Organic/Local Pork Share- Centretown [Food/Vendor]
2010 Sep 20
BTW, when it comes time to split it, you'll want some decent scales so you can weigh each cut and mark on it the weight. Then we just did what you suggested is do round robin with same cuts to try to ensure everyone gets a bit of everything. If you have 2 people per pig that is easy since it has 2 halves that are the same. Well, except for organs and tongue. If you have more than 2 per pig you have some choices to make.
So weigh it all first, and then divvy it up. As you are handing out the pieces, you record each piece and the weight to that person. We put all of that into a google spreadsheet and then for each person it totaled up the total weight they got, and then each person got charged according to their total weight versus the total weight of everything versus the total price, if you get my drift. E.g. if you have 6 people, when you divvy it up, each one will not get exactly 1/6th of the total. So to make it fair they should not pay exactly 1/6th, they should pay for the total percentage they got. This is easy to do if you weigh it all first as I noted above.
Now I recall, we had 6 people on 3 half pigs.
So weigh it all first, and then divvy it up. As you are handing out the pieces, you record each piece and the weight to that person. We put all of that into a google spreadsheet and then for each person it totaled up the total weight they got, and then each person got charged according to their total weight versus the total weight of everything versus the total price, if you get my drift. E.g. if you have 6 people, when you divvy it up, each one will not get exactly 1/6th of the total. So to make it fair they should not pay exactly 1/6th, they should pay for the total percentage they got. This is easy to do if you weigh it all first as I noted above.
Now I recall, we had 6 people on 3 half pigs.
2010 Sep 20
Here is what we got
spreadsheets.google.com
A few things to remember :
- if you want organs, bones, tongue, etc, say so up front
- buying a side of pork the price is usually quoted in "hung weight" which basically includes the entire beast minus head and blood. What you end up with is "cut weight" which is typically about 25% to 30% less than "hung weight"
Two people on a side (4 per pig) will easily fit into the freezer of a larger kitchen fridge, though not much else will.
spreadsheets.google.com
A few things to remember :
- if you want organs, bones, tongue, etc, say so up front
- buying a side of pork the price is usually quoted in "hung weight" which basically includes the entire beast minus head and blood. What you end up with is "cut weight" which is typically about 25% to 30% less than "hung weight"
Two people on a side (4 per pig) will easily fit into the freezer of a larger kitchen fridge, though not much else will.
2010 Sep 20
Snoopy Loopy:
Yes, I'd like to double-check final price as well. They sell a mixed-pack of butchered meat for $7 a lb, so my guess is a half share would not come out to more than that a lb. From various estimates, a half of pig would cost about 430ish dollars. I THINK taxes included. And we would expect about 65ish lbs of butchered meat. Coming out to about 6.5 a lb. With an expected buy-in for about $110 and a take-home of about 16lbs.
I think that should fit fine in a standard freezer, with some room to spare.
Judging from what I've heard from Zym and flashweb.com
I think splitting a half between more than 4 people would be a pain.
Zym: to double-check, your spread sheet was for a whole pig, not a half, correct?
Yes, I'd like to double-check final price as well. They sell a mixed-pack of butchered meat for $7 a lb, so my guess is a half share would not come out to more than that a lb. From various estimates, a half of pig would cost about 430ish dollars. I THINK taxes included. And we would expect about 65ish lbs of butchered meat. Coming out to about 6.5 a lb. With an expected buy-in for about $110 and a take-home of about 16lbs.
I think that should fit fine in a standard freezer, with some room to spare.
Judging from what I've heard from Zym and flashweb.com
I think splitting a half between more than 4 people would be a pain.
Zym: to double-check, your spread sheet was for a whole pig, not a half, correct?
2010 Sep 20
My spread sheet includes 3 half pigs
Weight is metric so total cut weight of 3 half pigs was 67.5kg. They were fairly small though. It was $200 per half.
Not sure how married you are to Upper Canada but you can also check the localvore's thread to see what else is out there. My pig was not billed as organic but it was to my standards when asking questions of the farmer.
Forum - the localvores' thread
EDIT: by my calculations of 67.5kg for $600, it is about $8.80 per kg CUT WEIGHT, which is pretty darned good for local organic pork.
My calculations of your $110 per 16lb estimate comes in at a significantly higher $15.10 per kg CUT weight. Now that is probably certified organic, is it? And an heirloom breed if I am not mistaken, so a bit of apples and oranges comparison.
Weight is metric so total cut weight of 3 half pigs was 67.5kg. They were fairly small though. It was $200 per half.
Not sure how married you are to Upper Canada but you can also check the localvore's thread to see what else is out there. My pig was not billed as organic but it was to my standards when asking questions of the farmer.
Forum - the localvores' thread
EDIT: by my calculations of 67.5kg for $600, it is about $8.80 per kg CUT WEIGHT, which is pretty darned good for local organic pork.
My calculations of your $110 per 16lb estimate comes in at a significantly higher $15.10 per kg CUT weight. Now that is probably certified organic, is it? And an heirloom breed if I am not mistaken, so a bit of apples and oranges comparison.
2010 Sep 20
I will definitely peruse the localvores thread. I've actually been looking for an "all natural small farm" pig OVER an organic one simply for price reasons. But the nearest one I've found is in Pembroke, which again, begs a car.
But the Pembroke one looks awesome/cheap.
www.ottawavalleyfood.org
I'm totally geeking out about pork.
I don't know about Snoopy Loopy, English Foodie, and Chimichuri, but if they would be willing to go for a non-certified variety, I would be as well, provided there is one that delivers. I'm going to continue to search a bit before I commit to 60 lbs of hog.
But the Pembroke one looks awesome/cheap.
www.ottawavalleyfood.org
I'm totally geeking out about pork.
I don't know about Snoopy Loopy, English Foodie, and Chimichuri, but if they would be willing to go for a non-certified variety, I would be as well, provided there is one that delivers. I'm going to continue to search a bit before I commit to 60 lbs of hog.
2010 Sep 20
Don't worry about a car, if I go in on this I will pick it up if need be. Sometimes farmers offer delivery or dropoff services as well. I know some places don't bother with organic certification because they adhere to sound practices already (as Zym stated) and are comfortable in their ways. I think there's also an added expense to becoming a certified facility, so it keeps costs down.
OttawaNewbie
I was wondering if anyone would like to go in on pork-share with me? I'd like to be able to order local/organic pork, but I've found the prices rather prohibitive (student budget). Doing some research, I've found that bulk orders save you quite a bit of $$. However, I have a standard "top unit" freezer and no car.
I figure I am not the only urbanite on a budget who yearns for quality bacon, pork chops, and ribs. Upper Canada Heritage offers free delivery on orders over 100, and they offer a pork sampler pack (same 100 dollar minimum) at 7 dollars a pound. This works out to about a 14.5 lb minimum order. I figure I can fit half of that in my freezer, so I need one other person willing to go in on it with me.
www.uppercanadaheritagemeat.ca
If there are enough people, we could even split a half pig! (I have heard estimates of about 60-75 lbs butchered meat for a half-share. So if we can get 7+ people I would be in for that.
I would like to divide all cuts as equally as I can (everyone gets a bit of everything).
I live in Centretown, near Chinatown and Little Italy. Anyone is welcome to join in on the order, so long as you live near enough (or have a car) to pick up your order the same day. I am happy to place the order, but since there is a price list available, I would like to recieve payment in advance (happy to confirm with receipt from UCHM).
Please respond if you're interested, and we can talk about logistics.