So I was lucky enough to be offered a half share in a ‘pig in a box’. This is from  a local farmer and  you get a pig. All cuts nose to tail no picking the cuts you want the whole hog (pun intended).

From the famers point of view they get to sell the whole pig nothing wasted nothing to worry about no suddenly finding the selves with 402 trotters not selling 🙂

For the buyer the cost is lower and it forces you to realise that this is how we used to eat the whole pig and you have to learn to use the whole thing cuts you have never used before. Some of which for most will be the best cuts.

So I picked it up today and the lady I got it from sells bread to us at a market as well. So she gave me some beautiful heritage carrots a pale yellow colour and some bread the kids liked from a market she ran yesterday.

So the meal was pretty easy when you think about it J

Fried up some chops in the fry pan and then put them in the oven to finish off while I made a simple sauce of mushrooms (from the local farmers market), onion (same market), some organic flour we buy for our sourdough and some good Smokey paprika from a small shop in Ballarat I found on a trip up there.

The carrot served simply cut up skin on and lightly boiled.

I also picked up some zucchini at the farmers market from a lovely older Italian couple we meet there.

These where finely sliced (I used the slicer on my grater) and then tossed with some macadamia oil, vinegar and salt and pepper and a few peppered cashews thrown on top (you guessed it famers market)

So a complete meal in about 35 minutes local and ethical and not that expensive to be honest. The meat was very filling a chop each for the adults and a half for each of the kids. The carrots had an amazing texture and flavour and the gravy made in the pan the chops had been fired in was perfect for the bread to dip into. The salad cut the fattiness beautifully.

Yep our local life is hard 🙂

The salad is a great favourite and once my zucchini come on line we will be making it as often as we can. We have made it with olive oil rather than macadamia (both are good) and have used walnuts, flaked almonds and hazelnuts in it before. Whatever we have been given by family, foraged, bought  or happen to have around.

I am not trying to show off here this is just how we aim to eat and I intend to try to keep it this way as the year moves on. It is actually much easier than we realise to serve our families with nutrient dense local foods and the more of us who do this the better for us and the rest of the environment.

Cut the food miles is one thing but in the process you improve the food you are feeding your family as well!

And yes there was some left of for lunch 🙂