparision to the average canadian pickup
Mike has welded a roof rack that can fold out of the way, allowing taller material to fit in the back as needed. The back window is protected with a metal mesh. This rack allows us to get material without having to pull our 2700 kg trailer all the time. But the trailer is quite handy for hauling compost or anything heavy that could damage the pick-up's suspension.
A quick look at the garden
This is the garlic I planted last November. Hundred cloves, meaning 100 bulbs to harvest this year if all is good. Next to the garlic, I have yellow onions, leeks and small white spring onions. We still harvest palm-kale from last year which is delicious.
The ground is composting well. Some parts of the garden are covered with a black tarp because I did not have enough straw to cover everything.
We bought a big round hay bail which we will use to cover this year potato's garden. About 300 potatoes are germinating at the moment hoping in April to plant them.
In the green house, I have planted leek seeds, onion seeds, salads, spinach and beets. I will by some onion bulbs as the seeds are not producing well at all. I am also trying to propagate rosemary, sage and thyme through cuttings. And I hope my turmeric plants will revive.
We do need some rain.... but hey, careful what you wish for, right?
And our 7 chickens are now laying! Getting ready for new chicks?
Killing the pig at home: a French tradition being lost
I was invited to help out at the Charrière family. That family has processed their own grown pigs for generations, at home. This implies killing the pig on site, bleeding him, emptying the animal, cleaning inside and outside, butchering and processing (making dry sausages, patés, blood sausage, cured ham, meat cuts and much more). Lots of work but when you are well organized and experienced, apiece of cake.
This was their second pig of the season. He was killed on the Thursday and was hung in the cold weather for a full 24 hour. Early Saturday morning the sons had already been busy with cutting and preparing so when we arrived at 10:00, much had already been done, unfortunately. I started by helping making dry sausages. As you can see on the pictures, the sausages are hung to dry for at least 3 months in a cool and well ventilated room. The pig is usually processed in the winter to avoid problems with flies. It was my first experience and I hope to be able to help out next year again.
Hidden behind a cupboard door, I saw this very important information. What is it?
Depending on the product you want to make, a specified amount of salt is needed per kg meat. The meat is always weighted to be as accurate as possible.
This information is crucial for preservation but also taste and is readily found in the door of the spice cupboard!!
And what about our own pigs?
We have been hesitating killing our own pigs at home but realized that neither we nor our home was equipped for this. All and all, this is a LOT of work for unexperienced people like us even with good helping hands.
Making this decision meant that we had to register as pig farmers/breeders. Not because we will develop a lucrative business from this but because we need an identification number if we want the bring the pigs to the slaughter house.
We have adults pigs, so we need to tattoo them on both their side, along the spine. This was Mike's job and I would have to say, he did not enjoy this experience at all. Hitting our animals with those metal pins has nothing "fun" about it. The "girls" did not seem to mind that much, they were hit but seemed to feel no pain at all. It was also impossible to see if our tattoos' were well made.
A Dutch couple who have been living here for 20 years agreed to help us with the butchering/processing part. They were the ones who introduced me to the Charrière family in the first place.
From here on, "viewers discretion is advised".
If you do not wish to keep on reading, I have made sure all my information was written in the first part of the blog, so you wont miss anything and you don't have to scroll pass this stage.
Spring is coming and the following blog will probably be filled with newborn chicks and growing vegetables. SEE YOU THEN XXX
For the people who would like to read more about our DIY meat experience, here we go !
We started with Peggy. Why?
Because she was the most dominant pig of the two and removing her meant giving Julie some (enjoyable) free time before leaving for the slaughter house in about a months time.
So, on a Tuesday around 13:30 we managed to get Peggy loaded in the trailer. The slaughter house is located in Boulogne-sur-Gesse, about 30 minutes from Aulon and opens at 14:00. Once there we brought Peggy into a stall and left her behind. This definitely does NOT leave a good feeling.... Killing an animal at home does not put him in the "left behind to die" situation. Pigs are really intelligent, I do not want to know how she felt when she found herself alone in that concrete stall....
Anyway
Pigs are killed the same day between 16:00 and 18:00. I was quite relieved to hear this, she did not have to wait a whole night all by herself. Blood test and meat analysis are done and the results are known the next morning. By 11:30 on Wednesday, we could call to hear if the meat was certified for consumption and luckily it was. The ball could roll. I messaged Margot and Alex to confirm our meeting on Friday at 12:30.
On Friday morning, we lined the back of the pick-up with a tarp and clean plastic, we brought buckets for the organs, the blood and intestines and we went to fetch the carcass. Never in my life have I dreamed of driving with a pig cut in half in the back of our car. This was a totally new life experience. This is bringing us as close to our meat chain as we can.
In our kitchen downstairs, Alex and Mike were butchering while Margot and I were processing: making blood worst, liver pâté and minced meat.
The breed of pig we have is not the best for meat production and those pigs are older females meaning more fat then muscle.
We ended up making 5 kg minced meat, 5 kg cubes meat, bags of soup bones, ribs, 4 liter jars of "jambonneau", 11 jars of liver pâté and 6 jars of blood worst. Knowing that the carcass weighted 100 kg, you can imagine how much fat is left. We gave some fat to Alex for one of his neighbours. I will melt some fat to make lard which I will be able to use for frying/baking. Some of it can be used for making our own soap.
If you ask me, this is a rich life experience. End this month both pigs will have been processed and this will make an end to our "pig farmer" chapter. We will be able to concentrate on topics other than animals, and continuing ou journey towards self-sufficiency.
Spring is coming and the following blog will probably be filled with newborn chicks and growing vegetables. SEE YOU THEN XXX