Restock Dates: Please see our Farm Blog where we post our weekly newsletter for the latest updates

NEW Ocean Springs Pickup Location | Bacon, Bacon, Bacon

written by

Ben Simmons

posted on

December 28, 2024

Contents:

  1. 1. NEW Ocean Springs Pickup Location effective January 4th 2025
  2. 2. Bacon, Bacon, Bacon
  3. 3. Product Availability Update

"NEW" Ocean Springs Pickup Location – During our December delivery a representative of the property owner stopped to say we could no longer use their location to meet customers. I queried our December customers and received several suggestions. The recommendation we decided on was the Park & Ride lot located in the SW intersection of I-10 and Hwy 609 (Washington Ave.). This is next door to Denny's. Here is a link to the updated details including a map showing where to meet us beginning January 4th.

In many ways this location is much better than the Ace parking lot. I know for us it will be nice not to have the traffic on Hwy 90 especially when there are events scheduled in downtown OS. Now, if only there was a shed we could park under to shield Beth from those thunderstorms!!!! hahaha

Bacon, Bacon, Bacon - Customers really love our bacon. That's because our bacon comes from humanely raised pastured pigs that are free to express their God-given nature and are supplemented with a NON-GMO feed.

But, do you know what all goes into making bacon - well, bacon? One of our objectives this year was to grow our pigs to a more consistent weight prior to processing. That way the size of cuts are more consistent - chops from the shoulder area will always be larger than chops from the center and rear area of the pig. But, shoulder chops between pigs will be very similar sizes, etc.

To process our bacon, we start by brining the whole slabs for about 7 days. Then, the brine is rinsed off and Beth smokes them in our Southern Pride smoker (it is really hard to mess up the smoke job in one of these). Smoke wood will be either pecan or hickory that comes off our farm. Once they reach temperature she takes them off and lays them out on trays lined with paper towels, fat side down, to absorb the grease - see photo.

Bacon-2024-12.jpg

Are you surprised the slabs are not a perfect rectangle shape to make slices like grocery store packs?

The slabs are allowed to cool down overnight in our carcass cooler where they will reach a temperature of about 34 degrees. Then, the next day we will slice and pack.

When slicing, we try to get as much "bacon" as possible into salable packs because "everyone wishes a pig had more bacon" since it is always the first item to sell out. That is why some packs will have both long and short slices...it is akin to Artisan skills and making the most out of what you have. Unsalable "trimmings" are for butcher use and/or will go into our Beef Bacon Burger.

Consumers are seeking out clean meat that is pasture-raised and does not include vaccines like mRNA. We still receive calls from folks asking if our animals have the mRNA vaccine - which I can guarantee they have NOT. Just this week, I was speaking with MaryJo Perry (if you are not familiar with her I will be introducing her to you very soon, so hang around) and she actually called the mRNA vaccine manufacturer who confirmed conventional feedlot-raised pigs have been given the mRNA vaccine since 2015. Almost 10 years.

Now, if only pigs had more bacon and beef had more ribeyes, we could fill all of those orders!!! hahaha

** Product Availability Update **

NOTE: Restocks are made about 6 PM on the dates indicated below!

Chicken -Restocked December 11th. Next Restock will be December 31th

Turkey - Restocked Ground Turkey, Wings, Legs, and Thighs November 22nd. It will be mid 2025 before the next restock.


Eggs - Restock each (NOW) TUESDAY PRIOR to YOUR delivery date.


Beef - Restocked December 22nd. Let me know if you want your name on the list for a half beef – I’m thinking our next offering will be February 2025. We already have 6 beef sold and room for only two more.

Pork – Restocked FRESH items December 11th. Smoked items December 22nd. Sausages will be restocked by December 30th

Lamb - Restocked October 8th

More from the blog

Beef Update & A New Product

Beef Update – Typically this time of year folks are hesitant to buy bulk beef for their freezer due to hurricane risk. That is why we have delayed our next custom half & whole beef processing until September. If you are interested, our next harvest will be September 2nd with pickup on September 22nd. If you want to be included then please email me your name, email, and cell number to be added to our wait list - and be the first folks contacted and guaranteed to receive an order. Beef prices continue to increase and hit a new All-Time high this week fueled by strong demand and limited supply. For example, based on what a 700 pound steer sold for at the Hattiesburg Stockyard Monday, I could make more than feeding him till he weighs 1100 pounds and sell as packaged beef - but our mission is to provide nutrient-dense, clean food to our customers. Effective immediately custom beef half and whole prices will increase $0.50 to $6.25 per pound based on the hanging weight. Retail cuts will increase for September deliveries as well.

Real Health Is NOT A Pill. It's A Practice!

Two Great Must Read Articles – Typically I don't make a big deal about articles we have read, but these two are so good that I felt they needed to be shared. The first is by Joel Salatin titled "Food Think" that is part of his The Lunatic Farmer blog. You can read the full article at this link. The second article is one Beth forwarded to me from the Health Viewpoints section of Epoch Times titled "Americans Spend Trillions on Health Care but Remain Unwell - Here's Why" Dr. Yang, FAPA, a board certified psychiatrist, begins by stating the difference between treating disease and building true health lies in a proactive and preventative lifestyle. Note - Beth and I would agree with other folks who commented that his article is spot on and very important for folks to read and understand. You can read at this link.

What's Your Favorite Sausage?

Sausages – so, we are looking to our customers for Sausage Inspiration! Since we added pigs to our farm in 2015 (wow- 10 years ago) we have sold basically the same five sausage flavors. The Patty & Regular Link sell pretty good, the Cajun & Cracked Black Pepper sell fair and the Jalapeno not so much. When you look around there are many various flavors available.