Day 51

Michael Pigs Out

1/2 a pig (35kg) arrives from the family farm. Michael's sister Phaedra has a farm near Kuitpo where she raises pigs, sheep, cows, chickens, ducks, and turkeys. Every now and then we buy 1/2 or 1/4 of an animal to put in the freezer. This keeps our costs down and means that we always have meat available and that we are less likely to buy take-away or eat out (when we remember to defrost it in time).The animals are farmed with minimal use of chemicals, and it is great to have a local supply of meat that has been well fed and cared for, and led a happy life. Phaedra is inspired by English chef and small holder Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall of River Cottage fame. http://www.rivercottage.net/  He is renowned for his interest in wild foraging and utilising the entire animal.
Michael dons my apron and gets stuck into weighing out the pig into meal sized portions for freezing. It is important to have plenty of bags and a marker pen for this process otherwise you end up with huge lumps of frozen meat that you don't recognize - so you can't actually plan the meal until it is defrosted. The meat all looks so fresh, and the chops are huge! We have a Fisher & Paykel upside down fridge freezer which takes our pig portions easily with room to spare. The only other things in the freezer are leftovers, pumpkin, soup, pesto, and hummus.
I am spending more time in the garden and the kitchen, and less time writing my Blog!
I have baked more cakes and muffins in the last 7 weeks than I did in the past year, most of them containing variable quantities of zucchini. I have just run out of coconut, sultanas and raisins, and I am low on sugar. The cakes are getting less interesting as my supplies of spices dwindle. I am wondering what cakes I can make without sugar, sultanas, coconut, vanilla essence, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, chocolate, maple syrup, bicarb soda, baking powder, salt, or dates?

I have made a start on some chutney to use up and preserve some excess zucchini and cucumber. After looking at several recipies I have realised that it will be difficult to preserve our produce without sugar, salt, and spices. We might have to resort to freezing, and I am considering the purchase of a food dehydrator.
We still haven't harvested any almonds, which brings me to the question - Is it actually do-able to provide all of our own food? For example, if I am home full time, and growing as many vegetables as I can, raising my own chooks and eggs, cooking all of my meals, harvesting all of my fruit, avocadoes, olives, and vegetables, raising all of my seedlings, creating my own compost, worm wee/poo, liquid manures, and mulch. As well as baking my own bread, cakes and pies, making my own jams and pickles, pesto, and dips, brewing beer and wine, and curing meat, making sausages, and drying and smoking foods, making salt, drying pepper, cracking and roasting nuts, and going fishing. Would I actually have time for anything else............? 

Dinner tonight
Fresh home made  pasta from the Farmer's Market with sauce of Phaedra's bacon, garden basil, zucchini (of course) and spring onion, Paris Creek Quark, pepper and salt. Made by Michael - yum.