Your pup will love this “Autumn Harvest” recipe – a balanced homemade dog food especially for the changing seasons. 

I think autumn and I think crockpots of colors and aromas. Food is life. The more vibrant your choices, the move vibrant life can be. This recipe is all about harvesting the best bits at their seasonal peak for health and energy.

We’ve talked about the energetic qualities of food. Integrative veterinarians and human health practitioners who embrace traditional, eastern medicine look at food as medicine. They recognize the energetic and healing properties of food. 

Generally speaking food influences the body on a spectrum of hot to cold and dampening to drying.  A body that is in balance, is one that nourishes itself based upon the energy within and the energy without (i.e. weather patterns and seasons). Health and harmony result when the energetic qualities of all these things align.

Autumn Harvest Inspiration

Here is a recipe for your pup to enjoy as we shift from late summer to the cooling influences of fall. It harnesses the energetically neutral and nourishing properties of pork with deep rich greens, healthy touches of seasonal carrots, and apples for antioxidants and enzymes. 

Pork is a fantastic protein, rich in iron and selenium!  Lean duck is a great substitution for pork if that's more your dog's thing.  We add an ounce of oysters as a source of copper and zinc.

We lightly steam or freeze the veggies to improve digestibility, and we tend to gently cook our proteins, but if raw is your preference, go for it!

This recipe is built on the formula for a well-balanced homemade diet for dogs created by Dr. Nathan Heilman DVM of Qi Veterinary Clinic.  It is adaptable for all chefs of raw or gentle-cooking.

Making it Complete and Balanced for Puppies

This recipe is complete and balanced for an adult dog.  Nutritional information is at the end.  If you are making this recipe for a puppy, you will need to add bonemeal to get her calcium and phosphorus needs met.  We have indicated that modification to the recipe as well.  Be sure it is the edible kind of bonemeal - not the fertilizer kind.  We like NOW Brand bonemeal.  (This and other special considerations for puppies are available on our nutritional page.)

Here's How

Tools needed: 

Food processor, small kitchen scale (note: recipe measurements are done by weight, not volume), knife, cutting board, peeler, teaspoon.  

Ingredients:  

24 oz of 95% lean pork (raw or cooked) We like low and slow roasted pork sirloin. Lean duck makes a great alternative!

4.8 oz chicken liver

3 oz steamed or frozen chopped kale

3 oz steamed broccoli

3 oz steamed or frozen spinach

3 oz peeled, steamed carrot (fork tender)

1 egg (reserve the shell)

2 oz fresh apple (without the core and seeds)

1 oz canned oysters

1 quarter-sized slice of fresh ginger (optional)

Multi-vitamin (per package dosage). We like using 1.5 tsp of RX Essentials for Dogs 

1.5 tsp 18/12 fish oil (herring, mackerel, sardine)

1 pinch salt

Modification for puppies:  Add 4 tsp bonemeal (we like NOW brand)

Directions:

Pork sirloin is one of the leanest cuts of pork available and it is inexpensive, which is why we like it. You can use it raw. Or, you can can slow roast it in a crock pot, or your oven. Drain it of fat. Let it cool. Then roughly chop it into 3 inch cubes.  

Working in batches, start by placing the 24 oz of pork (cooked or raw) in the work bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Empty the pork into a large mixing bowl. Add egg, reserving the shell.

Next, combine kale, spinach, broccoli, carrot, apple, chicken livers, oysters, ginger and eggshell into the large work bowl of the food processor. Puree until smooth. Add to pork mixture. 

Add the multi-vitamin, fish oil, and a pinch of salt to the pork mixture. Fold together until thoroughly combined.  

The warmth of ginger in this recipe is a nice touch on cold windy days. Ginger is also an excellent source of manganese which supports healthy joints.

This recipe makes enough food for approximately 60 pounds of dog / day. Serving two to three meals per day is recommended as one large meal can create dampness - an eastern medicine view of imbalance in the body related to health issues.  Adjust serving size downward or upward depending on the size and metabolic needs of your dog.

This mixture can be stored in the fridge in a container with a tight-fitting lid for one week. It also can be turned into your own homemade kibble in a few easy steps!

Looking for Healthy Human Grade Treats?

Nutritious human edible dog treats are awesome rewards. There are some excellent species-appropriate compliments to this healthy diet for dogs that you can include in your rotation of all natural snacks. Human-grade single-ingredient pork jerky for dogs like Hula Lula Pork from Goodness Gracious is one option. 

You can also try making your own jerky – but then you might not get out of the kitchen to enjoy that fall air!  

Goodness Gracious

Here at Goodness Gracious we are all about harnessing the power of simple whole foods to achieve optimum health. We make a collections of human grade single-ingredient jerky, limited-ingredient meaty strips, high-protein training treats, gluten-free and grain-free cookies and species-appropriate chews that cover the range of energies from cool to hot, and drying to moistening.  Everything is always USA mad and USA sourced. There’s a perfect choice in our collections for every season. Come visit us today to find out more.

Nutritional Facts

References:

Taurine content in oysters: 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S168742851400020X#:~:text=The%20taurine%20content%20is%20high,et%20al.%2C%202006).