Ever heard the old adage “You are what you eat?” There is a lot of truth to that saying. Eating a nutrient-dense diet and getting proper exercise and sunshine are essential to maintaining proper health and energy levels. The animals that provide us protein are no different.
Every day consumers are becoming more educated on what foods are considered good for our health. But little is done about the foods we are feeding our livestock. Corn is mass-produced in order to provide a cheap source of nutrition. And while corn might be delicious on occasion, it is not nearly as nutrient-dense as a legume such as the peanut. Peanuts are high in protein, mono-unsaturated fat and loaded with essential vitamins and minerals making them the perfect base for livestock food.
Each season we have a general discussion at STHP regarding our feed and where we can make improvements. We began milling our own feed several years ago because the “swine feed” we found at most feed stores was a processed food loaded with stuff we could not even pronounce. We wanted our feed to be a much more natural blend of local ingredients that was adjusted based on the season and the amount of natural forage available in our open pastures.
The picture above is an example of what we fed one of our custom fed hogs. With the collaboration of a local chef, we discussed the option of adding another highly nutrient-dense element — like the avocado — to a hog’s diet and have a dinner based around the final product.
The daily diet was a mixture of our normal seasonal blend of local hay, peanuts, organic minerals and diatomaceous earth (used as a natural wormer). To this, we offered the hog 5 lbs of avocados per day for approximately 6 weeks. The result was the softest, most supple and flavorful pork I have ever tried.
While we know we can’t feed every hog avocados, we do continue to strive for a healthy, non-GMO, peanut-based feed that leaves our pork tasting nutty and delicious! Try some today and see if you don’t agree.