CSA Shares Available!

We are pleased to announce that we are taking orders for CSA Shares once again! 

We have come up with a new CSA option that we feel will serve both you, the customer, and us, the farmer, better.

Earlier this year, we offered 6 month and 12 month CSA Shares where we delivered 10 lbs of meat per month. We found that with the busy summer months, many customers have had a hard time meeting us because of vacations etc... This resulted in several extra deliveries and created a logistical headache as we tried to keep track of who had received their order and who hadn't. It also meant many late nights for us sorting and weighing shares for each order. During one of these late nights, Hollie and I were discussing ways we could be more efficient so that we could feel comfortable with increasing our CSA Share membership. (It is frustrating for us to have customers on a wait list.) After bouncing some ideas around we finally came up with what we feel is a good solution.

Rather than deliver 10 lbs of meat each month, we will now deliver 30 lbs at once. 30 lbs is still small enough to fit in most freezers as it only takes up 1 cubic foot. It also means fewer deliveries to coordinate. This helps frees up your schedule and ours. Our goal is to keep CSA Shares in stock, so that when you run low on meat, it is readily available for you to order or at least receive within a month or so. While we can't guarantee this, we will work really hard towards it. Another advantage is since you are only buying 30 lbs (or 3 months by our previous model) you aren't tying up as much money at once. Our CSA Shares will also make nice gifts.

As we approach fall and winter, we will offer two different CSA Shares.
Pork Share: 30 lbs of Berkshire Pork of assorted cuts of chops, roasts, bacon, ground pork, ribs, and ham. Cuts come wrapped and packaged in portions small enough for two people.

Combo Share includes: 15 lbs of Berkshire Pork of assorted cuts of chops, roasts, bacon, ground pork, ribs, and ham. Cuts come wrapped and packaged in portions small enough for two people.

15 lbs of Grass Fed Beef of assorted cuts of steaks (Rib, T-Bone, Round, and Sirloin), roasts, ground beef, stew meat, and ribs. All beef is dry aged to perfection and cuts come wrapped and packaged in portions small enough for two people.

We hope that you will be happy with these new options and look forward to your order. Please visit the CSA Share page on our website to order. Orders will be delivered on October 2, 2010.

Why Buy Our Pork?

So why should you buy your pork from Christiansen’s Hog Heaven? Well the most obvious reason is that our pork tastes better than any other pork available in Utah and the surrounding states for that matter. I often see farms advertise “High Quality Pork”. I ask myself, “What makes it high quality?” Aside from being local and therefore fresher, how is pork that is most likely fed bread, donuts, and antibiotic laced pig feed and confined in 6” of its own waste any different from other pork available? Rather than just tell you that our pork is the best, I will explain why our pork is the best.

First, we start with incredible breeding stock. Our pigs are purebred Berkshire pigs and they are registered with the American Berkshire Association. Berkshire pigs are known worldwide for producing the best tasting, best cooking quality, and for being more tender and moist than any other breed of pig. In fact Berkshire pork aka Kurobuta pork is often referred to as the Kobe beef of pork. For years the pork industry has tried to breed their pork to look and taste like chicken hence the term “the other white meat”. Berkshires are a heritage breed, meaning they haven’t been subjected to these breeding programs which is why they have retained their wonderful attributes. Berkshire meat is pinker and finely marbled. It isn’t mushy or dry when cooked like traditional pork. Because Berkshire pork isn’t available in stores, it hasn’t been enhanced. That is another subject, see this link about enhanced pork.

Next we treat our pigs humanely. A quick Google search will reveal absolute horror stories about the way the majority of confinement raised animals are treated. Treating animals inhumanely is sad, unethical, and in my opinion, contrary to God’s will. (Buying meat from the grocery store encourages this kind of “farming”.) But since we are talking about taste, I will try to stick to the topic. Confinement raised animals are stressed and often sick. The stress can release hormones and chemicals into the meat which make it taste funny (another reason for enhanced pork). Many animals are sick (and medicated) when they are slaughtered. While this may not affect you directly, it just doesn’t seem right and certainly isn’t appetizing.

Our pigs are raised on pasture. The organic pasture grass and alfalfa help bring out the delicious natural flavors of the pork. The fresh greens are loaded with vitamins which benefit the pigs and virtually eliminate the need for medication. In fact pasture raised pork is higher in Omega 3 fatty acids and vitamins making it healthier for our families. During the winter, we custom mix our own feed consisting of locally grown alfalfa and grain. Since there are some big apple farms around, our pigs are spoiled with delicious apples which actually sweeten the meat.

As you can see, we have chosen a very natural approach. The genetic makeup of Berkshires naturally give us superior meat. The environment we raise our pigs in give them a healthy, happy, and stress free life. The feed we give our animals is natural and the best quality we can find. Offering moldy bread and outdated, processed foods is not an option. Everything that goes into growing our pork, (animal, environment, and feed) is the best. As the old saying goes, you reap what your sow.

An Intoduction to Christiansen's Hog Heaven

Christiansen's Hog Heaven is a small family owned farm. We are nestled close to the Sheeprock Mountains in Vernon, Utah. Vernon is a quaint little town of 220 people. Most folks in Vernon raise cattle and alfalfa.

Our family consists of Christian and Hollie and our two (soon to be three) children; Hans (age 5) and Dane (age 3). Hollie is expecting a little girl in June 2009.
As a family we are trying to become more self sufficient and less dependent on others for food. At a minimum we try to purchase locally grown foods. In addition to gardening, we have raised our own chickens, pork, and beef. However, since we only have a small amount of land to work with, we have decided to focus on raising pork.

We have primarily focused on raising registered Berkshire pigs (aka Kurobuta pork) as they are known worldwide for producing the highest quality pork. They are also very hearty and can tolerate the extreme temperature fluctuations that high altitude living demands. We believe in treating our animals humanely and with respect. We believe that this is what our Creator expects of us as stewards of our animals. We pasture raise our pigs and custom mix our own combination of locally grown grains and legumes. Our pigs are free to roam in our pasture. From the day our pigs are born they are given the freedom and comfort that animals deserve. Our pigs farrow in deep straw beds not farrowing crates. They have access to shelter or the outdoors whenever they choose. We don't medicate our pigs, clip teeth, dock tails etc... and make every effort to pamper them. We feel that keeping our pigs clean and happy is our duty. In return our family and our customers enjoy the highest quality pork.

Our goal is to offer superior pork to our local customers. We take issue with the way 99% of our meat is raised in this country. We understand the economic reasoning behind the Midwest region raising all of our pork in large buildings and shipping it all over the country. Aside from the treatment of the animals, it troubles us that a product has to be shipped such long distances. It creates vulnerabilities when communities, states, and regions cannot produce their own food. Not to mention the unnecessary consumption of fuel. We hope that our customers not only appreciate the taste and quality of our pork but all the factors that go into it (natural, humane, local, pasture raised, heritage breed, etc…) This is not the cheapest or easiest way to raise meat, but we feel it is the most responsible and ethical approach.

Our farm is truly a family farm. As a family we genuinely enjoy raising pigs. Our boys love going out to feed the pigs as is evident in the lightning speed in which they can slip on their mud boots and Carhartt jackets. Hollie and I go on “little pig dates” where we hold hands and walk out to the pigs to check on them. It is very therapeutic to lean against a fence post and just watch the pigs. We thank you for your interest in Christiansen’s Hog Heaven and are pleased offer 100% pure Berkshire pork from our farm to your table.