Dr. Kathy's Couch, the Reprise: It's Not What You're Eating, It's What You're Eating Ate!

Monday, August 13, 2012

It's Not What You're Eating, It's What You're Eating Ate!

Carmon was really creative in what he fed the livestock. When the potato crop was harvested in Queen Creek, he would drive out to the sorting plant and buy a truckload of culls – potatoes that were too big or too small or too misshapen to be sold commercially. He would dump the load at the end of the pasture and the cows and pigs would spend two to three days in potato heaven.

For the pigs only, he would glean vegetable trimmings from the dumpsters behind markets and restaurants. I went with him once, but I wasn’t much of a dumpster diver, so he worked his routine in on his way home from work two or three times a week. The pigs ate everything he brought, but were particularly fond of avocado skins from behind the Mexican restaurant on the corner.

The kids' probable favorite (and they can correct me if I'm wrong) was when he hit the bakery surplus stores about twice a month. He could fill the back of his truck with their discards for about $20. Every cream-filled cupcake has to die sometime or other! The kids would spend the afternoon unwrapping the cupcakes, pies, and other gooey goodies. If I ever wondered what a Twinkie could do to my hips, I had only to look at the pigs. It was the only thing that kept me from dipping into the spoiling stash myself!

The hands-down favorite of every other creature in the barnyard from the cattle to the pigs to the chickens was when the corn crop matured. After the commercial pickers were through, Carmon would take the gleanings, again filling the back of his truck. He would usually try to get two or three loads and build mountains of corncobs, husks, and stalks in the pasture. Once again, it would take just a few days until the livestock cleaned the pasture, including eating most of the cobs as well. I have always wondered how they managed to do that.