Pastured Pork
Caveats:
Multiple cut sheets or deliveries are not allowed for one hog. When purchasing a Whole Hog Share, this entitles you to one cut sheet and one delivery. If you decide to split a whole hog among two parties, you are responsible for dividing everything and picking up at one location. Thus, we do not recommend that you split a Whole Hog with another party.
Pork Shares are an exclusive benefit to our Veggie Share members
2023: Harvested mid/late October
Delivery will occur in late October or mid-November.
What to Expect
When you buy a pork share, you will receive a mix of cuts, including pork chops, ham, bacon, ribs, hocks, shoulder roasts and ground pork.
Your pig can be processed to fit your needs. Pigs will vary in size and you can let us know a range, if you have a preference.
Again, our pigs will vary in size but, they will average 200lb-240lb. hanging weight. After cutting, you will receive about 65% of the hanging weight or about 130-160 pounds of familiar grocery-store-like cuts.
That extra loss of weight is because of a few things: A small amount is because the animal "hangs" for awhile and water is lost due to evaporation. The majority is lost to those odd cuts: bones, skin, tail, trotters (feet) and head. Upon special request, we'll save as much of that as the butcher allows and let you know if there's any extra charge.
An example of what you might get from a whole pig:
24 chops (approx. 1lb. each)
15-20 lb. Bacon
2 Hams (7-10lb. each)
8-10 Ham Steaks (2lb. each)
2 Spare Ribs (approx. 6lb total)
15-20lb. Ground Pork
This can be made into brats, breakfast sausage, etc.)
4 Bone-In Boston Butts (3-5lb each)
4 Ham hocks (1-2lb. each)
See below for example pricing!
All pork will be frozen and most cuts vacuum sealed. Assume 3-5 cubic feet of freezer space for a whole pig. As a reference, a milk crate is one cubic foot.
CHANGE: Our pigs will be processed only at DeVries near Grand Rapids. They offer "all natural" curing (without chemical nitrates) as well as conventional curing. All processed products (brats, kielbasa etc.) are MSG free. DeVries is also an animal welfare approved facility, ensuring minimal stress to the animals.
All curing/smoking or any additional processing is an extra charge that will be assessed at the final payment.
Costs
Half Pig: *$4.75/lb hanging weight with a $75 deposit
Whole Pig: *$5.00/lb hanging weight with a $150 deposit
*Price includes basic processing (kill + “processing”)
Smoking/curing and brats, breakfast sausage etc. is extra.
Costs for Extras as of 4/1/23:
Brats: $1.10/lb.
All Natural Curing: $1.10/lb
Conventional Curing: $0.95/lb.
Prices are subject to change!
Once the deposit is made, you've reserved your pig for the upcoming season!
When the pig is ready, we'll schedule a call or meeting to go over the "cut sheet" (the order we give to the butcher) so you get exactly what you want.
Then, your total cost is based on the final hanging weight plus any extra processing of the pig.
Final payment is due when we deliver to your home in mid to late December.
About Our Practices
We purchase our mixed Gloucestershire Old Spot/Duroc piglets from Hi-Lo Acres and the Keilen family near Portland, MI. The Keilen family also raises organic pigs and produces organic animal feed.
We have almost an acre of pasture for them to roam on. This means that the pigs get to do what they do naturally, wallow in the mud and dig in the dirt and when conditions are too hot or uncomfortable, they have an old dairy barn to retreat to with a big bed of straw inside.
Our pigs have the ability to forage on their pasture and also be fed a Non-GMO transitional feed from the Keilen family. The feed is not yet certified organic but, produced using organic methods.
The pigs will also get a lot of vegetables from Titus Farms that don't make the cut for your table or are leftover from CSA harvests. So...
Eat your vegetables or the pigs will!
Our Philosophy:
No Hormones or Steroids
No Antibiotics
GMO-Free
Harvested in an Animal Welfare Approved facility
Example Pricing
For a Whole Hog
Assuming 220 pound hanging weight.
Whole Hog Pricing = $4.35/lb
220 x $4.10= $957
Commonly added items:
Assuming 20lb. naturally cured bacon (sliced): $34
2 (20lb. each) cured hams: $56
10lb. of bratwurst: $11.00
6lb. smoked ham hocks: $8.40
Total Paid including Deposit = $1066.40
Total yield: 145lb so, the actual value of the cuts received is $1066.40/145lb= $7.35/lb