Page 89 - Spring2020

working together making sausage is our idea from New Zealand. In addition to their slightly- A kunekune
of a good time. smaller-therefore-cuter size, they are grazers, is a perfect
This article is a “call to subsistence,” meaning they eat and grow fat on grass without
hopefully inspiring others to take some level much rooting. When we acquired our first two backyard
of greater participation in producing the food kunes, they literally spent the summer mowing animal, a
they eat. Small steps can make a large impact our lawn. They tend to deposit all of their excre- friendly lawn
in the pantry and the kitchen. In the following ment in a single corner, making clean-up easy,
sections, I describe some of the animal and and they respect fences. A kunekune is a perfect mower kindly

plant foods that, in our experience, can make backyard animal, a friendly lawn mower kindly growing
a huge difference. Many of them can be scaled growing bacon on nothing more than grass and bacon on
to smaller spaces. kitchen scraps!
Kunekunes, along with some other great nothing more
GOATS: THE PERFECT homestead breeds, are lard pigs. They grow than grass
SUBSISTENCE ANIMAL more slowly than standard hogs but put on in- and kitchen
When we moved to our new farm and shift- credible amounts of fat. For those of us focusing
ed our intention to subsistence farming, goats on calories, this is a gift. Raising kunekunes has scraps!
were the first animal we introduced to the new eliminated our need to purchase cooking fat.
land. We love goats. They are hardy, productive We generally harvest two animals a year, and
and very personable animals to work with. We this provides all of the lard we require for cook-
also have large areas of invasive weeds, and ing. The one potential issue is that their meat
goats—less picky than sheep or cows—are ideal is also very fatty—we find it ideal for mixing
to graze in marginal areas. Goats have been with leaner grass-fed beef, goat and wild game.
immensely helpful in managing our landscape. This is a perfect marriage that graces our table
We managed to invest in a herd of six regularly.
weaned does for under two hundred dollars.
We raised them, training them to electric fenc- COWS: MAKING EDIBLE SUNSHINE
ing. When it was time to breed, we borrowed The reason we transitioned from goats to
a buck from some neighbors. The next spring cows as a dairy source can be summed up in
we had a batch of delightful, playful kids rac- a single word: butter. The delights of butter,
ing around. We milked the goats, enjoying raw cream and ghee are daily gifts from our lovely
milk and fresh cheeses, and ate castrated males Blossom. Cows are a larger investment of money
and females we wanted to cull from the herd. and space, but they are a game-changer for those
Although it surprises many people, we love eating a Wise Traditions diet.
goat meat, which is tender, delicately flavored We have small A2A2 Jersey cows deriving
and delicious. from New Zealand genetics, which means they
Where neighborhood rules allow it, I be- do very well on an exclusively grass diet. We
lieve that a goat is a perfect backyard homestead get less milk than with other breeds—only two
animal. We have several friends who have raised gallons a day. Many folks marvel that we can go
goats in large backyards, benefiting from the through even this much milk, but the combina-
milk, lawn mowing and meat. Goat manure tion of butter-making and pigs makes it easy.
is pretty innocuous and would beneficially We make all of our butter for the year when
fertilize a lawn. While good fencing is always the grass is growing quickly (primarily in May
essential with goats, dwarf breeds such as Nige- and June) and at other times of year keep our-
rian Dwarf goats are easier to contain; they still selves well supplied with ghee for cooking. Any
provide all of the benefits of other dairy breeds, skimmed milk and buttermilk go to the pigs. In
just with lower amounts of milk per animal. between, our children drink large amounts of
raw milk, and we make yogurt, kefir and hard
PIGS: FAT-FUELED LAWN MOWERS and soft cheeses. My favorite is making kefir
When we saw our first kunekune pig, we with straight cream instead of milk.
fell in love. Kunekunes are a delightful breed On four acres, in an arid climate with mini-

SPRING 2020 Wise Traditions 89