We raise Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys on the same chemical-free pastures we raise all our animals on.  In the middle of Summer, we put the turkey poults (that's what a baby turkey is called) out on pasture and let them spend the next several months grazing on grass and soaking in the sunshine.  To fatten them up, we supplement their grazing with the same non-GMO feed we use for our chickens and ducks.  And never do we use any of the antibiotics or other chemicals that are so ubiquitous in conventional, store bought turkeys. Order your turkey early, as we only have a limited supply each year. 

Price: $4.75/lb 

Turkeys must be purchased online and picked up on the farm.  Since we do not have the ability to store a large number of turkeys, you will need to pick up your turkey on Novemeber 25th (between 5 and 8PM).  A deposit of $50 is required to reserve your turkey with the balance due when you pick it up.  Turkeys will range in size between 12 and 25 lbs (we think!) and are sold first come, first served.  Limit one per family.

To reserve your holiday turkey, click here!

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.

Podere di Melo duck gets rave review from gourmet website Caviar and Codfish

We are thrilled to share with you the wonderful review we received on a local gourmet website called Caviar and Codfish.  They recently sampled one of our ducks and gave us a solid review. The chef that runs the site, Robin Damstra, is one of the few chefs that visits small farms to better understand their methods and products.

Her verdict? 

"Podere di Melo's food is above anything I've ever tasted...."

Click here for the full review, and be sure to visit their website often (www.caviarandcodfish.com) for many wonderful recipes.  Robin has hundreds of recipes on her site and the majority of them are very easy to reproduce.  

Our ducks are pasture raised, fed only organic grain, and given plenty of sunshine.  At $4.99/lb, they are real treat.  We still have some left, so reserve yours today (click here to reserve your duck).

Virtually every chicken sold in a supermarket is of the same breed: the cornish cross.  It was developed by industrial agriculture and is ideal for their (not your) purposes: it can be raised very quickly (in as little as 5 weeks), is docile, and eats almost continually.  It also has a very short life, can barely stand up when fully grown, and is prone to heart attacks.  Add to all this that it is typically raised indoors and never has access to grass and sunshine and you have all the makings of a remarkably bland bird.

In France and Italy, the best chickens are bred for maximum flavor.  They raise their finest chickens outside with plenty of sunshine and pasture.  And they use breeds that grow at a more natural rate, allowing up to twice the amount of time on pasture for the birds to reach maket size.  As a result, these birds are active foragers with strong legs and good health.  The more natural rate of growth coupled with continuous access to pasture and sunshine produce a bird with unparalled flavor. If you have never tried a true, slow-growing chicken, then you are in for a special treat.  Chicken with flavor!

We grow two types of European birds, one Italian and one French.  Both types are true, slow growing broilers that are raised for ~12 weeks to reach market size:

Pollo Lento: "Pollo lento" is Italian for "slow chicken".  These birds come from Italian stock that have been bred for life on open pasture.  A wonderfully delicious bird.

Le Poulet Noir: Also known as a Gourmet Black, these birds are from breeding stock imported from Burgandy and Brittany and were developed to meet the high standards of the French Label Rouge label. 

All our birds are raised on chemical-free pastures and provided 24 hr access to pasture and sunshine once they leave the brooder (~3 weeks of age).  We do not vaccinate our birds nor do we use any antibiotics, added hormones, or medicated feed.  In addition to pasture, we supplement their diet with non-GMO feed that is raised without pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers.

Reserve your chicken online  

For a truly sophisticated meal, it is hard to surpass the remarkable flavor of duck.  And contrary to popular belief, duck meat (without the skin) has no more fat than chicken and even less fat than turkey.  

Like all our birds, we raise our ducks with full access to pasture every day.  We keep them in movable "tractors" that allow them constant access to grass and sunshine while protecting them from predators.  They are fed non-GMO feed that is raised to organic standards (no pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers). 

Reserve your Duck online  

Spring is just beginning and Podere di Melo is ramping up for the 2009 season. 

We are pleased to announce that we are taking online reservations for pastured, Certified Naturally Grown duck. We are raising only a limited number of these delicious ducks so be sure to reserve yours today. Price for 2009 is $4.99/lb.

To reserve your duck, go to our website (www.poderedimelo.com) and click on the "Purchase Products" menu.  You can reserve your ducks online for $15/duck.  Ducks will be available for on farm pick up on April 22nd after 5PM.  Ducks picked up on the 22nd will be fresh; ducks picked up after that date will be frozen.  Ducks will range from 5-7lbs (bagged and labeled) and your balance will be due upon pickup.

David and Patti Hauser

Podere di Melo Farm

Although "chemical farming" is still very much the norm in New Jersey, sustainable farming is gaining a foothold and slowing growing.  To faciliate this process, Podere di Melo is forming partnerships with other small farms.  These partnerships provide opportunities for small farmers to share insight on growing practices, purchase feed in larger quantities (and thus at reduced prices), share equipment,  and faciliate a more steady flow of high quality products to you, the consumer.  

Currently, we have one Partner Farm - The Tomenchok Farm in West Amwell.  The Tomenchok Farm is located less than a mile from Podere di Melo and is owned and operated by the Tomenchok family (Rob, Heidi, son Robert, and two very excited basset hounds!).  The Tomenchok Farm is one of only six Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) Farms in all of New Jersey.  Together with Podere di Melo, that means that a third of the CNG farms in New Jersey are located in West Amwell.  Many of the products grown or raised by Tomenchok Farms are sold by Podere di Melo.  We hope to add additional partner farms in 2009.