Here at Grace Note Farm, we believe that animals deserve to have a happy life, even if they are destined for your freezer at the end of that happy life. Unlike commercially raised pigs that are raised indoors in tight confinement, the pigs we raise at Grace Note Farm roam in large fenced pastures and get rotated onto fresh ground every few weeks. They eat, nap, romp, play, and socialize as their natures direct them, outdoors in the fresh air when they want, or lying about indoors on a pile of hay if they prefer that. They also eat a varied diet of plants and animals as they forage on the land (pigs are omnivores), supplemented with free-choice organic grain. This is good for the animals and good for our land as well.
We are currently taking orders for 1/2 or whole pigs. 1/2 pigs are $6.50/lb hanging weight*, and whole pigs are $6.00/lb hanging weight. There is an excellent and detailed writeup on the Sugar Mountain Farm website that shows how much meat is in a half a pig . The meat will be frozen and available for pickup on the farm in late October, 2010. We can also get the ham, shoulder, and bacon smoked for an additional $3.00/lb.
If you’ve been asking yourself “Where can I get organic pastured meat in Massachusetts?”, look no further. Our batch of Tamworth pigs will be available for sale in early Autumn. We raise Tamworths because they are good foragers, which allows them to obtain a portion of their food from the pasture (and therefore raising them creates less dependence on trucked-in grain). We also chose to raise heritage animals like the Tamworth hog because it helps maintain genetic diversity among food animals. Tamworths are also prized by chefs and restaurants because they are mighty tasty. But you don’t have to take my word for it: see this testimonial to the Tamworth on Chow Hound. It is reported on the web that Bristol University carried out taste tests using both commercial and rare breed pigs in a scientifically controlled experiment, and the Tamworth was judged as having the best tasting meat.
If you would like to reserve a 1/2 or whole pig, please email or call us to make payment arrangements. We will require a $250 deposit to hold your order, which you can pay via check, cash, or payPal. Order soon, as we expect to sell out.
If you’d like to sample the product before making such a large commitment (and who could blame ya’), some individual cuts from the previous batch are still available.
*Hanging weight is the slaughter weight of the pig ‘on the hook’, before it is butchered into individual cuts. Expect to loose 10 – 20 lbs of weight per half pig between the hanging weight and finished cuts.
We are raising Kosher King broilers this summer. Kosher Kings are a robust cross that does well on pasture, without growing quite as fast as the commercial crosses (which have a variety of health problems due to their fast growth). We raise chickens on pasture in movable pens, allowing them to get a healthy balanced diet of fresh greens and bugs, supplemented by certified organic grain grown right next door in New York State.
Birds will weigh somewhere in the 5 – 6 lb range, and the first batch will be available in September. You can pick up refrigerated birds within one or two days of slaughter, otherwise birds will be frozen and ready for you to pick up at your convenience. We’re working on a delivery option to Boston, so if you’d like to get some birds but don’t think you can make the drive out to the farm for pickup, please watch this space for more details.
If you’d like to reserve some birds, click on the ‘Add to Cart’ button to pay the deposit with Paypal, or alternately you can send a check for your deposit to the farm.
Pre-order Price:
Less than 10: $5.25/lb.
10 or more: $5.00/lb.
(Birds purchased after Sept 1 will be $6.00/lb).
$10 deposit per bird required to hold your order, which you can pay via check, cash, or payPal.
The growing season has really started in earnest now. We are ready to take pre-orders for Organic Pork and Chicken. Please see details on the web site, or feel free to call or email us with questions.
If you live in the Boston area and have been wishing you could buy humanely, locally and sustainably-grown meat directly from the farmer, you have come to the right place. Place an order for our terrific pastured, organic Tamworth pork and organic eggs this week and we will bring your order to Jamaica Plain on Sunday evening, April 11. Place your order via the comments section below, or call or email us with your selections.
You can serve a delicious, organic ham for your next special occasion, stock your freezer with chops and a roast, or just get some freshly smoked, awesomely tasty organic nitrite-free bacon. The pork is from Tamworth pigs, prized among chefs for their flavor and meat to fat ratio. The cured/smoked cuts were processed at the highly acclaimed Vermont Smoke and Cure , and they are out of this world! They prepare the meat with an old-fashioned, regional recipe utilizing maple wood and corn cobs, to create a flavor that is subtle and divine. Get yours now! They won’t last long.
This week’s special Free package of pork chops (~1 lb) when you buy a whole ham or smoked shoulder.
When: Sunday April 11, 6:00 pm until ?
Where: Look for our truck in front of First Church, at the corner of Elliot and Centre St in Jamaica Plain. (click for map)
Payment options: You can either pay on the day by cash or check, or paypal us ahead of time (details can be arranged via email).
Please bring your own shopping bag.
Hope to see you there. We appreciate your support!
Eggs: brown eggs from our pastured, free-range, heritage-breed hens
$7 /dzn
1 dozen
Stew chickens (small chickens, not for roasting, great in soup)
$2.75/lb
3 lbs
A note about our animal husbandry practices
Grace Note Farm is not certified organic, but we abide by organic growing practices. We only buy organic inputs for our farm. We provide free-choice certified organic feed to our chickens and pigs. They have ample barn space for shelter and also free access to a large fenced pasture, allowing them to roam outdoors for exercise and entertainment, and to supplement their diets by munching on yummy bugs, plants, and other forage. This keeps the animals healthier (and happier) and also gives their meat a richer, more complex flavor.
What could be cuter than 50 day-old chicks? I can’t think of anything. Every couple of years, we need to replace the chickens we lose to attrition and old age. The previous batch were hatched right here on the farm from our own flock of Black Australorps in October 2008. Although that was fun, hatching chicks ourselves has a variety of pros and cons which I will post about separately. This year, we ordered a new set from Mt Healthy hatchery in Ohio. They arrived in really good shape and are healthy and happy so far.
We like to stick with endangered, heritage breed chickens because they have more of the old-fashioned behaviors that allow them to thrive on pasture, and also because we like to support genetic diversity among livestock. This year’s chicks are half New Hampshire Reds (the yellow ones) and half Speckled Sussex (the brown striped). Both breeds are supposed to be good cold-weather layers, and have pleasant personalities.
For the first couple of weeks, they will live in the brooder, a large enclosed cage that keeps them warm and protects them from harm. They have to be kept at 95 degrees at first, which always seems really hot to me and surprising that they can be comfortable at that temperature. We give them food, water, and a big clump of dirt and grass every day, so they can start developing their immune system. In several weeks, we’ll move them into the ‘good neighbors’ pen, where they can see but not be attacked by the older hens. When they are full-grown and can defend themselves, we will integrate them with the flock.
These little cuties should start laying around mid-August.
