Our New Piglets

Olivia Sticks Her Nose In My Business

Two days ago, I drove down with my friend Beau- Chef at New Rivers Restaurant, to see Krista van Dale- our new pig farmer, in Little Compton.

Krista and I have been talking about developing a relationship between her small farm and our restaurant for a while now, and it looks like things are coming to fruition. About three weeks ago, Krista picked up our first round of piglets. They are Tamworth & Berkshire crosses, originating from Western Massachusetts.

These little beauties were psyched. They wallowed. They oinked. They skirted between our feet and over the mud and fresh hay. They looked fabulous. This being Krista’s first foray into pig rearing, it is exciting for all involved. She has them on about a 1/4 acre right now, gently fenced in and sheltered by a homemade lean-to, which used to be a former chicken coop.

The best part? I was able to source some great grub for our little guys- fresh cheese and whey from Narragansett Creamery and left over beer mash from Newport Storm Brewery. These local, Rhode Island ingredients will ensure that our squealers develop the fat we want them to have come their slaughter- probably in October. Krista and I plan on finishing them on plenty of local corn, with the addition of Little Compton seaweed.

Two of them will be used for my annual trip to Nantucket Island, where I’ll be putting on another ‘Hogtoberfest’ this year, with Michael Lascolla of American Seasons. Hogtoberfest is a weekend long event- one day of a butchery workshop, another day of charcuterie and beer pairings at Cisco Brewery and we end with a multiple course prix fixe dinner at ‘Seasons. It’s always a lot of fun for Michael and I to put together, and this year will be no exception. Stay tuned for details, but plan on making it out to the island, October 16th and 17th.

Here are some photos from our recent visit to Krista’s farm. Sure. They might be cute now, but they are going to be delicious in October. See you then, piggies!

Narragansett Creamery cheese, Newport Storm beer mash, and lots of whey

Krista pets the piglets while they eat, to get them used to human interaction

Olivia and Iris pig out, Wilbur tries to work his way into the trough, out of picture