Cleopatra and the Seven Little Piglets
Mothers are the source of life, as Cleopatra the sow, feeding her seven March-born piglets, illustrates. Now thriving at two months old, the piglets are no longer nursing, instead eating the special recipe of local barley, sorghum, field peas and whey served by P.A. Bowen Farmstead.
The southern Prince George’s County farm is a woods and pasture-based habitat for cows, pigs and poultry, explains Fallon Morell, who with husband Geoffrey has owned the farm since 2009. Grazing in a mixed-species perennial pasture of grasses and legumes maximizes the vitamins and minerals for cows. Living in the woods, pigs supplement their feed with roots and nuts. The animals’ healthful diet — free of antibiotics and chemicals — is passed along to humans in meat, eggs and cheese. P.A. Bowen Farmstead sells its products on the farm and at Anne Arundel Farmers Market at Riva Road.