For a change of scenery (and pace), Chef Jason, Michelle and I drove down I-80 to Ottawa to visit the pig farm that we'll be working with once we open. Mark & Kristin Boe are a couple that operate a clean and tidy farm about 85 miles away near where the Fox River dumps into the Illinois River. They grow their own corn for feed and were busy harvesting the on Saturday when we came by. They are usually done with that task by now, but it's been a wet year and the corn is still drying out.
We were introduced to the Boe's by Beth & Jody Osmund of Cedar Valley Farm who sell chicken, beef and pork monthly at the Logan Square Farmers Market and offer one of the few meat CSAs around. They were early particpants of the market back when I was working to grow it into the diverse market it is today and I've enjoyed watching them evolve as farmers. They used to grow vegetables, but have shifted towards meat as a sustainable business model that suits their family. We stopped in at their farm down the road before heading over to the Boe's. They had just purchased several shipping containers to use as shelters for their pigs and for raising chicks, funded by a grant from the Frontera Farmer Foundation. Here's a pic of Jody peering over his pig pen:
Unlike Cedar Valley, which had about 25 pigs that are all destined for their CSA, Mark & Kristin have around 100 head, making them just the right size to set up a restaurant relationship. They raise both pure breed Duroc & Hampshires along with a few Yorkshires. Kristin is patting their hairy, red Duroc boar in the picture above, while the Hampshire pigs look quite different with black hair and a white stripe. They do some cross breeding, but also produce a lot of pure breeds and we got quite a mouthful about the finer points of each one. The highlight of the trip was visiting the Boe's farrowing building where the sows give birth and nurse their piglets.
Overall, I was impressed with the cleanliness of the place, especially given that it was a pig farm. My wife did make me wash my clothes and take a shower the minute I stepped in the door, but I think next time we'll bring the kids. And yes, we will have good vegetarian dishes on the menu too.
