Palmer: Year of the Pig

The Chinese Lunar New Year begins this week, and it honors the Pig. Palmer pigs, in particular, are special and in this column Palmer pigs will be both recognized and discussed.

Demographics of Palmer Pigs—It’s hard to get an actual count of the number of pigs in Palmer. There is no demographer, clearing house or statistician that can give out verifiable statistics. However, there are lots of Palmer information sources and many have been consulted.

Pigs in Palmer 400-500 —This is the educated guess of pigs in the Palmer area. This approximation is possibly on the low side and if anything, an underestimate. But the fact is that local meat production (and particularly pork) has grown tremendously in our area. The reasons for this are that Palmer peeps want to know where their pork comes from—and that means local grow operations. Local food raising is gaining in importance to most folks as we learn about our food security needs, transport contingencies, and our delicate spot in the world which relies heavily on imports. However, compared to states like Iowa, our meat production is a very small but precious industry.

Pig Traits—Honoring the pig includes recognizing their attributes. Pigs are intelligent and amazingly clean, if given the space they deserve. Pigs are determined and delicious. Pigs can teach patience and loyalty. In addition pigs are often used on our farms for land clearing and pasturing, while fields rest during crop rotations.

Piglet Time—Early litters of piglets have already been born this year. The favorite birthing time is in February and March. Soon, on social media, you will get to see the baby pigs, because people love to share these little mammals. Interesting pig trivia reports that pig pregnancy (and gestation period) is three months, three weeks and three days! How auspicious is that?!?

Palmer 4 H kids at the Ready—The 4 H kids generally receive their pigs at about 6 weeks old. There is an assumption that about 40-50 young ones raise these pigs in a healthy and respectful environment. In addition to caring for the animals, they learn about the biology and science of pig rearing. It is a remarkable program. At the Alaska State Fair, every year, you will see the results of the kids’ dedication. When these kids take their pigs to market—in six months—that same little piggy will have gained hundreds and hundreds of pounds. And you can tell they were taken care of well.

Pig Books and Music—Another way to honor pigs is to read pig books. Our local bookstore has most of these in stock. Charlotte’s Web, Olivia, If You Give A Pig a Pancake, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, Babe, The Tale of Pigling Bland and The Three Ninja Pigs. You also have sassy Piglet showing up in the Winnie-the-Pooh series. For adults there is the classic Animal Farm. The Beatles, Pete Seeger, Frank Zappa, Styx and the Procol Harem all wrote songs about pigs. More recently Weezer, Captain Beefheart, and Cypress Hill have some crazy pig music out there.

Pig Meat—There is more than just bacon to this story. Although we all know of hot dogs and bologna, it is the tasty shredded pork of the local woolly Managlitsa pigs that is the delicacy of our Palmer bounty. You can buy local pork at meat stores and Rayne Reynolds, Rocket Ranch, Frozen Oak Farm, Mt. McKinley Meats, and Loran Statz.

Pig Peeps—Thanks to the following folks for their pig information and local pig folklore: Amy Petit of Alaska Farmland Trust, Amy Harmon, Michelle Church, Jodie Anderson, Mat Farm Manager and Sue Benz, State Statistician with USDA.

Perfect Pork for Palmer Weekend Dinner—Try Out the Edelweiss German Restaurant at The Colony Inn on Elmwood, next to the Borough building. This authentic German restaurant is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. This is delicious Bavarian food in a lovely well-loved historic building, owned by Palmer’s favorite Janet Kincaid. The owner, JD Berry, is very attentive to all details and the dishes are quite remarkable. Cucumber Salad and the freshest of greens accompany delectable schnitzels, which are hand pounded pork rolled in bakery bread crumbs. There is fresh roasted coffee and import tea. The menu is lengthy with a full narrative about the foods, history and the customs. Authentic German cuckoo-clocks are in residence, along with homemade mustard, antique beer steins and legendary paintings by Andrea Hoffman of ritualistic hunts, The Brothers Grimm and an Arthurian Legend. There is also a “Dark Menu,” which means a specialty menu of occasional offerings. The Black Forest Cake is a feast for both the eyes and the tummy. It is amazing that Palmer has so many wonderful eateries, and this special hidden restaurant, Edelweiss, is a jewel.

Palmer Upcoming—Palmer Museum Annual Membership Celebration is Wednesday night at 630—at the Museum of course. Swanson Elementary has Movie night on Friday at 6pm. Phantom of the Opera is at the Glenn Massay this weekend. Klondike Mike’s has Area 907 Live on Friday night and UFC 234 on Saturday night. Oula.One and Women’s Circle is Saturday morning at 9am at Level Seven.The Palmer Food Swap is this weekend at the Annex on Saturday morning at 10 am. Bleeding Heart Brewery is having an event on Saturday to help a non-profit building supply store get going. There is a cool Cake Decorating Class on Saturday Night at the Alaska Picker, but I think tickets are sold out. You might want to check. Mat Su Ski for Women is Sunday at 2pm at Government Peak. Palmer Paintbrush Jam’s “Art Illustrated Journal” is Sunday at Level Seven, 1pm. Needle Felted animals is also Sunday at 12pm at the Art Cafe. Next Wednesday is Wildlife Wednesday with a Naturalist at the Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center at 7pm.

Barbara Hunt is both Palmer writer and artist. She works hard to keep the robust pulse of Palmer, Alaska. She shares the good stuff on the weekly Palmer Alaska Buzz in the Mat Su Valley Frontiersman and daily on the Palmer Alaska Buzz Facebook Group. Contact at bhunt@mtaonline.net