A butcher operating out of Pike Place Market in Seattle has been feeding pigs all of those “useless” stems, root bulbs, and “over sized” marijuana leaves produced as by-product at the local medical dispensary. The special feed, William von Schneidau tells NPR, leads to the production of “redder and more savory” meat. Of course it does! The BB Ranch owner has also been busy slipping mickeys to his livestock in the form of the local vodka distillery’s spent grains. When all is said and done in the abattoir, “Pot Pig” holds blowout dinners for $120 a head with stoner pig on the menu. There are also “gourmet cupcakes” for dessert.
Here’s a look behind the scenes:
Grooviness aside, in all fairness, the pigs at Bucking Boar Farm don’t look as strung out as one might think, and the use of spent grains as animal feed dates back beyond the Neolithic. On the other hand, von Schneidau’s claim that he’s helping the environment by reducing waste and using up hyperlocal pot-plant clippings might be more effective if it weren’t used in service of such a blatant marketing gimmick.
It would at least be good to know if the pigs are getting high and having a good time. Von Schneidau tells NPR he’d welcome more science-minded personnel to come in and take a look, but for now, he’s in full-on “Pot Pig” mode. “I just get out there,” he says, “and cut them up, and put them on a BBQ, and eat them.”
