P.S. Don’t forget to order your Certified Organic Ham and Fresh Pork Roasts for Christmas.

NSW

METROPOLITAN

ABOUT LIFE - ROZELLE

ACCOUTREMENT - MOSMAN

AUBURN MEADOW MEATS - ROSE BAY

AVALON ORGANICS

CAFE DELANTE - NEUTRAL BAY

CAMPERDOWN CELLARS

CRAVE - BONDI JUNCTION

DE’LISH - LINDFIELD

DULWICH HILL GOURMET MEATS -DULWICH HILL

EARTH FOOD STORE - BONDI BEACH

FAIRLIGHT GOURMET MEATS - FAIRLIGHT

FOOD STUFF - MONA VALE

FOURTH VILLAGE - MOSMAN

HUMMERSTON GOURMET MEATS - LANE COVE

IGA - ROSEBERY

MACRO WHOLEFOODS - CROWS NEST

MACRO WHOLEFOODS - HORNSBY

7TH HEAVEN WHOLEFOODS - RANDWICK

NORTON ST GROCER - BONDI JUNCTION

Craig Cooks Prime Quality Meats - Birkenhead

Craig Cooks Prime Quality Meats Deli David Jones - Bondi Juction 

Craig Cooks Prime Quality Meats - NORTHBRIDGE

Craig Cooks Prime Quality Meats - RHODES

RICCIOTTI - HUNTER’S HILL

T & R MEATS - DOUBLE BAY

THE FINE FOOD STORE - ROZELLE

THE POINT DELI - MCMAHON’S POINT

WHOLEFOODS HOUSE - WATERLOO

WHOLEFOODS HOUSE - WOOLLAHRA

REGIONAL

MANUKA FINE FOODS - ACT

SINGLETON ORGANICS - SINGLETON

SOUTHERN CROSS BUTCHERY - MURWILLUMBAH

WHOLLY SMOKED - BYRON BAY

QUEENSLAND

ORGANIKA - NOOSAVILLE

VICTORIA

BELMORE BD MEATS - BELMORE

MACRO WHOLEFOODS VIC GLEN WAVERLY

MACRO WHOLEFOODS VIC RICHMOND

THIS IS NOT TRUE

As a certified organic pork producer and a past associate member of the Free Range Pork Farmers Association, I can tell you plainly and honestly that they are not the same.  The only similarity is that Certified Organic Pigs must also be able to range freely.

All certified organic pork must be raised free range, however all free range pork is not organic.  

Certified Organic Pork is a standard above free range.

Here are just a few differences:Free Range Pigs can be confined to sheds, Certified Organic pigs must always have access to the outdoors.Free Range Pigs can be treated with antibiotics, Pigs sold as Certified organic never have antibiotics in their lifetime.Free Range Pigs can be treated with chemicals, Certified Organic Pigs can never be treated with chemicals in their lifetime.Free Range Pigs can eat grains that have been treated with chemicals, Certified Organic Pigs can only eat feed that meets the Australian Certified Organic Standards.Certified Organic Means no GMO’s, No Hormones and Natural Breeding also.On our Farm, Pigs are always free to graze outdoors, never confined to a shed.  We grow special, High Protein, Irrigated, Certified Organic Pastures for our pigs to graze on.  We don’t have any permanent pig sheds to confine our pigs in, we have mobile shelters, feeders and waterers so that we can keep the pigs, the pastures and the land healthy by moving around from paddock to paddock.The Slaughter-men at the Abattoirs we have our pigs killed at keep making some very interesting comments.

1.  that they have not seen such healthy organs as those that come out of our certified organic, pasture fed Pigs.
2. They also keep asking what we use to worm our pigs as ours are clean of intestinal parasites, whereas other pigs that are killed there, that can use chemical wormers, still have worm infestations.
3. The meat from our pigs must be very tender as it is much easier to cut than the other pigs they have come through.

All I can say is that it is the natural cycles that we follow of a short graze and then long rest period for the pastures, automatically breaks the life cycle of any parasites. The clean fresh pastures we give them are also full of Chlorophyll, a natural detoxifier and organ cleanser.  As our pigs are not fed a ration with soy meal or canola meal (Both can contain GM material) they take a little more time to grow and don’t get a “pumped up” look.  Ours pigs get natural amino acids from the green legumes and organic grains that they eat so we don’t need to add extra to their diet.To become certified organic you have to be committed to the principles of organic farming.  You can’t just reach for the nearest quick fix, you have to plan well, research the cause of problems and not just treat the symptoms.  Its not much wonder that there are not a lot of organic pig farmers in Australia, it is hard work and takes a commitment of 3 years of organic farming, before you can sell your pork as organic.The Australian Standard for Organics will soon be arbitrated by Standards Australia, this will help to weed out those who are currently saying they are organic, or farming organically, but are not certified organic. I have heard and seen complaints from some of these people saying that it is unfair that the word organic can only be used by certified organic producers, but I see it as a guarantee.  A guarantee that the producer is willing to put the time, effort and money into following the Australian Organic Standards, and is willing to have a third party come onto their farm at least once a year to take samples, audit the paperwork and planning procedures, and to ensure animal husbandry is being carried out to the high level demanded of a certified organic grower.  Otherwise, what checks and measures do you have?So when you buy certified organic pasture perfect® pork, you are guaranteed not only by us that it is free from Chemicals, Antibiotics, Hormones and Gmo’s, but that it is also tested to ensure that our word is true.

Sadly they put the bad word on bacon and fail to mention that nitrates are used even in many fresh sausages and all fermented salamis (you are not allowed to make a fermented meat product to sell in Australia without them) but don’t give any information about how to source nitrite free products. You will be surprised how often nitrites/nitrates show up in many different foods. The food additive numbers to look out for are 250, 251 and 252.

Being a Certified Organic Grower, and after having raised our pigs with such care toward their health, we feel that it is just as important to take equal care with the way the pork is processed for the health of the people that eat it. That is why we chose from the very beginning, to not use nitrites and nitrates in our ham, bacon and salami, and make our sausages free of preservatives, using only natural spices to flavour them.

Another sad thing is the resistance of Butchers to make a Nitrate Free Product. Many actually told us that it was illegal to make ham and bacon without the nasties. So much negative hype is made about food poisoning and bacteria, much like in the case of raw milk. Don’t people realise that when an animal is raised in a clean enviroment with the ability to graze/select thier own feed, that the actual products from these animals are higher in natural antioxidants and are not a natural harbour for bacteria.

Wow, I was getting quite passionate there. I can only say that as a consumer, you and I have the ultimate power to support food that enhances, not dimishes our wellbeing.

You would think that living out in the country would mean that we could access great food no problems, but the reality for a lot of country people is that if you don’t grow it yourself, its very hard to come by. One thing that is great out here though is that people are being more proactive. There is no organic store here so a co-op is being started up. I cant wait until I can easily get my whole milk, organic or chemical free veg and fruit as well as some of the great local grass fed lamb and beef.

One of the things that I miss most about not travelling to South East Queensland every weekend is the food! Camille’s beautiful butter and Cheeses, the lovely Sourdough Breads, Full Fat Organic Buffalo Mozzarella, Pasture raised chickens, Incredible fresh organic vegies and seasonal fruit. We were lucky enough to have friends that were the distributors for whole, unpastuerised milk and cream as well. You can imagine me loading up every week with all of the goodies, many of which I was able to swap our pork for. Farmers Markets were the places where we had found great, fresh foods, reminiscent of our time travelling.

One of the biggest turning points in our lives was when we took time off from farming and travelled in South America. Previous to this we weren’t eating the best. I thought I was doing the right thing, trying to cut back on fats, increasing our complex carbohydrates etc and always cooking with fresh veg. Jack was an asthmatic, and had some weird skin disorder where he would break out in these little clear blisters. We were both carrying a little more weight than we should and ran short of energy easily.

The first place we went was Argentina… Grass Fed Beef Heaven. I remember the first Lunch that we went to at a specialty Parillada and Asado restaurant. The way that they cook beef in these places is not directly on heat but placed well enough away that you can leave your hand between the coals and the meat. Wow, melt in your mouth and so delicous. They had very simple salads to accompany. I think I ate over a kilo that fist day, Ditto or a bit more for Jack. We thought that we would feel really heavy after this, but surprisingly we didn’t. We also thought that we would have to really be careful about what we were eating, but as time went on we just felt better and better and started to lose weight.

We continued travelling and finding the best food we have ever tasted, Fresh ice cream made with cream and eggs (we would actually watch the trucks back up and unload crates of eggs and huge cream cans) in San Carlos de Bariloche, then we travelled on to Chile and tried the south pacific seafood. INCREDIBLE My favourite there was this dish they call Curante. It was made with all types of muscles, scallops and shellfish that are simmered in a broth based on a fatty smoked pork sausage, they then add about a pound of butter and fresh parsley and sauteed garlic. Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is just thinking about it!! We tried this in a little seafood market and then decided that we would not eat at restaurants any more, but at the local markets, because we really wanted to taste the flavours that the locals were eating. I think it was the best decision of the trip.

We continued to travel through Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador tasting the amazing local foods (most of which the other backpackers would turn their noses up at). I remember the most amazing sweet potato porridge for breakfast that had cinnamon and cloves and was served with freshly deep fried doughnut sort of things with honey drizzled over them. Of course all of the fried things that we ate were cooked in the highly saturated fats of palm oil or lard. The very incredible Ceviche (Raw Fish Salad)from Peru as well as the lovliest Beef liver sauteed with onion and peppers (this was an order error that turned out to be wonderful… Jack thought that he was getting steak) and Ecuador had the best pork I had ever tasted, in fact in Australia I had always found pork to have a funny flavour and to be quite dry, but they cooked the whole pig in a big bakers oven overnight there and… well you guessed it, it was the best we had ever tasted.

After 7 months of travel, and eating absolutely everything in site, we had lost 12 and 4 kg respectively and we felt fantastic. Jack had not had an asthma attack (not even when we were at very high altitudes in the Andes) and his skin had cleared up completely. I had always had hormonal pimples, but they had also cleared.

When we went back home we noticed a change immediately. The thing was, we just couldn’t get the great, fresh vegetables and fruit or meats that were not laden with chemicals or pumped up with grain. Not only that, we started to look on all of the other ingredients I had been using to cook with and noticed the numbers everywhere. Boy, was it hard to find things without numbers!! Its incredible, we learned more about food and nutrition travelling in third world countries than in school or from the many TV show that scare so many people.

I must say that I did have a very good Doctor though (who was also a personal friend) and when we went to him about the skin conditons etc. and told him about our trouble free time in South America, he told us that if that was the type of food that made us feel energised and obviously improved our health, that we should keep trying to eat that way.

It was such a great feeling to have all of the things that our bodies were telling us put into writing in the Nourishing Traditions book. When I read it (and then borrowed it for about a month from a friend) I promptly bought one, then Jack got on the internet and found Vicki Poulter and we ordered a box of twenty. After giving one each to all of my sisters and Sisters in Law and Mum and my Best Friends (Yes that is how you can tell you are my best Friend!!) I always took one to the markets and would loan them out (which would always end up in the reader buying one) to customers

I was often asked by customers (that had been to their doctor that week) if we had any bacon with less fat, or if the sausages could be made with less fat. I was always quick to pull out Nourishing Traditions and start the converstaions. I would always tell them that I no longer used vegetable oils for cooking and that I was using my lard instead for deep or shallow frying. That I always had butter on my sourdough and that it was put on so thick that it looked like how others would have cheese. They would always look at me with a mixture of amazement and worry (amazement that I was slim and healthy, and worry that I was doing my arteries damage), but after a little talk and being able to give them some points from NT, prinouts from the WAP website as well as the anecdotes from our travels, I was able to allay their fears and they would actually buy something that looked fattier than usual.

Lets hope we can all keep up the good work and keep learning.

Yours
Miriam

I (Miriam) was out this morning at dawn, doing the usual checks on sows and piglets and found a mother that had decided that she was not going to have her babies in one of the little houses that we fill with hay. She made up her own little nest with dry grass and had her 8 babies where she wanted to. That just means that I need to move the little house to her instead and renew/add to the straw that she had already gathered so they have a nice snug little home. Some of the mothers are very protective (yes this one was too) and some mornings I can feel a little like a lion tamer when I need to do things in the little house with them like ear tag all the babies. We try to do as little as possible to upset the mums and babies at this time, so they can all settle into a lovely feeding routine.

It has been a good winter so far for us. We have had rain enough to plant (direct drill) some barley into the paddocks so there is lots of green feed for the pigs through winter and spring. We use a no till planter so that we don’t disturb the summer grasses, but as they are dormant through winter, we like to put some winter crop in their to give the piggies extra greens. We would love another couple of inches of rain now though, if anyone has any connections :)

I tried to put a couple of photos in this morning, so that you could see what goes on here at the farm, but ran into a problem. I will try again. Until later. Take Care. Miriam