Amazing Woofers

This year would have been just about impossible without the help of the Wwoofers that we get.

What is a Wwoofer?, you say.  Well they are usually backpackers travelling Australia and wanting to see more than the cities and tourist spots can offer, and wanting to have a “Real” Australian experience.  They are sometimes Australians wanting to experience where their food comes from.

The worst part about it most of the time is saying goodbye.

We have been blessed with the most amazing Wwoofers this year!.  We had a Family from the UK that had an organic farm so they really new what they were doing!!  Gary and Matt (UK) stayed with us on and off for over 3 months, and we have never laughed so much or enjoyed our farm as much as when they were with us.  Laura and Paul (UK) were absolutely fantastic.  Laura became the foster mum of several piglets and sent us loads of beautiful photos that she took of the farm. Soi (Korea) was like a sister to me and her time here was too short.

Thank you to all that have stayed and helped out.!!

 

October is Organic Month.

Well every month is organic month here on farm… but for the rest of Australia as well October is Organic month.   One of our Queensland groups of retail outlet stores, Wray Organics has taken this onboard and has a whole host of specials across their 4 stores in Newmarket, Palm Beach, Broadbeach and Indooroopilly. (Including specials on the Pasture Perfect® Pork small goods!) I was at the Palm Beach store 2 weeks ago sampling the range, and will be at Newmarket on the 24th October.  I would love to see you there if you can make it!!

 

Organic Expo 2009

Its been a hard year for so many organic producers and we are no exception.  So many things went wrong just before we were about to leave that we really didn’t know if we would get there or not… the organic feed was late arriving, the bank account was almost bare and the automatic transmission went on the car to mention just a few. But with the support of family and incredibly generous friends we were able to make it.

It was great to see so many exhibitors at the organic expo though.  Here is Jack and Jamie J (remember she is the one that raised Lucy) on the stand talking about and selling our certified organic Ham, Bacon, Chorizo and Vienna, and sampling the organic fermented Fennel, Chilli, Truffle and French salumi.

What a weekend!  We were absolutely exhausted by the end, but also exhilarated by the Hugely positive response from the the public and the retailers/cafe owners/restauranteurs.   Melbourne loved the products, which made us very proud, because Melbournians are well know for having great food, and if they loved ours… well it just made us feel like the long hard road has been worth it.

There were so many others asking about the way that we raise our animals, and is it really free range.  Well, I don’t think it gets any freer than the way we do it.

Do they really eat pasture? Do they really live outside or do you just put them out on the paddock for the photos? Could we really visit your farm if we wanted? Yes, yes and yes.  There really is no way we could hide what we are doing anyway as you could just hop on Google Earth and check our farm out.

It was great to be in Melbourne (apart from the very chilly breeze) and it was a great chance to get out to the farmers Markets to talk to other producers.  I met Anne-Marie from Holy Goat and would have gone out to spend a day working on her farm, but the cold and the long hours took their toll and by Monday Morning I was incredibly fluey and really didn’t want to share whatever I was suffering with others, so I decided it was a day best spent collating all the contacts that had given us their cards.

I am still away from the farm and will be attending the Food Challenge Awards tomorrow night so hopefully it goes well!!

As always, thanks for your support.  Your seeking out and buying our organic pork products makes it possible for us to give pigs the kind of life they have on our farm… a happy one, full of running about, grazing, playing, digging and living a full, piggy life. We wouldn’t farm any other way, and would have to stop farming if it wasn’t for your purchases.  THANKS!!

Mim and Jack

 

A better image for pork.

This is a new video that has been made by Anvil Media for Australian Pork Limited to help educate consumers about the different ways of growing pork in Australia.

Just remember, It is you the consumer that has the power to support whatever type of farming you believe in. 

Thank you for your support!

Miriam and Jack Neilson

© copyright, all rights reserved, Pasture Perfect ® 2009

 

Exciting Times

On the Farm

Things are really starting to look good on the farm with the Pigs and the Pastures responding really well to our grazing management.  Butchers are really happy with the product as we now have a bigger loin muscle (The main meaty part of a chop) and a lower fat score.

Sows and piglets seem much more content with the higher green diet and the piglets are growing much more evenly.  Seeing the piglets playing and hiding amongst the greenery is a real treat too.

This has been the best year we have ever had for dung beetles as well. You may well ask what am I talking about bugs for, but they are an integral part of a healthy grazing system.  Many environmentally trained people cringe at the thought of having our pigs grazing right on the catchment of a really clean and beautiful river, but the dung beetles truly have done an amazing job of incorporating the poo into the soil and removing the potential for a nitrate/phosphorous laden runoff into the river.  My sisters have a good laugh at me with my monitoring camera taking photos of the dung beetles decimating the poo, but it is one of the keys to a good grazing system.  I remember when Jack and I went to Africa and came back with the photos, they asked to see them and next thing they were up me because of Elephant and Rhino Poo shots I had taken (you should see the size of those Dung Beetles!!)

Also we have had a film crew out here recently so hopefully I can update some of the videos that we have soon.  It helps so much when you can see just how the pigs live here and how well the paddocks and pastures are doing.   I didn’t know how tiring it would be standing out in a paddock and answering questions, but when you need to cut each time a fly lands on you or the pigs walk out of shot it can drag on a bit.  Jack (AKA Brad Pigg) did really well also although he says I totally hog the camera.

We have had some great wwoofers here helping as well.  We were lucky enough to get an entire family from the UK that had an organic farm but were now travelling in Australia.  Amazing people!  Also I got Jamie back for a day.  (Jamie foster mother of Lucy the pig) She brought her parents along as well and it was really good to catch up. 

In the News

Wellbeing Food Magazine featured an article by John Newton about our farm and our piggies.   Thanks John for a fantastic article!

Vogue Entertaining + Travel Food Awards 2009. We have been notified that we are finalists in this years paddock section of the food awards.  It is so exciting to have our certified organic small goods up there with the best of Australian Produce.

The Marketplace

New Distributor in South East Queensland Tomewin Farm is making it easier for you to get the Pasture Perfect Certified Organic small goods In Brisbane and On the Gold Coast.

New Distributors in Victoria Original Foods and Cherry Tree Organics can supply your local Melbourne gourmet deli, organic store or Health food Shop with our certified organic small goods.

Fresh Pork can also be found at :                                 

                                                                    SYDNEY                          Dulwich Hill Gourmet Meats

For More info on where to find our Organic Pork Products please CLICK HERE

Other Interesting Bits

I was very fortunate and honoured to be invited to a producer luncheon Hosted by Christine Manfield of Universal Restaurant.  It was truly amazing to be able to sample such incredible food made from the Base Ingredients that were provided by Producers at the table.   It was pure pleasure.  Great also to meet other fantastic chefs like Martin Boetz from Longrain (whom I was lucky enough to be sitting next to), Peter Gilmore of Quay and Alex Herbert of Bird, Cow, Fish.   For someone who doesn’t get off the farm much and eats out very seldom, it was the best! Thank you so much to Christine for the invitation and for the best eating experience of my life so far!!

Copywrite © Pasture Perfect® 2009.  All rights reserved

 

Christmas at the Farm

Christmas came to us this year with some extra special gifts, not the ones you put under the tree, but ones that mean a lot more becuase they are unexpected, extremely timely and, sorely needed.

A huge thank you for your support this Christmas, your emails and messages mean a lot to us and it really does give us an extra boost of encouragement.  Thanks so much for your support of our certified organic pork products, I think the proof is in the eating and the increase in our sales proves to us that it is as well. (The bank loves that you are buying more of our Hams and bacon than ever too!) 

 cma1

Thanks to the Gwydir River Catchment Authourity for making our plans a possiblitly much sooner than we had expected.  We have recieved funding to help us fence off the 2.5km of River frontage and Plant perennial, deep rooted pastures to stabilise the riparian zones, and also to aid us in putting in 2km of water piping, making it possible for us to totally fence off the Riparian Zone of the Severn River, but still give our pigs cool, clear water, whenever they want it for drinking and wallowing.  We always planned to do this, and have been putting in permanent perennial pastures, water lines and fences as we could afford them, and had already completed over 8km of internal fencing, 2.8km water pipelines, and 140 acres of pastures.  For Helping us reach our environmental goals faster than we ever thought possible… THANK YOU!!!

To the Extra Special Wwoofers that have helped us through the hardest year we have ever had, a huge thank you and our very best thoughts and prayers are always with you. 

To our Family and Support Network of Freinds and Fans of Pasture Perfect Pork, you keep us inspired and motivated. We couldn’t do this without you.

To our Abattoirs, Processors, Transport suppliers, Distributors, Retail Shops and very importantly our loyal customers a very Merry Christmas and Happy and Prosperous New Year.

May we all be blessed with everything that we deserve in this new year… Prosperity, Happiness, Love, Fulfillment, Peace.

Love you all

Mim and Jack

 

 

Copywrite © Pasture Perfect® 2009.  All rights reserved

 

The Good Food Affare

Just a reminder that we will be in Sydney (Castle Hill) at the Good Food Affare from the 21st November to the 23rd November.  Come and sample some of the incredibly yummy organic pork products that we have there (and of course all of the other yummy food and wine that will be showcased)  See you there!!

 

Copywrite © Pasture Perfect® 2009.  All rights reserved

 

Family Visit

We had a great week on farm as Jack’s Sister, Brother in Law and their kids came for some time out on the farm.  The boys brought their motorbikes, and were itching to get out on the farm and use them.  (I think Jack ended up having more fun riding them than anyone!) But they also pitched in and did heaps of work.  All we had to so was take them out spotlighting, for foxes and rabbits a couple of nights. 

Mitchell & Tim

We have more paddocks now on the irrigation country so that we can move the pigs more often, and keep the pastures healthy, and the next 50 acres is planted as well. 

While they were here we killed a pig as well so that we could all enjoy some fresh pork.  Karyn and I made some incredible Wonton (Even if I do say so myself), so I will include the recipe.  We also made a really easy chinese noodle dish.  I will include that as well.  I wanted to get in an make some homemade salami or chorizo, but the days went way too quickly and we ran out of time.  Looks like I will save those recipes for another post .

We have also just gotten another Wooffer.  Jamie is here from the USA, so we hope she enjoys her time here.  It will be great having another woman around.  Hopefully it means that we can get a vegie patch in again as well.  I have been so busy in the office recently that I haven’t had time to put one in this year yet.

Here is the Recipe for Incredible Wonton and Quick and Easy Asian Pork Stirfry.

Pasture Perfect Wonton

Ingredients
500g lean Pasure Perfect Pork (from shoulder)
1 Spring Onion
4 Cloves Garlic
3cm x 3cm Knob Fresh Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Palm Sugar
2 Tablespoons Lee Kum Kee Oyster Sauce
1 Pack Wonton Wrappers (50) (Or if you are really adventurous you can make your own with a pasta maker!)
Pasture Perfect Pork Lard for frying

Method

In blender/food processor, blen together spring onion bulb, garlic and ginger until finely chopped (keep greens from spring onions and hand chop finely for adding to mix at end).

Add coarsely diced shoulder pork, salt, sugar, and oyster sauce and blend until pork is the texture of mince.

Add diced spring onion greens and blend until just mixed through.

In a small bowl, put cold fresh water for sealing the wonton.

Lay out wonton wrappers and spoon about a teaspoon of the mix just off centre of the middle.  With pastry brush, dip into water and brush 2 sides of wonton wrapper.

Fold over into trianle and seal shut with fingers.  Then shape the wonton.  Leave to dry for 10 minutes before frying.

Heat lard for deep frying, add wontons 7 at a time.  Remove with slotted spoon when golden and crispy.

OMG!! They are amazing!

 

Quick Asian Pork with Noodle.

This recipe has saved my butt when I need to get something really yummy cooked really quickly!!

Ingredients

500g Pasure Perfect Pork (from Neck)    Diced                                                                               
1 Large Onion Sliced
2 Cloves Garlic
3cm x 3cm Knob Fresh Ginger
1/2 red Pepper (Chunky Dice)
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
3 Tablespoon Sweet Chilli Sauce                                                                                                                        2 tablespoon Cornflour                                                                                                                              1 heaped teaspoon Chinese Fivespice                                                                                                             10 Broccoli Florets                                                                                                                                        Rice Noodles, soaked in hot water
Pasture Perfect Pork Lard for frying

Place cornflour and spice in plastic bag.  Shake to mix, add diced pork, shake to coat.

Heat Lard in Wok.  Lightly brown off pork. Remove browned pork from wok.

Add Onion and stir-fry, add broccoli and, capsicum (red peppers), ginger and garlic.

Add sauces. Add a little extra water to help deglaze the wok.

Add pork back to wok.  cook through with noodles added.

Toss well together and serve hot into bowls.

 

The Ethics of Eating

I was having a search around the net the other night and came across a SMH Blog, Chew on This that had a post about the ethics of eating/shopping.  I thought it was great that people were getting on there and discussing the matter.  I does concern me though that so many people are trying to eat as well as they can, but are being misled or should I just say lied to.

Some things that Certified Organic means:

Never in its lifetime has that animal been treated with chemicals, Never In Its Lifetime has the animal been treated with or fed antibiotics, Certified Organic Produce is free from GMO’s, Certified Organic Animals are not treated with Hormones for growth promoting or reproduction.   Free to range on Pastures.

For a full Australian Organic Standard cick here

 A few years back (before we were certified organic) Jack and I ran our pigs “Free Range” but we preferred to call it pasture raised as our pigs spent their whole lives out on pasture, and other free range pigs had varying amounts of time outdoors, but most are confined to a shed (or ecoshelter) for at least half of their life.  We didn’t use chemicals on the pigs or land, and although I had a good friend and a brother in law that were vets, I stopped using antibiotics as well and opted for Homeopathic treatments.  When we went to the Farmers Markets people would say ”Oh, you are the organic pork people.”, but we would let them know that, no we were not organic, as at that stage we did not feed organic feed, or have any form of organic certification.

Even in our first year of organic certification we did not claim to be organic (It’s actually part of a contract that you sign when you sign up to be certified, that you cannot claim that you are organic, even though you are running your farm to all of the standards required) Even in the following year, you can only sell your produce as “In Conversion” Organic, In fact for 3 years you need to run your whole farm as certified organic, but cannot claim to be fully organic until this 3 year period is up.  Let’s just call it an apprentiship.

So there is a whole lot of investment of time, energy and money for the 3years leading up to your being “A” grade organic.  This is why it gets me so mad that other farmers, butchers, manufacturers out there claim organic for just about anything.  It’s an incredible relief to me that Standards Australia will hold the organic standards for Australia in just a few short months. I have seen a bit of griping on other blogs that it is unfair that only certified organic should be called organic, but the analogy that I see it as is that of the apprentice and the Tradesman. 

You need to be commited (no, not to a mental health facility, but sometimes I wonder) to be organic, you need to be dedicated.  You need to have put the time and effort in on your trade. You then need to be a diligent caretaker of the land and animals that you care for and are responsible for.  Prevention is better than a cure in Certified Organic farming.  So careful planning is very important.

Ensure that you are truly getting certified organic produce by asking for the producers organic certification number.

 

See what the pigs are doing on farm this week