It’s this time of the year and weather, such as we’ve been having, (bitter cold, then warm, then warm and wet and then back to cold), that cause me to stop and think. It causes me to ask one of my guiding questions; “Are we working with nature or against it?” This certainly isn’t the best time of the year for carrying young livestock such as piglets and bunnies. Late spring and early summer is when most mammals prefer to birth their young, and if we were to work entirely within this principle of nature, we would mimic that timing.
That being said, we would have a difficult time meeting the demands of year round pork production if we had the animals birth only at that time of year. So what do we do? There are two extremes, we could keep consistent numbers and butcher year round, or we could be 100% seasonal and only butcher in the Fall and early Winter. (Time from birth to butcher is about 7 months for a pig).
Here at Mirror Image Farms we shoot for the middle of the extremes; to provide the bulk of the pork for our residential customers to be ready for butcher in the Fall, and just enough for our restaurants the rest of the year. Because we are primarily an outdoor pig rearing operation, we slim down our herd size as much as possible before winter. There are other factors that affect the equation, but that gives you a little window into how we balance our decisions.
My conclusion and advice to all of you that enjoy our pork (and soon beef, chicken and turkey) is this…do your best to place your orders well in advance of the growing season, to give your farmer plenty of time to plan, raise, and finish your pork, beef and poultry on the best and greenest pastures of the year. See below for an update on our latest animal proteins, and availability. Thanks!
What’s in the freezer?
- ONLY 2 AVAILABLE – 1/4 hog packages at $8.50/lb X 33 lb = $280 per package. Package includes sage, kielbasa and sweet Italian sausages, bacon, chops, shoulder roasts, ham roasts, and ribs. Contact us with interest. (No down payments required to hold a 1/4 hog package.)
What else will be on our pastures this spring?
- Grass Fed Beef – we will have beef available Fall of this year. If you are interested in beef, contact us so we can keep you informed on how to order. We will begin receiving beef orders in March. Beef prices can be found here.
- Organically Fed & Pastured Chicken – We plan to do two batches of chicken, (Spring and Fall) and would be glad to add your order to the flock.
- Organically Fed & Pastured Turkey- We also plan to raise turkeys in time for Thanksgiving. Let us know if you want to give thanks around one of our turkeys this year.
