Maypop Meadows

It all started with Oink and Boink. Those were the names of our first two pigs, raised on our very own .9 acre yard. As they rooted up the soil in their paddocks (our yard), they were also churning up our future. From their first squeals as piglets being dropped off at our home, we were excited for this opportunity to make the most of what we had and use our very own grass and woods to raise these adorable piglets. They were our first real endeavor into raising our own meat regeneratively.

Oink and Boink taught us a lot, we had a wonderful season with them, including daily ear scratches, belly rubs, and rump pats. We not only were able to honor their lives and enjoy the reward of the most delicious sausage and pork chops we’d ever had, but they left us a future gift. That next spring, a new leafy vine started springing up in our back yard that we had never seen before. It produced the most vibrant and unique purple flower, and a kiwi-sized green fruit hung off of it. That vine, we came to learn, was called a Maypop, or Native Passionfruit. It is a plant that is native to our area, but had not been previously growing in our yard.

Oink and Boink had churned up the latent seed banks, allowing these native plants to come back and flourish. Now, every spring and summer, the Maypops come alive in our yard again and remind us of the good that comes when you work in harmony with nature to raise animals with dignity while caring for the land.