Happy Hour on the Farm

In our never-ending effort to control costs and delight our cattle, we are always looking for healthy additions to the hay and grass that are eternally on their menu. And I'm happy to say we have a new supplementary food source – Hermit Woods Winery in Meredith.

Typical wine is created by crushing and fermenting grapes, of course, but wine can be made from just about any fruit. In fact, a high school classmate of mine, while doing time in federal prison, used to make it from canned fruit cocktail. But operating under more wholesome conditions, Hermit Woods uses a variety of fresh local fruits to make their wines. For example, each year they ferment 20,000 pounds of wild, whole blueberries before pressing them off to create wine. The byproduct is about 1,000 pounds of fermenting pulp known as “must.”

While humans might enjoy a glass of “2018 Petite Blue,” guess who's been enjoying the blueberry pulp? Pigs. A local pig farmer who collected the spent fruit for feed discovered there was just enough alcohol in the mash to inebriate his pigs. The winery now features a wine called “The Drunken Pig.”

After that first experience, the pig farmer mixed the spent berries with other grains to dilute the alcohol. That worked well for years, but when the farmer went out of the pig business, Hermit Woods co-owner Bob Manley called Miles Smith Farm to ask if we were willing to collect the spent blueberries and other fruit. After thinking hard – maybe 2 seconds – I said, “Yes!” The next day I was at the winery to discuss details with Bob.

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Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm, where she raises and sells pastured pork, lamb, eggs and grassfed beef. She can be reached at cas@milessmithfarm.com.