We have a drove of four pigs at our farm: Apple and Alfalfa (the ladies), and Adam and Arnie (their partners). They live on two acres of grass and woodland. In addition to their own foraging, we also feed them vegetable scraps (mostly organic) and clabber: raw cultured milk (like crème fraîche).
Meet Our Pigs
Tamworth
Originally bred the midlands of the UK – the town of Tamworth, to be exact – the ancestors of today’s Tamworth pigs descend from “the Old English forest pig;” that is, from Europe’s native wild boars. This is why, unlike most conventional swine (with the short snout and fat profile from their Asian lineage), it’s long-snouted and fairly lean, like its indigenous European ancestors.
In fact, Tamworths are one of the oldest breeds of pigs around. As such, they’re not well suited to modern factory practices. Since factory constitutes most of the industry today, Tamworths are now listed by the Rare Breeds Survivial Trust as “at risk.”
When given a more down-to-earth lifestyle, though, they’re actually hardy, active and adaptable. They know what a forest is good for: digging, rooting and roaming. They’re efficient excavators on pasture reclamation projects. They make excellent mothers, and their piglets acclimate to human contact easily. As meat animals, Tamworths have lots of mass and little fat: quality pork; great bacon.
Like other heritage breeds, they just need a natural life in order to thrive.