Pigs
Intelligent, playful and mischievous, Red Wattle hogs are terrific characters and thrive in our pastures. Their long, slim snouts are made for foraging – and here they spend their days digging up tender roots and tasty grubs.
Our Red Wattles are weaned at eight weeks — long after their industrial cousins, who get only ten days. Once weaned, we keep our pigs in their small family groups where hierarchy is already established — this prevents fighting and creates a calm drift of pigs. The pigs then spend their days digging up the pasture. As soon as they finish scouring for nutrients in one pasture, each group moves to a new one, so there’s always something new to snuffle, keeping this inquisitive breed interested, active and healthy.
In addition to whatever they eat while foraging, we feed our pigs a proprietary certified organic blend of non-GMO , soy free whole grains, including oats and barley. We serve it with generous splashes of organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar to top up their enzymes and friendly bacteria.
Red Wattles need all the care and freedom we give them — they cannot be industrially farmed because they don’t tolerate being on concrete. As a result, even though the pork is famed for its flavor, they are now classed as a threatened breed by The Livestock Conservancy.
Described as the best tasting pastured pork, a favorite of Chef Mario Batali and listed on Slow Food’s Ark of Taste, the Red Wattle pork has a deep red color and a unique flavor. Chef James Fraser, M.B.A., C.E.C. at Florida Gulf Coast University said the flavor of our pork was ‘exceptional’ as well as ‘moist’ and ‘tender’.
