the gateway meat

Last week we picked up some amazing pork from Heritage Farms, including what has come to be known as “The Gateway Meat” – Bacon.  Haven’t been sold on the benefits of local, pastured meats yet?  Bacon is your gateway.  There are T-shirts that say so.

Often, the distinctions made between commercially raised meats and the local, pastured meats that we sell are in terms of nutrition and values.  Pastured and grassfed meats, from small-scale local farms, are better for you.  Production is better for the land, animals are treated with respect.  (More details in our Grassfed Primer).  But there is also a distinction in taste and nowhere is this more true than with Bacon.  Remember, fat means flavor!  All bacon is fatty, but the quality of fat from pastured pigs is different – the flavor is richer, the texture smoother. 

It’s  important to note that the fat of a pig that has spent its life foraging on grass and in the woods, eating a diverse diet of kitchen scraps, nuts, grasses and whatever else it can find while rooting around, is far healthier for you than the fat of an animal that was raised on grain alone. Fat is where nutrients are stored, and the ample fat of a pastured, heritage breed pig holds high amounts of Vitamin D, a direct result of the pigs’ diet and environment.  Such fat is also is higher in Omega 3s, up to 20x higher by some accounts. 

This bacon is delicious on it’s own, but there are countless other ways to enjoy it.  Spaghetti Carbonara is a favorite (here’s one great recipe).  Bacon will also add a smokiness and depth of flavor to any soup (lentil, split pea and chowders come to mind) – just saute some bacon over low heat until it just begins to crisp and then carry on with the rest of your soup recipe in that same pot.  Bacon is great on pizza or burgers, wrapped around asparagus (which is just poking up!) or scallops, and in frittatas.  We love BLT sandwiches, but it’s best wait for July and the fresh tomatoes that will be coming your way through our vegetable share.  We promise to have bacon available during peak tomato season! For more inspiration, check out Food & Wine Magazine’s favorite bacon recipes HERE.

We’d love to hear about your favorite bacon recipes! email us: freerangefarmtruck@live.com or comment on this post.