Winter 2009-10 Charcuterie CSA
Sorry, there are no more spaces available in The Piggery’s winter CSA 
If you’re still interested in a share, send an email to Heather - sandfordheather@yahoo.com to get on the waiting list. We are still confirming with all of our members and spaces may become available. Be sure to specify if you are interested in a share in Ithaca or Brooklyn.
The Piggery is happy to be offering a 12 week 2009-10 winter charcuterie CSA that will run through the months of December, January and February. We will again be offering shares through the Full Plate Farm Collective for our Ithaca-area customers and at The Brooklyn Kitchen in Brooklyn. The CSA pickups will be every Thursday for 12 weeks starting on December 3rd and ending February 25th (except for the week starting Thursday, December 24th).
What we offer
The Piggery is different from other local meat producers in that we have a state licensed kitchen on the farm where we produce our own line of dry cured bacon, sausages, pates, deli sliced meats and more. Our product line is made fresh every week and delivered to you FRESH, not frozen. Our recipes feature local ingredients such as garlic from Red Tail Farm in Jacksonville, NY.
We raise American Mulefoot cross pigs on 30 acres of fenced pastures, woodlands and springs on a diet of whatever they forage plus locally grown small grains (barley, wheat, triticale, field peas). We believe that our handcrafted products from happy, pastured, heirloom pigs offers the finest eatin’ you’ll find in pork in New York, or any other, state.
What Is a CSA?
CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. The idea is that the CSA members support the farmer by buying a share of that years crop up front. This helps the farmer pay for the up front costs of the product and eliminates the uncertainty of up and down sales at farmer’s market stands. The farmer knows just how much he needs to produce each week. In return, the member gets a variety of fresh, local products throughout the season at a better price than they would get by buying those products individually at the farmer’s market stand.
Realize that the farmer and the members enter a contract to share the risks and rewards of farming together. For instance, 2009 has been a terrible season for tomatoes because of the early onset of late blight. Many CSAs have had to pull their plants, reducing the number of tomatoes distributed to members. The flip side of this is that in a great year for tomatoes the members would receive the full benefit of the bountiful crop with extra tomatoes in their box. Pork is a more reliable crop than tomatoes, but we could still be shut down for a week by a blizzard or ice storm. Furthermore, we try hard to keep our animal sizing consistent, but the reality is that throughout the season we harvest animals of differing sizes. This means that some weeks the chops and ribs that members receive will be bigger than others. The same is true for sausages, pate portions, etc. We are confident, however, that at the end of the season, you will receive as much or more than estimated in the table below.
The Quarter Hog Share
Based on customer feedback, we are simplifying the menu selection from here on out. The only shares available for the winter CSA will be quarter hog shares, which cost $300. If your family needs more meat per week, please feel free to sign up for a 1/2 hog option below and you will receive two quarter hog shares of meat. With the quarter hog share, every week you will get a FRESH, not frozen main course selection - two chops, four sausages, or 1 lb pulled pork, for instance; a sliced item - bacon, deli ham or salami; and a treat - mousse style or rustic Pate, pork belly confit, rillettes, etc. You will also get a smattering of specialty items: braising or smoking cuts like hocks or belly, cooking lard, baking lard, cracklings, etc. If you’d like more, feel free to order multiple shares!
Things to remember: We are not a factory. The size of our pigs changes throughout the year, so the cuts will tend to get larger as the season progresses. A quarter hog is a tricky amount to divvy up fairly, but it seems like the right amount for most people over a twelve week season. This means that every OTHER person will get a tenderloin (only two per hog). The other people will get an extra pair of center cut chops. Each person will get ribs or rib tips, but not both. If you order two shares, you will get one of all of these cuts.
The Quarter Hog Share
The tables below give a summary of what’s in a Quarter Hog share:
| Item | Average Quantity | Number of weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Pork Chops | 2 chops, 1.5 lb average | 2 or 3 |
| Boneless Sirloin Cutlets | 4 Cutlets | 1 |
| Tenderloin | 1, 3/4 lb average | 0 or 1 |
| Boston Butt | 2-3 lb | 1 |
| Ribs | 1 rack, 2 lb average | 0 or 1 |
| Rib Tips | 1 set, 1 lb average | 0 or 1 |
| Sausages | 1 lb | 5 |
| Pulled Pork | 1 lb | 1 |
| Bacon | 1/2 lb | 6 |
| Deli Meats - Ham, Salami, etc | 3/4 lb | 6 |
| Mousse Pate | 4 oz jar | 3-5 |
| Rustic Pate | 6 oz loaf | 3-5 |
| Pork Belly Confit | 16 oz container | 3-5 |
| Ham Hock | 1, 2 lb average | 0 or 1 |
| Fresh Pork Belly | 1 lb | 0 or 1 |
| Cracklings | 1 container | 1 |
| Baking Lard | 1 lb | 1 |
| Cooking Lard | 1 lb | 2 |
How do I Get it?
Ithaca Customers:The winter CSA will be available for pickup or delivery through all of the options offered by the Full Plate Farm Collective for their winter CSA. The details haven’t been finalized, but all pickups will be Thursday afternoon and early evenings. The pickup locations are Stick and Stone farm on Rt 96 North of town, Mama Goose downtown, Ludgate Farms and Three Swallows farm in Danby. Home delivery will also be available through Garden Gate delivery.for a fee of three dollars per week.
New York City Customers: Shares can be picked up at the new Brooklyn Kitchen location, 100 Frost Street, Thursdays between 5 and 7 pm.
What does all of this cost?
$300. This breaks down to $25/week. We think this is pretty good value for handcrafted, pastured, heirloom pork that comes fresh every week. In fact, we think this is the best value available for a product of this quality. All payments are due by December 3rd. If you prefer to pay month to month, please contact Heather at sandfordheather@yahoo.com.