Q and A: Canning pesto and breeding gilts

Canning pesto

Can I can pesto? If so, how to do it?

Ann Hazelett
Litchfield Park, Arizona

Sorry, Ann, but pesto is one food that is (so far) not able to be home canned. Although you would be canning it in small jars, the food is still considered too dense a product to be home canned. — Jackie

Breeding gilts

I was wondering what age do you recommend breeding gilts for the first time? We have two Berkshire gilts that are coming on six months old. Our boar is seven months old. We intend to establish a breeding program with them so what is the best age for the long term? How long do breeding pigs live anyway?

One more question, what de-wormer do you use and when do you recommend using it?

Mia Sodaro
Frazier Park, California

We breed gilts for the first time between 8-10 months of age, depending on the growth and apparent maturity of the gilts. Boars should be 8 months of age before being used for the first time. Sows are usually able to stay in the breeding program for about 5 years after their first litter. They live much longer, but usually their litters begin to decline in numbers of births or the sows become so heavy that they begin laying on and killing their babies.

We use Ivermectin injections just behind the ear, just under the skin if you have a way of restraining the pigs. If not, I’ve had good luck using the Ivermectin paste wormer used for horses, given at twice the horse weight dose, with the paste injected into the center of a filled doughnut or a Twinkie-type filled cake. They take this quite well. Follow up with another dose of either, in two weeks to ensure that any parasite eggs that have hatched are killed before being able to reproduce. We worm three weeks before the gilts/sows farrow. — Jackie