Forget ignoring how pork is finished. It’s time to appreciate acorns!

There is an interesting article posted here by an organization promoting the traditional uses of nuts.  One of those traditional uses is feeding acorns to hogs, which would be quite a chore collecting and then feeding the acorns, unless the hogs live in an oak forest like here at Bartlett Farms.  

Here are a few of the bullet points from that article:

-> Acorn-finished pork is a centuries-old tradition that has been handed down from the Mediterranean region of Europe.

-> ..more humane for the pigs, better for the environment, and healthier for the consumer than pork produced by modern factory farms.

-> The practice of finishing pigs on acorns followed European settlers to North America and is regaining popularity today due to its many benefits..

-> ..allowing the pigs to enjoy fresh air and sunshine, as well as practice natural behaviors such as rooting and nesting.

-> spread their manure naturally, eliminating the toxic waste..manure from pastured pigs can actually improve the soil.

-> acorn-finished pork is tastier and healthier for the consumer.

-> Studies of Spanish pata negra [acorn-fed, $100 per pound] pork have found that the fat they produce is largely unsaturated, often to the point of being liquid at room temperature, and that it is extremely high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids and oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that is also known to lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and raise HDL (“good”) cholesterol. In fact, the pigs are sometimes called “olive trees on four hooves” because the health benefits are similar to olive