Prairie Patch Farm

Prairie Patch Farm Medaryville, Indiana Large Black is the name of the very special breed we raise and is also known as a heritage breed. The meat you get from them has not been bred to be grown fast and cheaply. Large Black Pork is darker pork, known for being a bit more tender because of shorter muscle fibers. Large Blacks are not known for excess lard but have enough fat to present micro-marbling in the meat. This means when it cooks the meat self-bastes and retains its juicy, delicious flavor. If the only pork you have eaten before is from the grocery store, you are in for a real treat! Additionally, our pigs live longer and grow larger than is the standard for other farms. We are anticipating these pigs to weigh around 250 - 300#. The reason most farms don't grow pigs out to this size is that it costs considerably more to feed them after they have reached 200# in addition to managing them on the land for an extended time. Our hogs are raised on our family farm outside, in fields that include both grass and woodland. This allows them to dig for tubers and roots, but also graze the pastures. Since most heritage breeds need space, they tend to be raised more humanly and handled with care. A low stress environment means better meat. We offer our pork custom cut, meaning we sell our customers a live animal and deliver it to the processor. We charge by the pound on the hoof, which means the live weight of the animal before it leaves the farm. The animal is processed into whatever cuts the customer wants and they pick up their meat (and pay the processor) directly. This gives our customers the flexibility to determine what types of pork cuts they want. Buying meat this way also benefits your pocketbook, as the meat is offered at a lower price due to the lack of additional charges for freezer space, storage, etc. For more information call Robert Crisp at 219-843-7835. A whole hog will need about 5-6 cubic feet of freezer space and a half of a hog, about 3 cubic feet. Pork Cut Yield Per Hog Based on 184 lb Carcass (250 live weight) Ham 45 pounds, 24 percent of the carcass 25.5 pounds of cured ham, 2.3 pounds of fresh ham, 5.8 pounds of trimmings and 11.4 pounds of skin, fat, and bone Side (Belly) 34.9 pounds, 19 percent of the carcass 19 pounds of cured bacon, 5.8 pounds of spareribs, 9.1 pounds of trimmings and 1 pound of fat Loins 33.8 pounds, 18 percent of the carcass 3.2 pounds of backribs, 10.7 pounds of boneless loin, 7.6 pounds of country-style ribs, 5.7 pounds of sirloin roast, 1.6 pounds of tenderloin, 1.6 pounds of trimmings and 3.4 pounds of fat and bone Picnic 16.6 pounds, 9 percent of the carcass 12.6 pounds of boneless picnic meat and 4 pounds of skin, fat, and bone Boston Butt 14.7 pounds, 8 percent of the carcass 4.4 pounds of blade steaks, 7.8 pounds of blade roast, 1.7 pounds of trimmings and 0.8 pounds of fat Miscellaneous 39.2 pounds, 22 percent of the carcass 15.4 pounds of jowls, feet, tail, neck bones, etc., 22 pounds of skin, fat, and bone and 1.8 pounds of shrink and miscellaneous loss