Pastured Pork

Heritage Pork - Unbelievably Delicious

There is nothing quite so delicious as pastured pork.  At Podere di Melo, we specialize in heritage breeds such as English Black, Tamworth and Glouchester Old Spot.  These breeds are famous for their flavorful and juicy meat. 

We raise our pigs like they do in France, allowing them to run free in the wooded areas the surround our farm.  We never dock their tails nor do we use nose rings.  These pigs spend their days rooting up bushes, eating grass, and playing amongst a forest of ash trees.  As with all our animals, we supplement our pig's natural diet with non-GMO grain that has been raised without pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers. 

To ensure the very best in flavor, we do not raise our pigs "lean".  Too little fat makes for dry meat and an unforgiving pork chop (cook it 30 seconds too long and you can barely chew it).  Instead, we raise our pigs with sufficient fat on them to make sure you pork chops and roasts are tender, juicy, and delicious.

Our pork is processed by a third generation organic butcher.  Our smoked hams and bacon are not injected with "smoke" flavor but are prepared in an actual smoke house.  Our sausage and bacon are prepared without nitrates. 

Pork is available July through October each year.  Our pork is processed by a family run butcher and is USDA inspected and approved.  We sell our pork by piece or by half/whole pig. You can reserve half/whole pigs on line.  Pork by the piece can be purchased on the farm or from local farmer's markets.  Please call us

How Much Meat is in a Half-Pig

A typical pig weighs about 250lbs at slaughter.  This yields a 'hanging' weight of ~180 lbs.  From this, about 150 lbs of meat is attained.  This includes the standard commerical prime cuts (about 120lbs), plus other delicious bits and pieces (pigs feet, kidney, bacon rind, smoked hocks, and scrapple).  The actual amount you will receive depends on the final weight of the pig (which varies).  The table below gives you an estimate of what you would typically received in a half-pig assuming standard commercial cuts.  In additon to the cuts below, you would get several pounds of scrapple, pigs feed, smoked hocks, and bacon rind.  A whole pig would obviously be twice as much meat.