What's so great about heritage breeds of pork that get raised in a forest? |
Well, everything! The short version is: it is all-natural, 100% antibiotic-free, raised on local non-GMO and certified organic feeds, outside in fresh air and shade. Heritage pork has superior marbling, resulting in more juicy and exceptionally tender meat.
To see up to the moment availability of individual pork cuts, please visit our online Farm Store.
To see up to the moment availability of individual pork cuts, please visit our online Farm Store.
Isn't it just like any other pig?
Pigs are born to munch in the underbrush, root around in dirt, and dig freely. That's exactly what they do at The Edge Farms. Our forest-raised pigs are just another step in our multi-species multi-method regenerative farming program. When they are allowed to feast on nuts and do what they want in the woods, they can rejuvenate a whole forest clearing and pull out invasive plants.
What is amazing about our Heritage Breed Pigs?
You have found an operation that treats the animals with care. All our pigs are humanely raised and allowed to engage in natural preferred behaviors. We raise heritage breed cross pigs, such as Durocs, American Landrace, Mulefoots, Berkshires, Large Blacks, and Red Wattle pigs - more about them below.
Raising only small groups at a time, our pigs are mainly raised in our woodlands (see photos in our Facebook or Instagram feed!) and enjoy their time growing together and rotating through new wooded areas in electric fencing. They can always be found enjoying sunning in the dappled shade of the forest (and avoiding sunburned skin that otherwise happens in full-sun pastures.)
In the warmer months, they are also our invaluable "4 leg-drive" tractors and plows. These farmhands get to express what they love most about life as pigs - to root around in the ground, dig up tuff, and turn over the compost piles we make. While doing what they would want to naturally, this keeps them from getting bored (and strolling down the driveway) and also makes it easier for us to collect up and spread great natural fertilizer and composted nutrients onto fields and forest floors that feed our other livestock. Always look at the ear shape when it comes to choosing pork: floppy ears, especially ones that lay forward nearly covering their eyes (shading from the sun) are a distinctive characteristic of a good foraging heritage breed pig.
In addition to whatever they care to dig up, our pigs have their free fill of a nutritious non-GMO ration that is local and fresh milled! They also get regular treats, such as leftovers from local produce markets.
Raising only small groups at a time, our pigs are mainly raised in our woodlands (see photos in our Facebook or Instagram feed!) and enjoy their time growing together and rotating through new wooded areas in electric fencing. They can always be found enjoying sunning in the dappled shade of the forest (and avoiding sunburned skin that otherwise happens in full-sun pastures.)
In the warmer months, they are also our invaluable "4 leg-drive" tractors and plows. These farmhands get to express what they love most about life as pigs - to root around in the ground, dig up tuff, and turn over the compost piles we make. While doing what they would want to naturally, this keeps them from getting bored (and strolling down the driveway) and also makes it easier for us to collect up and spread great natural fertilizer and composted nutrients onto fields and forest floors that feed our other livestock. Always look at the ear shape when it comes to choosing pork: floppy ears, especially ones that lay forward nearly covering their eyes (shading from the sun) are a distinctive characteristic of a good foraging heritage breed pig.
In addition to whatever they care to dig up, our pigs have their free fill of a nutritious non-GMO ration that is local and fresh milled! They also get regular treats, such as leftovers from local produce markets.
Heritage Pig Breed details (AKA why it's Tasty, and costs so much!)
When most people picture a pig, they often think of a pink pointy-up eared little piglet like Wilbur, from the children's book, "Charlotte's Web." These idealistic pigs are not the best types for being raised outside in the elements, nor are most good at foraging for their foods, as pigs have for centuries. Industrially farmed pigs' flavor is especially bland, despite it being over 95% of what you will find in grocery stores.
Our amazing pork is different in many ways from this fantasy. It is from a mix of several heritage breeds, listed below.
AMERICAN LANDRACE
Derived from the highly coveted Danish Landrace pigs that made Denmark famous for exporting bacon through the early 1900s, this evenly fleshed pig is not over-fat and produces great quality meat. For over 100 years, the world marveled at and vied for access to this prized Danish breeding stock! When finally allowed to be used in commercial production in the US in 1949, The Landrace's popularity boomed and the numbers grew steadily across the country. This floppy-eared heritage pig produces relatively larger sized litters, and has a long lean meaty frame, with 16-17 ribs. If raising purebred Landrace pigs, they can tend toward weaker hind limbs, but when crossed with other stockier breeds, as has become very common, they add great body type (longer length offers more bacon production) for the offspring.
DUROC
If you order a pork chop from a high-end steak house and it tastes amazing, the odds are high you just tasted the meat of a Duroc. They have a large amount of lean reddish pink meat and their long, wide shoulders and frame offer natural flavor and juice, without any artificial injecting or pumping.
These Red hogs with excellent flavor are known for their personality and fast growth originated in the 1820's from the Northeastern region of the US. Their thick auburn winter coat and hard skin allows them to survive the outdoors during the cold and wet of the winter. The hair then naturally thins and comes off in summer allowing it to thrive with hot dry summers equally well. This is why a cooler forest habitat with dappled light and plenty to fill their curiosity is ideal and provides premium quality for eating.
LARGE BLACK
Known for its amazing flavor and quality of marbled meat this is a showstopper. This was once the premier heritage breed raised on small farms across the US and its homeland, Britain. The popular large black pig won contests, and sired a large number of both nations' pork and bacon producers, as it was known for its significant size at maturity (700-800 lbs.) and delectable meat! Increasing interest in "cube farm pigs" and declining demand for pigs with colored skin led to this breed almost disappearing entirely through the 1960s.
In 2008, there were estimated to be fewer than 2,000 of these pigs in the entire world, and as of 2020, now is listed as "Critical," up from "Threatened" on the American Breeds Livestock Conservancy list. Today they are being recognized as a fantastic pig for pasture management systems because of their natural tendency to root, graze, and forage extensively.
Our amazing pork is different in many ways from this fantasy. It is from a mix of several heritage breeds, listed below.
AMERICAN LANDRACE
Derived from the highly coveted Danish Landrace pigs that made Denmark famous for exporting bacon through the early 1900s, this evenly fleshed pig is not over-fat and produces great quality meat. For over 100 years, the world marveled at and vied for access to this prized Danish breeding stock! When finally allowed to be used in commercial production in the US in 1949, The Landrace's popularity boomed and the numbers grew steadily across the country. This floppy-eared heritage pig produces relatively larger sized litters, and has a long lean meaty frame, with 16-17 ribs. If raising purebred Landrace pigs, they can tend toward weaker hind limbs, but when crossed with other stockier breeds, as has become very common, they add great body type (longer length offers more bacon production) for the offspring.
DUROC
If you order a pork chop from a high-end steak house and it tastes amazing, the odds are high you just tasted the meat of a Duroc. They have a large amount of lean reddish pink meat and their long, wide shoulders and frame offer natural flavor and juice, without any artificial injecting or pumping.
These Red hogs with excellent flavor are known for their personality and fast growth originated in the 1820's from the Northeastern region of the US. Their thick auburn winter coat and hard skin allows them to survive the outdoors during the cold and wet of the winter. The hair then naturally thins and comes off in summer allowing it to thrive with hot dry summers equally well. This is why a cooler forest habitat with dappled light and plenty to fill their curiosity is ideal and provides premium quality for eating.
LARGE BLACK
Known for its amazing flavor and quality of marbled meat this is a showstopper. This was once the premier heritage breed raised on small farms across the US and its homeland, Britain. The popular large black pig won contests, and sired a large number of both nations' pork and bacon producers, as it was known for its significant size at maturity (700-800 lbs.) and delectable meat! Increasing interest in "cube farm pigs" and declining demand for pigs with colored skin led to this breed almost disappearing entirely through the 1960s.
In 2008, there were estimated to be fewer than 2,000 of these pigs in the entire world, and as of 2020, now is listed as "Critical," up from "Threatened" on the American Breeds Livestock Conservancy list. Today they are being recognized as a fantastic pig for pasture management systems because of their natural tendency to root, graze, and forage extensively.