Many of you have asked me some brilliant Questions over the years, so I though that I would give everyone a chance to see the answers to them.
Q. Are your ham and bacon cured with salt only? I’ve often seen free range nitrate free bacon and ham, but they still contain dextrose, hydrolysed vegetable protein, acidity regulators and others (things I won’t eat, being a Nourishing Traditionalist!).
A: In short, No, our bacon and ham are not cured with salt only. We actually use Natural Nitrates/Nitrites in the form of a vegetable extract (made at a certified organic plant from celery). If we brined the pork with salt only we would end up with a grayish sort of end product, without the characteristic pink colour of cured meats and also without the subtle sweetness that Ham and Bacon should have (I think). So our Ham and Bacon is also not Nitrite free as we have these Natural Nitrites in them, they are Chemical Nitrate free though, and they are the nasties. Any cured meat product that has sea salt in it has these natural nitrites in them. (The end recorded level of nitrate in our Ham is 12 ppm whereas fresh spinach normally runs at about 1000 – 3000 ppm.)
It does not contain any Chemical based nitrites or nitrates, Phosphates or Sulphates, or Hydrolysed Vegetable Protein.
Q: What is the difference between certified organic and all the other ways pigs are raised?
A: Certified Organic Pork or Certified Biodynamic Pork, is the only Audited Guarantee that your pork is free from: Antibiotics, Chemicals, GMO’s, Hormones and that they are always able to range freely. We cannot sell an animal as organic if it has ever had any of these things in its lifetime. We need to feed Certified Organic Feedstuffs (our feed is not sprayed with chemicals in its growth or storage and must be grown on certified organic land). Certified Organic means that your farm, feed, pastures, animals and bookwork is inspected by an Independent Auditor, at least once a year. No matter what certification body you are with, the Audit goes by the Australian Organic Standard as set out by AQIS. Unfortunately not everyone that says they are organic is certified. These people either can’t or don’t want to run their farm to the High Standards set out for organic certification, yet want people to believe that they are. Don’t be fooled, always ask for the certification number and certifying body of the farmer. There are Seven Certifying Bodies in Australia:
The Organic Food Chain, NASAA, Safe Food Production Queensland, Australian Certified Organic, AusQual, Bio-Dynamic Research Institute, Tasmanian Organic Producers.
Q: We know the pigs have a great life on your farm, but how are they killed?
A: Firstly we cart all of our own stock in our own truck so that we know they are handled with care as they are loaded, driven to the abattoir, and unloaded from the truck. We also make sure that we pen our pigs up at the abattoir ourselves. The pigs are kept in their own group which keeps them calm. The abattoir that we now use has a CO2 chamber which is the most humane way that I have ever seen a pig killed. They are taken up to the chamber in a group of 2 or 3 so that they are with their companions, then the chamber is lowered into an area flooded with CO2 gas. They simply fall asleep, and while they are unconscious they are killed. Usually when you go to a working pig abattoir there is a lot of noise, this one is very quiet and much more calm.
Q: Why do you grow Berkshire Pigs?
A: When we first started to research growing pigs outside we realised the importance of having a pig with pigment in their skin. The white pig breeds were bred specifically for a mainly indoor life and can burn quite easily, which can lead to skin cancers in older pigs. We had also read that the Berkshires were especially good mothers and that they were also good grazers and foragers which we knew we needed in our pigs, if they were to have a happy and healthy life. Some other really interesting information that we found out was that the fat from the Berkshire Pig is naturally higher in the Essential Omega Fatty Acids, and as they are outdoors in the sun, they store high amounts of Vitamin D in their fat. (Vitamin D is a potent Immune Booster and helps you to assimilate calcium for strong bones). It was a bonus to us when we found out just how good the flavour of the pork is and how juicey and tender it is.
Q: I can see that you obviously love your pigs… how can you bring yourself to eat them?
A: This question used to come up a lot at the Farmers Markets that we attended. It’s not a simple question, and I can’t give a simple answer. I guess it comes from the fact that when I was little, even though I grew up in a town, we always raised much of our own food, both vegetable and animal. My Mother was a great believer in organic and Biodynamic Principles and Permaculture was a way of life in our backyard. We had 2 goats for milking (one of my sisters was allergic to pasteurised cow milk), Chooks and Ducks for Eggs and Meat, and Vegies Patches in every usable corner of the house block (which the ducks and chooks got access to). So from the vey beginning I knew where my food came from, and… vitally important, I knew how it was raised and cared for. The chop day (Goodbye meat chooks) was a family affair, but not at all macabre. I had often raised some of these animals from day 1, but I knew they were not pets, I knew they were there to be cared for and tended, so they could end up as the best possible food for our growing bodies. So I do believe that it is vitally important to understand the life of the food that you eat, know how and where it was produced, because when we turn our heads away and shut our eyes to those things, we have food grown that is just a commodity and not real nourishment. This is not only true in the case of animals, but with the cereals, fruit and vegetables that we eat as well.
Q: You talk about fats as though they are OK for us to eat. Aren’t you encouraging irresponsible diets that can lead to heart disease and obesity?
A: I truly don’t believe the anti saturated fat doctrine that is passed off as nutritional information by many in the Health Industry (which should really just be renamed the pharmaceutical industry). In the past 60 years as heart disease and obesity have become more and more common, the use of saturated fats has actually substantially decreased, whilst the used of poly-unsaturated fats has increased in a similar rate to the diseases. The use of sugar in our diet has also increased at a similar rate. Most of what is passed off as food in supermarket shelves, you almost need a degree in chemistry to figure out what the actual ingredients are.
We should be careful where we source the fats that we eat, be they animal or plant based, because most often, fats are where toxins are stored. Organic has the least possibility of storing toxins in the fat, by the mere fact that the animals and plants are not exposed to them.
Animal fats (from animals that are allowed to range in the sunlight, have a higher level of vitamin D. Animals that eat grass have omega 3’s and 6’s in a healthy ratio (much like fish oil). If you are going to stay away from animal fats, make them the ones that are from animals kept out of the sunlight, that are not allowed to graze, and are routinely given chemical sprays or dips, not to mention antibiotics, hormones and genetically modified feedstuffs.
September 25, 2008 at 11:47 am
How nice to see animals grazing so happily and contenedly and what a pleasure to be able to eat an animal that has not been contained, force fed and treated inhumanely.
Where can I purchase this product????
September 25, 2008 at 11:54 am
Thankyou Heather,
We have Certified Organic Smallgoods sold under the Pasture Perfect® Pork label availble in David Jones Foodhall Sydney, Macro Wholefoods stores in Sydney and Melbourne, Wholefood House, and Thomas Dux Stores Sydney.
More Stores are coming online all the time and I will post a Where can you get it page.
December 9, 2008 at 1:45 am
Hi there Jack and Miriam
I’m just curious if you sell lard as well? Or any instructions on what parts to buy and how to make it?
Thank you
Sarah
December 22, 2008 at 3:20 am
Can I say that it is fantastic to see such responsible and humane farming processes when dealing with live animals. I also applaud you for your transparent and informative reporting on the manner in which you manage you organic status, choices of breed, etc.
I am interested in knowing more about the curing of ham. Could you tell me if you use sodium nitrate in curing your hams?
Thank you
Aly
December 24, 2008 at 5:44 am
Hi Aly,
Thanks for your support!
No, we don’t use sodium nitrite in the curing of our hams, we decided years ago, even before we were certified organic farmers that, as we were growing pigs without the chemicals and additives, we wanted to make the best possible ham and bacon without the use of harsh food preservatives as well. We have a certified organic ham and bacon available as well as a new line of certified organic dry cured salami, all made without sodium or potassium nitrate or nitrite. Hope this helps. Yours sincerely, Miriam
December 24, 2008 at 5:52 am
Hi Sarah,
We don’t sell lard, but we do have frozen pork fat in stock and encourage people to make lard. (I cook in it all the time!!) Lard can be made from fat from any part of the pig, so long as it does not have much meat or sinew trim in it. I like to make it in my crock pot as I find it is the safest way to do it. Cut the pieces of fat into about 2 inch squares so that they can render evenly. I start to skim the fat as soon as it begins to render (turn liquid with heat) so that I have a really lovely white lard. With the rind and connective tissue that is left in the crock pot I press it through a potato press (or potato ricer) to get all of the liquid fat out. This leaves you with really tasty, crunchy, protein rich pork rinds to nibble on with a sprinkle of sea salt!!
Happy rendering!
November 3, 2009 at 9:55 am
My son is autistic and can only eat food free of gluten, yeast, corn, caesin, sugar, soy and chemical, preservative, additive and flavour free. Can you please let me know if this fits with your product as i would really love to give him a product that has some healthy animal fats as he is a little under weight for my liking. If you could let me know as soon as possible as i am planning to go past one of your distributors this morning. Thank you ever so much. also info on the fermented salami would be good to if it fits this category. Have a great day
November 4, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Hi PPP
i recently discovered one of your products and quite frankly it was the best tasting pork i have ever had.
I spoke to Ann Blundy who is your Vic agent as I live in Melbourne regarding getting other cuts and she said i could order through her.
Can you let me know what cuts can be ordered? I often roast 2-3 kg loin roasts on the bone, as well as a lot of necks and these would be great from you.
please let me know and please keep up the great work.
best regards paul
November 6, 2009 at 5:13 pm
Hi there Kate
I know for sure our Bacon and Ham are Gluten free Soy Free, Dairy free, Yeast Free, Chemical Preservative and flavour Free, but they do contain sugar, not much, but a little. Sorry
Same with our vienna.
Our Fermented salami also contains some sugar (as this helps with the fermenting process) but is also free from Soy, Dairy, Chemical Preservatives and additives, Gluten Free
Our chorizo are the only product that I think are free of everything that you need. As they just have Pork, iced water, Spices, dehydrated garlic and onion, potato starch (potato flour) and rosemary extract (a natural antioxidant) I hope this helps!!
Kind regards, Miriam
November 6, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Hello Paul,
Thanks so much for the kind words, we will certainly do all we can to keep it up!! and Yes Shane and Ann Blundy of Cherry Tree Organics do distribute down there. I will make sure what cuts are available, but also need to know what quantity you require. Could you send me a message directly to pastureperfect@bigpond.com with your contact details and we will do all we can to make sure you can get what you want.