Sold Out for 2011. We expect to sell pork again in 2012 and will start taking orders in early summer. 

Happy piglet

This year (2011), we’re experimenting with raising pigs on our abundant pastures. The pigs get to do what they love best — nosing through dirt for succulent worms and other goodies — and we get the benefit of their rotovation to push out noxious weeds and bring more fertility to the fields. They romp in fresh air, wallow in mud and sleep wherever they please in their spacious paddock. We scratch their ears when we feed them and move them every few weeks to a fresh area. We supplement their pasturing with pig chow (non medicated, no animal by-products), eggs and extra garden produce. They have never received any antibiotics. In the Fall, they’ll get new tasty treats: lots of windfall apples from our old orchards.

Red Wattles in the apple orchard

To get a comparison of different breeds, we’re raising two Red Wattles and two Duroc-Yorkshires. Our beautiful Red Wattles come from Heritage Farms Northwest in Dallas, Oregon.

About the Breeds

Red Wattles – If we continue raising pigs (and we probably will), we plan to focus on heritage breeds – those breeds that need farmers to raise them and consumers to eat them so they don’t disappear. The Red Wattles we’ve been enjoying this year are a heritage breed once raised in the South (with genetic roots that may go back to islands near Australia). Because they don’t do well in the close confinement conditions favored by the pork industry, they fell into disfavor and are currently listed by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy as “critical” – the highest priority for restoration and conservation.

Red Wattles thrive on pasture (which is the only way we’re interested in raising pigs), and the meat has been winning taste tests around the country. It is said to be rich, red, and well-marbled. We have not yet tried red wattle meat but have reserved a half share for ourselves so we can sample and speak more authoritatively about the meat in the future. For now, we have to rely on the opinions of others:

Connoisseurs describe Red Wattle meat as unusually flavorful and tender. Chef Kevin Gillespie serves Red Wattle pork at Spokane’s prestigious Luna restaurant, as does chef Mario Batali at the posh Del Posto restaurant in New York City (Hobby Farms Magazine)

…red wattles produce what is possibly the best tasting pork in the world. In blind taste tests, they have bested many other breeds of pig. Their meat is deep red and interlaced with rich veins of fat. When cooked the fat liquefies, imbuing the meat with moisture and a complex broth that seems perfectly balanced to appeal to every carnivorous neuron that still pulses in our primitive brain centers. To eat properly roasted red wattle pork unadorned by spices and condiments is to partake of one of the greatest and purest culinary delights (Greenfire Farms)

Red Wattle under the rosebush. Note the fleshy wattle under the chin.

The Red Wattles have done so well for us and have been such a pleasure to work with that we’ll probably raise more next year. And once we get our house built and settle out here, we might consider breeding our own stock.
Duroc-Yorkshires – Both Durocs and Yorkshires are also heritage breeds that yield a classic and mild-flavored white pork. Ours have been fine little piggies but in the future, we plan to focus on specific heritage breeds (and more critically endangered ones) rather than crosses.

Current Status

Because we head back to Portland in November, we must harvest the hogs at the end of October no matter what their weight. Right now, our Red Wattles are much bigger than the Duroc-Yorkshires, but the Duroc-Yorkshire’s are growing steadily. We hope the Red Wattles will be a respectable live market weight of 200-250 lbs by harvest time, but we can’t guarantee a final weight. The Duroc-Yorkshires will probably end up being less than 200 lbs – which could be perfect for those looking for a smaller share.

Ordering Our Pork

We sell our hogs by the whole or half. Because we have no USDA processor nearby, the pigs will be custom-exempt processed, meaning that you will be buying a portion of a live animal. Our processor of choice is Valley Meat Services in Wallowa. But if you prefer, the pig could also be delivered to some other processor in Wallowa or Union County. If you want to process the meat yourself or take it to a butcher beyond Northeast Oregon, you would have to be present at harvest time and manage the transportation.

In any case, once the pig is delivered, you will communicate directly with the processor as to how you want your meat cut and wrapped, whether you want any smoking or curing, etc.

If you’re not familiar with how the custom-exempt process works, we can send you more detailed information and walk you through it.

Willamette Valley Customers

Since we will be picking up our own Red Wattle share in Wallowa in November and taking it back to Portland, we can transport shares for free for any customers in the Willamette Valley.

Order

To reserve a half or whole hog, download our Pork Order Form, fill it out and send it to us with a deposit. Prices and terms are listed on the form.