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Now Taking Orders for Pork and my Dark Secret Revealed . . .

Writer's picture: Ashley, Farmer and MamaAshley, Farmer and Mama

Updated: Mar 30, 2018

Read it! You know you can't resist learning what the secret is . . .





Hi All,


So, shocker I know, but we are ALSO now taking orders for PORK! YAAAAAAY! Yes! I know! Try and hold in your applause. What am I saying? Go ahead and cheer! I know I did and would have put professional cheerleaders to shame if I'd had some poms poms! Ok, not really. Not at all in fact, since I'm lucky to walk a straight line without catastrophe but needless to say, I am super pumped that we're at that time of year again when we are taking orders! So, with that ridiculous digression wrapped up, think about whether you want a half or a whole portion but remember, the more you get, the more BAAAAAAACON you get!!!


Who doesn't love bacon? I know what you're thinking . . .


EVERYONE. LOVES. BACON!


Well, I have a rather dark secret that I'm going to share with you. My name is Ashley and I don't like bacon. Cue the horror music and shocked gasps.


I know. I know! But it's true. I did not like bacon for YEARS! In fact, I'm still EXTREMELY picky about my bacon. The only bacon I've ever enjoyed was the bacon from our own pigs. I'm guessing a big part of the reason is due to what they eat. It was the same for me and eating beef, there was just something in the taste that didn't sit well with me. For years, I didn't eat meat at all. It was a two fold reason. Reason 1) I didn't enjoy the taste or how I felt afterwards. Reason 2) I had some knowledge (though admittedly not much) about the life the animals in most conventional places went through and what I did know, I didn't like.


When I first started eating meat from animals that were raised on pasture rather than fed corn it was a revelation. Gone were my issues with the taste, gone were my issues with how I physically felt after consuming it and gone was my moral dilemma on consuming animals that hadn't lived a good life and were treated merely as a means to fill a need for fast food or a grocery shelf.


Pigs, cows, chickens and many others did not evolve to eat corn which is the main component of what they're fed at conventional farms (read 'feed lots'). These animals evolved on pasture. Some of them solely on pasture while others such as pigs and chickens had a wider array of items in their diet. All of these things affect their digestion and in the end, the taste of their meat. Many digestive issues people have today can likely be traced back to the meat they are consuming (as well as other components of their diet).


Remember, the saying ,"you are what you eat"? Well, this also applies to the animals we consume. They are what they eat as well. By consuming a wider array of food other than just corn and its by-products the meat these animals produce is more nutrient rich and better for us. Pigs were meant to root in dirt and find their food this way. They were not meant to be cooped up in a small pen and fed corn. We are so encouraged to hear about all our fellow farmers that have pasture-raised meat and allow their animals to do what evolution engineered them to do (#educateyourself #bethechange)! We encourage you to look and see what may be locally available in your area (though, of course, if you're near us we'd love to have your business and are happy to have you over to see how the animals are treated here #knowyourfarmer).


On our farm our pigs do start off in our barn. This has the benefit of giving the piglets a safe place to run around and get a bit bigger before making their way to the great outdoors. It also benefits us since they root through the bedding that our cows spent the winter in. This helps to aerate the bedding and break it down further for compost. They also have a blast doing it (nothing like watching piglets run and play!). They are fed a grain blend (yes, some of which is corn but that's not the only component of their diet) throughout their time here but that is in addition to the pasture they are moved to after their first month with us.



So, after that long, LONG explanation I can say without a doubt that I know what we feed our animals makes a huge difference in the taste. Where I once hated bacon and didn't enjoy meat at all, I love the taste of what we grow here. I feel good eating it, partly because it's delicious and it's a healthier option but also because I know it was treated very well during their life here with us. We'd love to introduce you to the benefits of pasture-raised meat and poultry. And in case you're still waffling . . . just look at the BAAAAAAAAAACON!


Cheers from the Farm!


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