Thanksgiving for Pigs

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twofinepigs

Post   » Sun Nov 13, 2005 2:36 pm


I'm planning our holiday menu. Our pigs always have dinner when we do, they expect it. It won't be a great day for them because there will be lots of people in the house (they'd rather not have all the company) but I want to give them a special dinner, too. What can they share with us?

I'm making applesauce, so they can have apple - they love the cores, but I stopped giving them as a treat because I read that the seeds were dangerous. I make a sweet-potato and carrot puree, so there will be carrots - can they have the cooked sweet potato before I add fat and seasoning?

Can they have cranberries, raw or cooked?

Obviously they can have all the salad ingredients.

Can they have a little canned pumpkin to try?

What do you give your piggers for special on Thanksgiving?

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newwave_polly

Post   » Sun Nov 13, 2005 3:19 pm


I've given my guys tiny bits of raw sweet potato. They'll nibble a little before they toss it and stomp all over it. My pigs went through a phase where they loved raw cranberries. They're high in C too, but keep in mind the overall sugar content you're feeding them through the day.

A huge favorite here is pommegranite. My pigs won't stop wheeking for it. It's to the point where I can't even eat it myself in front of them without having to listen to pathetic little wheeks.

Special occasions here usually warrant a paper bag filled with hay, and little treats buried inside too, like an alfalfa cube or bits of apple, or a baby carrot for each pig. They really like demolishing the bag and rumbling around inside it.

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Sabriel MoonStar

Post   » Sun Nov 13, 2005 3:33 pm


What part of the pommegranite do you feed them? The fruit or the little seed things. My husband keeps wanting to feed them somebut I don't know what part to feed them.

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twofinepigs

Post   » Sun Nov 13, 2005 3:38 pm


Sack lunches! That sounds like fun! Maybe a bag each, with a tiny bit of potato, a cranberry or two, some apple, mixed up in timothy. That would be special, they've never had bags to play with! Thanks!

Edit to add: I don't worry too much about sugar, they don't get very much fruit, esp. this time of year. About all we have in the house is apples and bananas, so they get the occasional small piece of apple and not much else sugary. I am sure there is some sugar in their vegetables, but I don't think there's very much, and mostly they just chow through vast quantities of varied greens and cilantro with peppers, or cherry tomatoes, or the occasional baby carrot.

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Wheekers3

Post   » Sun Nov 13, 2005 4:14 pm


Celery left over from stuffing is a crowd pleaser. Make sure the threads are pulled out. They are a little too fiberous for piggies.

I would worry about the pom seeds, aren't they a choker?

Geez, I sound like an over-protective mother don't I?

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Amy0204
We miss our sweet Oreo

Post   » Sun Nov 13, 2005 5:45 pm


Most of my pigs love sweet potato, but I give them small amounts. Pumpkin was a loser, but they did enjoy acorn squash. Sometimes I have a string bean dish. The pigs certainly enjoy those, too.

Poor Baby Cuzko
My piggy made me give!

Post   » Sun Nov 13, 2005 5:56 pm


Cuzko gets upset if she doesn't get her yams. She's never had a problem from them so she gets them everyday. I know they're supposed to cause diarhea, but they never have.

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Sabriel MoonStar

Post   » Sun Nov 13, 2005 6:58 pm


Cuzko sounds like she has an odd stomach like me. Does she have odd comfort foods too?

Yams aren't popular around here, but carrots and string beans are. Spinel Sun is crazy for fennel.

Poor Baby Cuzko
My piggy made me give!

Post   » Sun Nov 13, 2005 7:40 pm


She hates green beans, just tried broccoli with her and she ate it (just an extremely small amount), she's not a fan of romaine lettuce or parsley or cilantro (I limit them anyways because greens cause her to have diarhea and her nerve problems). Unfortunately, she also likes pizza and ice cream. She'll actually try to steal a whole slice of pizza off my plate. And she'll steal the spoon from the bowl of ice cream and then eat what's on it. Not that I allow it, but she sneaks in and gets it, when you're not expecting it. I.E. I'm laying sideways on the bed eating ice cream. She goes around my back and acts like she's eating my hair (her other favorite past time) and when I sit up to move my hair, she scurries in and grabs a mouthful of ice cream. Same goes for pizza.

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jaydee6561
Not a Fighter

Post   » Sun Nov 13, 2005 8:29 pm


twofinepigs, can you give me your potato-carrot puree recipe?

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newwave_polly

Post   » Sun Nov 13, 2005 8:29 pm


Sabriel - When you crack open a pommegranite, the fruit part is the red bubbles with seeds in them. I just pull some of the red bubbles out and give them to the pigs. They're crazy for it.

After Beatsie got spayed, the only thing she would eat was CC and pommegranite.

Edited to add: I've thought of the choking hazard aspect, but I've never had a problem with it yet. *touch wood*

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twofinepigs

Post   » Sun Nov 13, 2005 8:55 pm


Sure! Here's the version out of The Silver Palate Cookbook, slightly edited for length, and then I'll tell you the lazy way that I modified it.

Sweet Potato and Carrot Puree

4 large sweet potatoes
1 pound carrots
2 1/2 c water
1 T granulated sugar
12 T (1 1/2 sticks) sweet butter
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 c creme fraiche
1/2 t nutmeg
dash cayenne (optional)

Bake potatoes for 1 hour at 375, or until tender.

Peel and trim carrots, cut into 1 in lengths, cook in the water, 2 sugar, 2 T butter, until tender. Add a little water if necessary.

Scrape out the sweet potatoes and combine with carrots in bowl of food processor. Add remaining butter and creme fraiche and process until smooth.

Add nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Process briefly to blend.

To reheat, transfer to ovenproof dish and cover, heat at 250 for 25 min.

Creme Fraiche

1 c heavy cream
1 c sour cream

Whisk together in a bowl. Cover and let stand in kitchen for 24 hours. Refrigerate for 4 hours, after which it will be quite thick.

TwoFinePigs' Lazy Way

Peel and cut up sweet potatoes. Peel and cut up carrots. Put them in the pressure cooker, or you can boil them, until tender. Forget to make creme fraiche, so substitute a bunch of butter and good dollop of sour cream. If it's too thick, thin with a little milk. Mash with a masher until you get bored and then use a hand-mixer because you haven't got a food processor. Don't salt because you used regular butter, which is all you ever have. Season with fresh ground nutmeg, a shake of ginger, and some mace if you think of it. Eat most of it yourself because it's to die for and the kids hate sweet potatoes anyway.

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