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Pork

8/1/2020: We are no longer raising pigs for the time being to focus on our grassfed cattle and sheep operations. For pork we recommend Larga Vista Ranch in Boone, CO or Twisted Pines Ranch in Black Forest, CO. There may also be pork producers through the SOCO Virtual Farmers Market.

We raised heritage red wattle pigs because they seemed to do very well in Colorado. The red wattle's color is similar to that of Colorado's wildlife, such as deer and elk; and which, unlike black colored pigs, helps to keep the breed cooler in warm temperatures (pigs can't sweat), and the coarse hair helps to protect against sunburn, that some of the pink pigs can encounter; and their hair grows longer in the winter, which keeps them warmer in colder temperatures. To help protect our delicate short grass prairie ecosystem, our pigs predominately free range in their very large pens in the spring and early summer and are pasture raised and rotated through a cover crop garden in the fall and winter.  

A little about the breed…

“The Red Wattle hog is a large, red hog with a fleshy, decorative, wattle attached to each side of its neck that has no known function. The origin and history of the Red Wattle breed is considered scientifically obscure, though many different ancestral stories are known. One theory is that the French colonists brought the Red Wattle Hogs to the United States from New Caledonia Island off the coast of Australia in the late 1700’s. As they adapted well to the land, the Red Wattle quickly became a popular breed in the US.

Unfortunately, as settlers moved west, the breed began to fall out of favor because settlers came into contact with breeds that boasted a higher fat content, which was important for lard and soap. Red Wattles were left to roam the hills of eastern Texas, where they were hunted to near extinction, until Mr. H.C. Wengler came across a herd in the dense forest and began breeding them into what they are today. Five year later, in a similar incident, Robert Prentice located another herd of Red Wattle hogs, which became known as the Timberline herd, after its wooded origins in eastern Texas.

Red Wattle hogs are known for their hardiness, foraging activity, and rapid growth rate. The sows are excellent mothers, who labor litters of 9-10 piglets, and provide good quantities of milk for their large litters. They adapt well to a wide range of climates, making them a good choice for consideration in outdoor or pasture-based swine production.

Red Wattle pork is exceptionally lean and juicy with a rich beef-like taste and texture.

The Red Wattle hog is listed on the ALBC Conservation Priority List as being critically endangered meaning there are fewer than 200 annual registrations in the U.S. and estimated to have fewer than 2,000 individuals of this breed globally.” - https://www.slowfoodusa.org/ark-item/red-wattle-hog

Last Remaining Ala Carte Pork Cuts available

The best way to purchase our heritage pork is to either send us an email at HeritageBelleFarms@gmail.com with your order request. Or shop for them on the SOCO (Southern Colorado) Virtual Farmers Market Mondays at noon through Thursdays at noon. socovirtualfarmersmarket.com or svfm.localfoodmarketplace.com

Pork Jowl Smoked: $9.25/lb ( 2 left weighing 3.425, 1.96)

Pork Fat: $3.50/lb <--make your own lard or hunters stock up now for when you make sausage

Pork Offal (tongue, heart, liver, kidneys): $2.75/lb

shop for PORK

HOW TO GET OUR heritage pork

The best way to purchase individual pork cuts is to purchase them through the website, you will be prompted to choose the option you wish to receive your pork order once you have added the item to your shopping cart. 

If individual pork cuts are available, there will be a purchasing option above ↑ or you can send us an email inquiring about purchase. Those items will also be available for delivery, farm pickup and Saturday SOCO Virtual Farmers Market pickup. 

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