What’s pig paradise? During hot days, it’s trenches they dig in soil which we then flood with water. They flop in the mud and rejoice.
But the highest form of pig paradise arrives at Black Cat Organic Farm after the first frost, which we experienced last week. Whatever we don’t harvest turns mushy on the vine and branch, and unusable in the restaurant.
This week we set our heritage Mulefoots free into paradise — fields holding tomatoes and peppers. They only stopped eating to sleep, which they did in the midst of their biodynamic bounty.
Paradise even got upped, thanks to a delivery of pomace from Bookcliff Vineyards. Pomace is the skins and stems leftover during winemaking. Every year, Bookcliff delivers pomace to our fields. Each time, pigs quickly turn purple.
Soon, they will enter fields of eggplant. Cucumber. Squash.
Pig paradise is a remarkable place. It’s a special place for us, too.
We chronicle our life on the farm, which includes lots of videos (pig videos crush!), on our Instagram accounts. Please follow @realbrambleandhare and @blackcatboulder to savor the colorful, extremely tactile world of Black Cat Organic Farm.
We stored enough eggplant and peppers that we harvested before to frost to include them at tomorrow’s Market. Meanwhile, our Market table will bow under the weight of so much else – winter squash, greens, turnips, potatoes and much more.
Tomatoes no longer are a Market thing for Black Cat Organic Farm. But we have been preserving them in different delicious ways for weeks. The restaurants take advantage of their glory year-round. The restaurants, too, now are taking advantage of some of the best produce of the season, including sweet arugula and winter squash.
We hope to see you at the restaurants and in the Market!
At the Market
Veggies
Hakuri turnips · Sweet potatoes · Yellow onions · Arugula · Mizuna · Chinese collard greens · Squash: Delicatta, Hokkaido, Spaghetti, Acorn, Butternut · Peppers · Purple potatoes · Golden potatoes · Beets · Parsnips · Red kale · Mixed salad greens · Radish greens · Osaka purple · Tatsoi · Spicy mustard greens · Celery · Carrots
Grains
Sonoran White wheat flour · Khorasan wheat flour · Swiss rye wheat flour
Black Cat Heritage-Breed Pork & Lamb Raised on Organic Pastures
All cuts of lamb · All cuts of pork · Pork skin · Pork jowls
Accessories
Sheepskins