EDUCATION & RESOURCES
WHY BUYING LOCAL DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN BUYING CHEAPER.
"People actually buy your meat for those prices? Ugh." Real life words from a customer on her first time into our store. I gently replied, "Yes, ma'am. Our meat sales are the bread and butter of our business. The produce just fills the store." She stared at me blankly and continued to the checkout counter to purchase her apples and oranges. I wasn't offended, as we have a hard time keeping our freezers full to begin with but later on thinking about the interaction, I did see it as a teachable moment. While not buying meat directly from a local...
Fresh Chicken Is Rigor Mortis
Yup, I said it...RIGOR MORTIS. Here is a few reasons why you may want to rethink that 'fresh' chicken request. Last year, when we were solely processing on the farm, we would have people say, 'I can't wait to get home & cook this!' We would warn them not to, but they'd do it anyway in excitement & then would comment that the meat was tougher than usual. If you are unfamiliar, rigor mortis is the process in which the joints & muscles stiffen a few hours after death & lasts for 1-4 days. While many associate this process with...
Forest Raised Pork
What makes our pork different? A question that's commonly asked and easy to answer. Our hogs are raised in natural woodlands from the time that they are 8 weeks old until they go to slaughter. This has many benefits for both the producer, the consumer & most importantly, the animal. Our hogs are a vital piece of our farm and our pasture & forest management practices. At Hidden Creek, we give our hogs the space to be the animals that God (or the Big Bang, whatever y'all believe in is find with us) created. With only two strands of wire & a solar powered...
LEAVE THE LABELS AT THE SUPERMARKET
Labeling standards are confusing & it’s time that we as producers address them. In my own personal opinion, labels & definitions are not created by those on the frontlines of the industry. Instead, they are worked out at corporate headquarters with large scale suppliers sitting around a table with people bending words to fit their narrative & marketing strategies. Whether it’s eggs or livestock, there are so many terms that raise questions in my mind about if the definitions are to benefit the producer or the consumer.