Sweet Smelling Rosie

Little Red Rosie

"What's in a name? that which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet."

Shakespeare wasn't thinking about pigs when he wrote that, but I'm thinking about pigs right now, and I thought I'd use it.

Rosie, our new Tamworth pig, arrived at Greene Family Farm on Friday, March 29.  Rosie was given to us by Natalie Veres and Cassie Parsons of Grateful Growers Farm and Harvest Moon Grille, who asked us to chronicle her growth.  Rosie had her new pen all to herself for a few hours, while we drove to RS Central High School in Rutherfordton to get three other mixed-breed pigs raised by FFA students.  By the time her new companions arrived at the farm, Rosie had dug several holes, eaten a good bit of grass, and napped in the sun.  We set the kennel inside the pen, opened the door, and waited for the three FFA piglets to step out. They peered out at the grass, but they wouldn't leave their kennel until Rosie went in and got them!

Rosie and the three boys spent the afternoon squabbling over the feed bowl and the nap nest, but that night they slept peacefully together in a cozy pile under their tarp.  They are getting along fine now.

Rosie is easy to identify by her rich red-brown color, but she is also set apart by her mannerisms.  Every pig has a personality, and Rosie is chatty and inquisitive, busy exploring, almost fussy.  Compared to the stocky males, she's long, slender, and dainty.  She kept her distance at first, but now she will occasionally let us pat her back or scratch her ears.  She is a delightful addition to Greene Family Farm!

Though Rosie won't be there (we're letting her tend to things back home), the Foothills Farmers Market in Shelby opens on Saturday 6 April at 8:00. Some of the other sweet smellers from Greene Family Farm will be Uptown and ready to help you.