Pasture-raised CHICKEN (chickens are available by pre-order only in spring).
We will be growing at least two breeds of meat chickens in five separate batches of birds during the 2010 season. All birds are reserved in advance (via our spring order form) with a $5 per chicken pre-paid deposit. We raise Cornish Cross (large, double-breasted lots of white meat @ $5.90/lb) and slower growing Freedom Rangers (aka Red Bros - deeper flavored, smaller breasted, more dark meat @ $6.10/lb). We have also raised capons in the fall for $6.50/lb (as a Thanksgiving alternative) and they are large neutered male chickens which produce tender white meat. Availability of Capons in 2010 is uncertain due to hatchery supplier issues. Stay tuned for more information.
Meat chickens average 4 - 6 lbs, with capons averaging 8-10 lbs. Giblets are also available (liver, gizzard, heart, neck, feet).
Our meat chickens are available during four weekend pickups fresh from our farm in late June, late July, early Sept, and early October (fall capons are ready in late October). We email pre-paid customers of the exact time(s) and date to pick up your bird(s), usually on a Sunday afternoon at our farm. The birds are sold fresh or if you are not available to pick up soon after processing, the birds will be frozen. All the birds are sold whole, bagged, and labeled with weight and price. When you come to our farm you can choose the weight and size of the breeds you pre-ordered and then we will total your order, minus the pre-paid deposit. You will also have the opportunity to pick up eggs, extra giblets, veggies and flowers fresh from our garden, as available. Any birds not picked up after one week will be offered to a waiting list. We also encourage customers to help with chicken processing on the farm, using the Mobile Poultry Processing Unit (MPPU) - please see our MPPU webpage to sign up to volunteer.
PORK from happy heritage hogs!
(now available in our mini-store in Concord)
We sell our tasty pasture-raised pork several ways.
1) By the whole hog (must pre-order)
2) Via an assortment of tasty sampler packs (must pre-order)
3) Via our mini-store in Concord (self-serve), as supplies last.
Pasture Raised Heritage Pork...Our pigs are raised on a diverse diet of
all-natural grain, roots, and lush green pasture. They graze and root,
seek shade in the forest, and wallow in the mud. We raise heritage
breeds and crosses including Tamworth, Berkshire, Gloucester Old Spot, and Large Blacks. Our pigs are treated humanely with adequate dry shelter, access to clean water and are not fed any antibiotics.
How it Works….Pork is available in late October/November. Lard is available year-round.
We sell whole hogs ($5.75/lb hanging weight), 20-lb large sampler packs ($170 - a selection of cuts our choice, no bacon), 10-lb small sampler packs ($90), 9-lb sausage packs, 10 lb breakfast combos, and by the cut. Deposits are required for whole hogs, sampler packs, and combos. Upon receipt of deposit, we will confirm your order. Individual cuts and smoke products (including are delicious nitrite-free bacon!) are sold at our self-serve fridge beginning in late November until we sell out.
For whole hogs customers: the price/lb includes processing in paper wrap and you will be
charged by hanging weight (meaning you pay for the entire animal (head, edible organs, bones, skin, and standard meat cuts). You will receive approx 70-80% of the hanging weight in edible meat cuts depending on your butchering preferences. Our whole pigs usually have a hanging weight of between 175 and 240 lbs. Our cut sheet is available here or we can send it to you shortly before your pig will be delivered to the processor.
Extra fees for whole hog customers (in addition to hanging weight price) include: smoking/curing (additional cost of approx $2/lb) and vacuum-sealing (approx $50 extra). Pricing for these extra services will be clarified on the cut sheet. Due to limited freezer space to store whole hogs, we request that you (or a proxy) be available on the pork pickup day or we will need you to pick up directly from the slaughterhouse. Home delivery is available for a fee. Smoked products will be available 2-4 weeks after processing. We do our very best to work closely with a quality slaughterhouse to have your hog cut to your exact specifications. Sorry, but we cannot be responsible for any cutting errors made by the butcher.
The great advantage of ordering a whole pig is that you get to choose how the hog is cut-up and processed and you can experiment with using the entire animal. Since there are so many ways to cut up a hog, here is a guide which shows and explains the various pork cuts.
Bacon - All our bacon is nitrite-free, cut medium-thick, hickory-smoked with a maple sugar cure and is packaged in vacuum sealed 1lb packages. It is mighty fine! First come, first serve in the fall until the last smoked and cured belly is sold.
Grass-fed BEEF
We do not raise our own beef, but we partner with some high quality farms who do a great job raising grass-fed beef. We have worked with Paul Bourdon at SouthboroBelties in Southboro as well as from our friends Nancy and Dave at Hogwash Farm in Norwich Vt. Both Paul and Nancy/Dave raise small herds (less than 20 head) of Belted Galloway Cattle which is a rare breed of cattle from Scotland. These animals thrive on a grass-fed diet and produce very tasty meat. We are so happy to be working with both these farms to provide a high quality grass-fed beef for all of us to enjoy. To see our beef pricing click here.
Availability of beef varies. The next round of beef will be available soon!
Grass-fed LAMB
We grow a handful of lambs/sheep to graze ahead of our meat chickens. They are 100% grass fed and are available in September and October on a first-come first-serve basis through our mini-store. If you are interested in lamb, sign up on our customer list and we will notify you via email as soon as the lamb is available in the Fall.
Fresh RABBIT
We also raise delicious meat rabbits that are available throughout the year in our mini-store freezer for $10/lb. The rabbits typically weigh from 2.5 - 4 lbs. We currently raise three breeds of meat rabbits - New Zealand White, Californians and Satins. We will send an email to pre-paid customers as rabbits are available. We also offer rabbit liver, kidney, and hearts for sale separately or we can include these with your whole rabbit. Rabbits will be fresh within days of processing and frozen thereafter. Please email us if you would like to reserve a fresh rabbit. Breeding stock and pet rabbits ($50 each) are also available, please send an email for more information.
Pasture-raised EGGS
We have plenty of our delicious and fresh pasture-raised eggs! Eggs can be purchased at our mini-store in Concord which is located on Wheeler Road next to our house. E-mail us for directions or sign up to be on our customer list and have the directions sent to you automatically! $6/dozen. Pullet eggs from young hens are occasionally available for $4/dozen.
Our eggs can occasionally be found at Verrill Farm and Debra's Natural Gourmet. Prices vary.