Why blog on the hog?

Our half a hog adventure has begun. After several calls between Steve, the farmer, the processor, and I we have indeed secured a half of a hog. I felt that we should honor this fine swine in some fashion. Holly and I recently saw Julie and Julia, a great film about Julie Powell cooking/blogging her way through Julia Child's first cookbook. Put this all together and the Half a Hog blog idea was born. It is my hope that we will document how our half a hog went from farm to our tables.
The details
The Hog: He was born on 6/20/2009. Its final weight was about 250 pounds resulting in a hanging weight of 169 pounds. He was sent to Vogets Meat Processing on 12/29/2009. Our cost: $1.85 per pound plus the cut and wrap fees. I think it is best not to name your food, so I will leave it at He.
The farmers: Patty and Clem in Canby, OR.
The cuts: Calling Vogets to provide the cutting instructions was a unique experience. After some pre-call conferencing with Steve, I felt somewhat ready. In the end, this is what we asked for:

• Chops cut 1 inch think packed two per package.
• The ham cut in half resulting in a shank end and a butt end - cured.
• Pork Shoulder
• Pork Roasts
• Ribs
• Bacon - thick cut, 1 pound packages, cured
• Sausages - 1/3 as breakfast, 1/3 as German mild rope style, and 1/3 ground pork. All in 1 pound packages.

We elected to leave the lard behind. As Steve said, it should be ready in about two weeks.

The Bloggers or Half-Hoggers:
Steve and Julie - two great people who turn out great food from their kitchen.
Bob and Holly (us): Parents of three who strive to provide good food for family and friends.

Now we wait for the call from Vogets.