The Widow’s Pig-Feeding Innovation
A resourceful widow in Steilacoom finds a way to feed her livestock using garden weeds and a boiler, turning a chore into a sustainable practice.
A widow, who lives in this vicinity and who is compelled to provide for her orphaned children, has hit upon a new mode of providing food for a pig. She has caused a large boiler to be filled with weeds which her little boys have pulled up about the premises, and these are then boiled. More is added from time to time, till the whole kettle is filled and well boiled, and then the clover is taken out with a pitchfork and fed to the pig. She stated that the pigs like it as well as they do boiled potatoes, and that they have both an appetite and health that would be a credit to any animal.
“She stated that the pigs like it as well as they do boiled potatoes, and that they have both an appetite and health that would be a credit to any animal.”
This story highlights the ingenuity required for survival in early Steilacoom, where self-sufficiency was not just a lifestyle but a necessity for families. Today, this 'waste-to-resource' mindset is echoed in modern urban farming and composting movements that seek to reduce food waste.
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