boar.gif (4158 bytes)Wild Hogs

In Old Yeller Travis is the man of the family while his dad takes the cattle to Abilene, Kansas. This meant branding the wild pigs. This job could be very dangerous since the hogs were very protective of their young. In fact Travis lands in the middle of the wild herd when the bank he is on collapses out from under him. Could this be a fatal fall? You must read Old Yeller to find out. In the mean time read a little about these wild hogs.

boarwalk.gif (6731 bytes)

~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^

Description

Wild boars look very different from the domestic pig. They have smaller ears, a longer snout, and their tails are straight with a tuft of hair at the end. Their coloring is brown to black. Long bristles run from the head along the center on its back. The hind legs are shorter than their front legs. Wild hogs vary in size from 200 to 700 pounds. The weight is determined by the domestic breed line of the animal. The wild boar weighs about 400 pounds when it is fully ground.

Habitat   

The true Russian breed of the wild boars lives only  in Texas and New Hampshire. Wild hogs live in nineteen states. Texas has the largest population. Hogs are most active at night.

Food

Wild hogs eat plants and animals.

Young

The wild pig may have three litters each year.Two litters is the norm. Each litter has around four to five young. Some females produce up to ten young. Wild boars are yellowish-brown when they are born. They have a dark stripe down their back that helps to camouflage them.

~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^~*~^

Recipes

 

Corn Stuffed Pork Chops
6 pork chops, cut 1 ¼ inches thick
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter
1 ½ cups of soft bread crumbs
8 ¾ ounces whole kernel corn, drained
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground sage
Dash pepper
Paprika
Cut a pocket in each pork chop by cutting from the fat side almost to the bone. Season the pork chop with salt and pepper.

Cook the celery and onion in butter until tender. In a larger bowl combine the bread crumbs, corn, salt, sage, and pepper. Add the celery and onion. Mix well.

Spoon about ½ cup of the stuffing into each pocket of the pork chops. Close the opening with a tooth pick. Place the stuffed pork chops in a covered dish.  Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Remove the cover and continue baking for 30 additional minutes. Sprinkle with paprika before serving.

 

 

Pork Dinner
1 ½ pound smoked pork shoulder
16 ounces sauerkraut, drained
2 cups apple juice
1 large bay leaf
6 medium potatoes, peeled
6 small onions
6 small carrots, quartered
Place the pork shoulder in a covered baking dish. Add sauerkraut, apple juice, and bay leaf. Simmer about 1 ¼ hours. Add the potatoes, onions, and carrots. Cover and simmer about 45 additional minutes. Remove to a platter to serve.   Makes six servings.