Free Range Foie Gras

I found this fantastic link on twitter…

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/dan_barber_s_surprising_foie_gras_parable.html

Titled: Dan Barber’s foie gras parable.  It is about  the dilemma of a chef trying to eat sustainably and ethically, but loving foie gras,  and a farmer in Spain, Eduardo Sousa that has managed to make the best foie gras without the force feeding (gavage) of ducks or geese.  The whole video is about 20 minutes, but I think it is well worth it.

Dan tells the story of how, with foie gras we have industrialised a natural process (yet again), and how by revisiting nature, we end up with a much better tasting, more ethical, more environmentally freindly and sustainable food.

He sums up by saying that the way we produce food now is an “insult to history, an insult to nature and an insult to biology”.  Whether we are talking about Beef Cattle (in a feedlot) or chickens (in factory farms) or Broccoli (in large monocultures)…. and might I add pork (in factory farms)

I think that we often forget about the cost to the environment that we make even when we choose to go vegetarian, if we support the type of farming that is the standard today… monoculture, pesticides, herbicides, GMO’s, chemical fertilisers.  Too many of us forget about that sort of thing because we cant see the suffering and cant connect with that living being (I myself have never hugged broccoli for example, or petted an earthworm, even when we grew organic broccoli, but I will Kiss a Pig… can’t help myself, they are a lot more cuddly.)

He also states that “The most ecological choice for food, is also always the most ethical choice for food, whether we are talking about brussel sprouts or foie gras.  And it is almost always… I haven’t found it otherwise… the most DELICIOUS choice”

That is certainly what we have found on farm.  Wild pigs actually try to come and live on our farm, they think life here is even better than what they have in the wild. The flavour of our pork is amazing as well.  Even with our leaner pigs, the pork is sweet… Nearly everyone tells you that the sweet flavour comes from the fat, but ours is still sweet when it is really lean.

I keep telling people  at the markets that I never used to eat pork until we grew our own… most people probably think it is a load of BS to get you to buy more, but it is true.  Jack used to beg me to cook a pork roast, but I couldn’t.  I could smell something wrong about it when it was cooking (a really dirty smell that actually made me nauseous (I have a similar thing with factory chooks… like they are marinated in ammonia or something)) and then the taste of it was very similar, definitely not an experience I wanted very often.  I was actually worried about eating our own pigs, because I didn’t think I would like the meat… couldn’t have been more wrong.  I could eat it every day, and did for about 8 months, but then Jack started asking me to cook beef…

 

Super Saver Saturday at Mrs Flannery’s Robina

I (Miriam) will be at the Mrs Flannery’s Robina store on Sat 7th November for tasting our delicious Certified Organic Ham and New Certified Organic Salami Range and answer all your curly questions about how we grow our certified Organic Pork and then how it is made into such delicious and nutritious treats as the certified Organic range of smallgoods that we make.  It will be great to see you there!!

Mrs Flannery's Robina store, Lazy T Center, Jusfrute Drive, Robina

Then on Sunday the 8th, I will be back at the Northey St Organic Markets with Alaringa Organics. I had a heap of fun meeting you and catching up with some past clients (I still can’t believe it has been about 3 yeas since I was travelling up to Bris Vegas Every weekend for the Farmers Markets)

The drive home this time was pretty eventful with the car deciding it wanted to stay a little longer in the big smoke.  Luckily I have some great friends who helped me find a mobile mechanic (or helped him find me) and we got the parts and got me back on the road by lunchtime.

 

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

 

Western Australia now has Pasture Perfect® Pork

Great news for those people that have been waiting patiently for our certified Organic pork smallgoods in W.A.!!

Blue Cow Cheese, PO Box 952,  Cloverdale WA 6985.  Telephone: 61 8 9477 5277  Facsimile:   61 8 9477 5311 have taken on distribution, so you should be able to get our smallgoods at quality outlets.  I will update the retail outlet page with stores that are now stocked.

CELEBRATION OF FOOD AND WINE – Noosa 1st – 3rd May 2009.  Miriam will be at this event as a finalist in the Vogue Entertaining + Travel  2009 Producer awards.  Last year was a superb event and we have no doubt that it will be the same this year, so if you can, come along and check it out for the most amazing food and wine experiences!

We are up against another 16 Producers in the Paddock section of the Vogue Producer awards and the lineup is very impressive!  We are certainly very proud that our products are in such prestigious company.

Copywrite © Pasture Perfect® 2009.  All rights reserved

 

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

 

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.