Tamworth pigs December 2009

Date change! The weather is not cooperating for the 14th. Let’s try again on the 28th!

To all our Boston-based locarnivore friends, come satisfy your craving for local, organic and humanely raised meat. We are bringing our Tamworth pork(including smoked cuts) and other Grace Note Farm products to Cambridge next Sunday. Come meet the Grace Note Farm farmers and stock your freezer with some tasty treats!

Limited quantities are now available of bacon, ham, and smoked pork shoulder processed at the highly acclaimed Vermont Smoke and Cure (sister company to the Farmer’s Diner), and they are out of this world! They use an old-fashioned, regional recipe, utilizing maple wood and corn cobs for smoking, to create a flavor that is subtle and divine. Get yours now! They won’t last long.

When: Sunday March 14 28, 6:00 pm until ?
Where: Look for our truck in the harvest co-op parking lot, at 581 Mass Ave. (click for map)

Order ahead using the comments box below. Please come with your own cloth shopping bag. You can either pay on the day by cash or check, or paypal us ahead of time if you would like to pre-order (which we can arrange via email).

Hope to see you there. We appreciate your support!

A note about our animal husbandry practices

Grace Note Farm is not certified organic, but we abide by organic growing practices. We only buy organic inputs for our farm. We provide free-choice certified organic feed to our chickens and pigs. They have ample barn space for shelter and also free access to a large fenced pasture, allowing them to roam outdoors for exercise and entertainment, and to supplement their diets by munching on yummy bugs, plants, and other forage. This keeps the animals healthier (and happier) and also gives their meat a richer, more complex flavor.

Our organic-fed, pastured, heritage Tamworth pork is ready for ordering now. We had our first taste of it last weekend and BOY HOWDY is it good (if I do say so myself). I now know why Tamworths have a reputation as the tastiest breed of pig. Pick up on-farm. Please call or email us to place an order.

UPDATE: We will be bringing orders to the Boston area, probably for a weekend pickup date. Boston-area customers, please email us if you’d like to find out more.

Cut	Price per lb	Typical package size
Fresh Cuts
Pork Chops  - 1/2″ cut	$9.95	2 chops per package, ~.75 lbs
3/4″ Chops	$10.95	2 chops per pkg, ~1 lb
Ground pork (SOLD OUT)	$8.95	1 lb
Regular ribs	$10.95	1 lb
Country-style ribs	$11.95	2 lb
Butt roast – boneless	$10.99	3.5 – 5.5 lb
Loin end roast -boneless	$12.99	3.5 – 5.0 lb
Leaf lard (SOLD OUT)	$2.95	2 lb
Cured/Smoked Cuts*
Smoked shoulder – bone in  (nitrite-free)	$12.95	6.5 lbs
Bacon! (nitrite-free)	$20.00	10 oz pack
Whole smoked ham – boneless	$13.95	8 lbs
Smoked ham – boneless (nitrite-free) (SOLD OUT)	$13.95	3 lbs

* The highly acclaimed Vermont Smoke & Cure does the custom smoking/curing for us.

If you’ve been asking yourself “Where can I get organic pastured meat in Massachusetts?”, look no further. Our batch of Tamworth pigs will be available for sale in early winter. We raise Tamworths because they are good foragers, which allows them to obtain a portion of their food from the pasture (and therefore raising them creates less dependence on trucked-in grain). We also chose to raise heritage animals like the Tamworth hog because it helps maintain genetic diversity among food animals. Tamworths are also prized by chefs and restaurants because they are mighty tasty. But you don’t have to take my word for it: see this testimonial to the Tamworth on Chow Hound. It is reported on the web that Bristol University carried out taste tests using both commercial and rare breed pigs in a scientifically controlled experiment, and the Tamworth was judged as having the best tasting meat.

We are currently taking orders for 1/2 or whole pigs, priced at $6.00/lb hanging weight*. There is an excellent and detailed writeup on the Sugar Mountain Farm website that shows how much meat is in a half a pig . The meat will be frozen and available for pickup on the farm the first week of January, 2010. We can also get the ham and bacon smoked for an additional $3.00/lb.

If you would like to reserve a 1/2 or whole pig, please email or call us to make payment arrangements. We will require a $200 deposit to hold your order. Order soon, as we expect to sell out.

Subject to availability, you may order individual cuts. If you would like to be placed on the waiting list for individual cuts such as chops or roasts, please email us. (Updated Jan 23, 2010 – call or email us to purchase individual cuts. No waitlist necessary)

Update 11/21/09: We have had one cancellation, so there is one fresh Bourbon Red hen for sale. Should come in at about 8-9 lbs. Call or email us if you would like to reserve it.

This year at Grace Note Farm, we are proud to offer you the absolutely magnificent taste of heritage turkeys for your holiday table. We chose to raise heritage breed turkeys rather than commercial Broad-Breasted Whites, to support genetic diversity and because of their superior flavor. Our heritage turkey breeds are listed on the Slow Food Ark of Taste , with good reason. They are hands down the best tasting turkey I have ever eaten – and so simple to prepare, no high-tech flavor injection is necessary to make these birds taste fabulous! Mother Earth News conducted a tasting of several varieties of turkeys last year, and the heritage breeds won the day by far. Localharvest has a wonderful write up on all the reasons you should make the switch from commercial to heritage turkeys. Believe me, once you’ve tasted one of these turkeys, you will never go back to factory farmed turkey again.

We are selling Bourbon Reds and Narragansett/Spanish Black crosses. They were hatched right here on the farm, and raised out on pesticide- and herbicide-free pasture, eating their fill of pasture grass and bugs, supplemented by organic grain. Unlike confinement-raised commercial turkeys, our birds have not been given any antibiotics or other medication. Their rich and complex taste is a result of the variety in their diet, and healthy outdoor living.

How to Order

If you would like to order a bird, please place your order soon, as we expect to sell out early. You can either pick up a fresh (unfrozen) turkey right before Thanksgiving ($9.50/lb)*, or purchase a frozen turkey from us at your convenience any day in November ($8.50/lb). These breeds do not grow as large as commercial breeds: expect Toms to weigh around 14 lbs, and hens to weigh around 8 or 9 lbs. No shipping available. Pick up at the farm . Call ahead to reserve your bird and schedule a pickup time.

To place your order, Call:978-724-3127 or email us at: info@gracenotefarm.com

According to my internet research, there are only a couple of farms selling Organic, Heritage breed turkeys in Massachusetts this year. We are proud to be part of the movement to relocalize the food supply and reintroduce the forgotten flavors of heritage foods. You don’t have to order from heritagefoods.com or mail-order your turkey on Local Harvest, buy direct from your neighbors right here in Central Massachusetts.

These pigs will be ready for sale some time in late Fall. If you are interested in purchasing a 1/2 or whole pig, please contact us for more details.

The newest members of Grace Note Farm