THE TASTE OF RED WATTLE PORK:  

    Renowned St. Louis chef Julie Ridlon (owner of Chanterelle Catering,
    co-founder of Clayton Farmer's Market, and founder of
    Missouri Chef's Collaborative) reported the following:

    "On Oct. 24, 2006  I hosted an industry pork butchering and blind tasting,
    which included around 20 cooks, interns and chefs (including St. Louis
    area's Andy White and Ed Neil).  We compared water content, fat color,
    what the pigs were fed, varieties of heritage breeds....and of course
    a loin from Sam's wholesale just to contrast.

    We had  7 samples, all from small family pork farmers except for Sam's :

    1)  Berkshire fed Jersey whey, Rolla, MO.
    2)  Berkshire not fed Jersey whey, Cape Girardeau, MO
    3)  Duroc, Oklahoma
    4)  RED WATTLE, Kansas
    5)  Chester/Tamworth, Cape Girardeau, MO
    6)  Ossabaw, Chapel Hill, NC
    7)  Sam's wholesale loin...

    The RED WATTLE entry won 1st place in the blind taste test.     

    We are waiting for a time when it is feasible to buy RED WATTLE
    wholesale for our restaurants and catering businesses."

    Editor's note:  Julie told us after the taste test that most of the pork
    samples were fresh slabs of meat, whereas the RED WATTLE meat
    came to them frozen.  

    OTHER CHEFS COMMENT on RED WATTLE PORK:  

    Kevin Gillespie, world-respected Executive Chef of Spokane's Luna restaurant,
    says that his favorite hog is the Red Wattle.


    Bon Appetit magazine's February 2008 issue makes mention of the Red Wattle
    in two separate articles, establishing them as an up-and-coming breed.   

    In an article about Manhattan's posh Del Posto restaurant joint-owned by
    Mario Batali, we read, " One of Batali's preferred breeds, the Red Wattle pig,
    once had a dwindling population but, thanks to demand from restaurants
    like Del Posto, it has become a viable breed for farmers to grow.  
    "We joke that we're preserving these pigs by eating them," says
    Del Posto executive Mark Ladner.

    Susan S, Missouri:  I got a couple of butcher piglets last spring from you all,
    and the meat is great—we’re REALLY addicted to that bacon and we had fun
    making a brined ham with a whole leg for Christmas last fall—best we’ve
    ever tasted.  
Unless otherwise noted, all photos on this website are property of Five Ponds Farm;
use and duplication by permission only.
butchered at our farm.

The meat is bright red with a
thin layer of fat
FIVE  PONDS  FARM ,  Thomasville,  Missouri.    
Please call :   417-764-3641   
or  e-mail us:   marian@fivepondsfarm.com  or  vanbeever@centurylink.net