Christiansen's Hog Heaven and Family Farm (CSA)

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Christiansen's Hog Heaven and Family Farm
P.O. Box 32
Vernon, Utah 84080-0032
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Christiansen's Hog Heaven is a small family owned farm. We are nestled close to the Sheeprock Mountains in Vernon, Utah. Vernon is a quaint little town of 220 people. Most folks in Vernon raise cattle and alfalfa. Our family consists of Christian and Hollie and our two sons Hans (age 5) and Dane (age 4) and our new daughter Shia who was born in June 2009. Our farm is truly a family farm. As a family we genuinely enjoy raising animals. Our boys love going out to feed the pigs as is evident in the lightning speed in which they can slip on their mud boots and Carhartt jackets. Hollie and I go on “little pig dates” where we hold hands and walk out to the pigs to check on them. It is very therapeutic to lean against a fence post and just watch the pigs and cows grazing and chickens scratching and pecking. We thank you for your interest in Christiansen’s Hog Heaven and are pleased offer humanely treated, pasture raised, all natural, Berkshire pork, Grass Fed Beef, and soon pastured poultry from our sustainable farm to your table.

CSA

We would like to offer our customers the chance to save money by investing in their food up front with our Family Packages and Meat CSA shares! This will help give us the cash flow we need to operate for the year. Please help support our farm and our farming methods by buying one of our Family Packages or CSA shares.

One CSA share will give you 10 lbs of meat per month. This may include beef, pork, or chicken. We will try and always give you meat from at least two animals and will disperse the premium cuts the best we can. Please keep in mind that a beef only produces so many T-Bone steaks but a lot of hamburger. Regardless, it is all of the highest quality. If you have a larger family or like to eat meat, then you may want to buy two or three shares depending on your needs. Each share is $50 and must be purchased in increments of 6 months at a time (Total of $300). If you buy one year at a time, we can offer a discount of $25 for a total of $575. CSA shares will begin in May but we encourage you to purchase now as we will only offer 30 shares to begin with. After that we will go to a wait list. At that point we will evaluate if we can handle more CSA shares.

Although our prices are similar (and often less) than that you would pay in the grocery store, we can't compare them as they are not even the same product. We offer gourmet quality meats. We raise non-commercial heritage breeds, that are raised ethically and sustainably, fed premium 100% vegetarian feeds, handled humanely, and processed in clean owner operated facilities. As always, we never use antibiotics, hormones, or any other chemical. A quick Meat CSA Google search will reveal what a value we are offering as most of the results will show prices anywhere from $7-$10/lb. We are pleased to offer our CSA shares at $5.00/lb of actual cuts.

We will soon set a permanent date for our deliveries. It will be something easy like the 4th Saturday of every month. We will then set a schedule to be at each meeting point for one hour. You or somebody on your behalf will be expected to show up during this time to pick up your meat. If you are unable to make it, you will need to pick up the meat at our farm or forfeit that month's share without refund or credit. We don't mean to sound harsh as we try and be very flexible, but we are very limited on time and can't be driving into to town to make small deliveries here and there. We also look forward to meeting you during these deliveries and answering questions you may have. Feel free to contact us with any questions you have about our CSA Shares.

Grass Fed Meats

We are pleased to offer gourmet quality grass fed meats from our family farm to your family's table. Please choose from the following menu:

Pasture Raised Berkshire Pork

Our pasture raised Berkshire pork is the most flavorful, tender, and moist pork you will ever eat. There are several unique factors that contribute to our gourmet quality pork.

First, we abandoned the industry breeds that for decades have been bred to make pork more like chicken. (Hence the term, "the other white meat".) After much research, we settled on the heritage Berkshire breed. Also known as Kurobuta pork. The Berkshire breed is a hearty breed that adapts well to a variety of climates. Since we live in the high desert mountains with hot dry summers and cold snowy winters, the Berkshire breed is ideal. A pig that thrives in extreme conditions will produce higher quality meat than a pig that is suffering because it has being kept outside when it has been bred for indoor production.

Berkshire (Kurobuta) pork is known throughout the world for its superior meat quality. It is often referred to as the "Kobe beef" of pork. Berkshire pork has fat finely marbled throughout the meat. This gives the pork moisture, lots of flavor, and tenderness.

As if this wasn’t enough, our pork is pasture raised making it nutrient dense in Omega 3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). We feed our pigs locally grown alfalfa/grass hay, wholesome grains, and fresh produce. We never feed our pigs bread, old donuts, slop, or restaurant scraps. Not only are these foods unhealthy for pigs, but they also contribute to poor quality pork. Our pigs are raised naturally without antibiotics or growth promoters/hormones. We treat our pigs humanely and handle them gently. Our pigs are the happiest pigs you have ever seen. In fact, our neighbors often tease us for spoiling our animals. We take it as a compliment.

We are confident that you will find that all of these practices make a huge difference in the taste and quality of our meat. Our pork is now being featured in local Utah restaurants and we usually have a customer wait list for our pork. This many chefs and customers can’t be wrong. The best part is that our pork is actually cheaper than the price you pay at the store! You choose how your pork is processed and we are always happy to make recommendations if you need guidance. What are you waiting for? Get ready to enjoy thick, juicy pork chops, mouthwatering brown sugar cured/hickory smoked hams and generously sliced bacon, tender roasts, perfectly seasoned sausage and more!

Grass Fed Beef

Our grass fed beef comes from humanely treated cows.

Pasture Raised Chicken

Our pasture raised chicken is raised humanely on our organic pasture.

Pasture Raised Turkey

Our Heritage breed turkeys are raised humanely on our organic pasture.

Apples

In the true nature of family farming, family member Sherman Bronson has a small apple orchard in Lehi and is selling scrumptious, tree ripened Red Delicious and Gold Delicious apples. These apples are fresh, crisp, and delicious!

Several customers have asked to pick the apples themselves. This is a great family activity and helps the young ones understand where our food comes from. If you would like to pick the apples, they have the ladders, picking bags, and boxes. Otherwise, you can swing by or call us to buy a box already picked. Since we end up picking a lot of the apples and our labor is free the price is the same either way. The price is $15/bushel which is around 40 lbs.

The Red Delicious apples store well through the winter and are good for eating as well as pie filling and make great apple chips (dehydrated). The Gold Delicious don't store as well but make amazing apple sauce, pie filling, and apple chips. Both varieties also make good cider.

 if you haven't tried to process your own apples and would like to try, we would be happy to explain the processes.

Apples are located at 590 E. 3200 S. in Lehi, Utah. Sometimes you will also see them selling by the Zions Bank in Lehi off of Main Street. Hollie has also set up a small stand in front of our house in Vernon at 47 S. Main Street.

Recipes

We have posted some of our favorite recipes here. (Pork, Chicken, Beef & Turkey)
However, we are not chefs by any means. If you have a family favorite, please share it and we will post it on this site!

Our Values

Another factor contributing to our pork quality is that we raise the pigs on pasture. Keeping the pigs on pasture has lots of benefits. The pigs get to run around and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine keeping them healthy and happy. They eat fresh living grass which gives the pigs nutrients and in turn increases the amount of Omega 3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) found in our pork. The exercise the pigs get also contribute to firmer meat as opposed to the mushy pork you get at the store.

Premium, Local Feed
We never feed our pigs bread, old donuts, slop, or restaurant scraps. Not only are these foods unhealthy for pigs, but they also contribute to poor quality pork. Our feeds are always of premium quality. Our pigs are spoiled on fresh grass and legumes, wholesome locally grown grains, and seasonal treats like apples and pumpkins in the fall and winter.

Humanely Treated
Our pigs are handled and treated humanely. We are gentle and caring with all of our animals. Our pigs enjoy snuggling into fresh clean straw beds to keep warm in the winter, and wallowing in cool mud baths in the summer. We don’t dock tails, clip teeth, or use farrowing crates. Our pigs live a happy stress free life on our farm.

Raised Naturally
Our pigs are raised free of antibiotics and growth promoters/hormones. It is amazing how much healthier animals get when you mimic nature. We have seen many farms regularly use antibiotics in their pig feed and give regular injections to keep their pigs alive. Why? Because they are penned up in 6” of their own muck and then forced to eat their food off the ground. Not only is this unhealthy for the pigs but it helps promote the development of antibiotic resistant “super bugs”

This is not the cheapest or easiest way to raise meat, but we feel it is the most responsible and ethical approach.

See Also

• "Pure Pork Nirvana" - The Salt Lake Tribune, by Kathy Stephenson. photos by Scott Sommerdorf.