Acorn-Fattened Pork

What is better than pasture-raised pork? Pasture-raised pork that’s finished on acorns.

Our latest restock on pork is just that. Throughout the fall, we moved the hogs through the woods weekly to chow down on acorns. Pigs are gluttons for acorns and when they amble into a new paddock, it is comical to see 56 pigs immediately put their heads down like vacuums and scavenge for acorns across the forest floor.

The pigs know what’s good for them. Acorns are a high-energy feed, which produces pork that is high in unsaturated fat, omega 3’s and oleic acid. Oleic acid, also found in olive oil, contributes to the juiciness and tenderness of the meat. This is why the Spanish often to refer acorn-raised Iberico pork as “olive oil on four hooves”.

Raising hogs amongst nut trees has a long history. Partially because pigs’ natural habitat is a woodland setting where they have shade and plentiful food. Think of their ancestor — the wild boar — who lived in the woods long before domestication. Iberico pork is perhaps the most famous, as this prized pork is raised on the Iberian peninsula in oak savannas or “dehesas.” But this practice is common around the world.

Pigs raised in the woods create healthier meat, happier animals, and an enterprise that’s better for the farmer’s pocketbook. Since pigs are monogastric animals, like humans, they cannot digest plants like ruminant animals. To complement their foraging on pastures, we supplement them with a non-GMO feed. We are proud that we source our feed from a family farm in Fairfield County, but the cost adds up.

Lucky for us, our pasture and woodlot rotation significantly offsets our feed costs. Because of foraging, each pig consumes 100 lbs less feed throughout its life. This may not seem like a lot, but multiplied by the 90 pigs we raised this year — it’s saving us 9,000 lbs of feed per year!

So dig in to a juicy pork chop and taste for yourself the difference that acorns make.