Valley Bounty, March 29, 2014: Pork
Pulled pork, pork chops. Empanadas, tamales, or dumplings. Big roasts, or a little bit of bacon added for flavor. There are a lot of ways to eat a pig. Local farmers are also growing different varieties of pigs, and can tell you about their choices. Locally grown pork is available direct from the farm through farmers’ markets, CSAs, or on-farm pick-up. You can also find it in the meat case at some local retailers.
Sourcing information on CISA’s website includes:
Northampton’s new butcher, Sutter Meats, has a list of pork products on their website —but it’s worth stopping in to meet them, see what they have today, and get their cooking suggestions. Recently, they’ve had pork empanadas from Mi Tierra, as well as other pork products in the case.
River Valley Market also makes sausage with meat from local producers.
Recipes:
Here’s a recipe for Country Style Ribs from CISA staffer Devon Whitney-Deal.
Our recent Maple Menu included a maple brine for pork roast.
Pete Solis of Mockingbird Farm in Easthampton offers this recipe for grilled pork chops (scroll down). He rubs them with a spice mix that includes za’atar, which I had to look up. Looks to me like you could substitute oregano and thyme, although I bet it would be even better with some sesame seeds and dried sumac if you happened to have some.
