This week we’re exploring shopping local on:
Being the great procastinators that we are, as of Saturday we had yet to buy pumpkins for our jack-o-lanterns. In Colorado Springs, THE place to go for your pumpkin is Venetucci Farms.
What made this year really special, is while I was learning about blogging at the Savvy Blogging Summit this past summer, my oldest daughter spent a day weeding the pumpkin patch. So we had to go to the field where she worked and pick out our pumpkins! It was pretty well picked over since we waited until the last weekend, but we found two perfect pumpkins to bring home.
While we were there, I wanted to explore the possibilities of buying a 1/4 cow or a 1/2 a hog.
The price per pound when you purchase 1/2 a hog is $3.10/lb. However, there is also a slaughter charge and a standard cut and wrapper charge.
The advantages of buying 1/2 a hog are:
- Knowing the source of my meat and being 100% certain it is free of hormones and antibiotics
- Superior nutrition
- The freezer is stocked – no need to chase prices
- It requires going to a specialty store to find natural raised pork – much easier to just pull it out of the freezer
- Supports those in the community engaged in sustainable practices
- Superior taste
The disadvantages of buying 1/2 a hog are:
- Initial price is high
- Can probably beat the per/lb price by chasing sales
- Takes up a considerable amount of freezer space
Not to mention, it’s hard to eat a pig, once you’ve met them.
This poor mama was so tired! She had 4 of the most rambunctious and adorable piglets running amok!
Our freezer is still in storage while our house is being finished. In the meantime, we are working on a plan to come up with the initial cost to be able to support the efforts of one of our local sustainable farms.
Looking outside the grocery store allows us to know the source of our food and to get a superior product – in both nutrition and taste!
Do you have experience in buying 1/2 a hog or a 1/4 of a cow? How did it work out for you?
