Our Blog

Why We Started a Mangalitsa Farm We decided a few years ago to start not only a farm, but a Mangalitsa farm. Most people don't even know what Mangalitsa is- so why did we decide to start one? When we started our farm, we researched virtually every breed of pig to determine what breed we should raise. Yes, this included taste testing! We looked at a number of pig breeds, and were astounded at the cool breeds of pigs and the high quality tasting pork that we didn’t know existed. Different breeds we evaluated included -Berkshires (the most popular non-mass-production) breed -Meishans (a Chinese...

Berkshire and Mangalitsa pigs are both known for their fine tasting pork. Berkshire has achieved wider fame in the United States. Sellers of Berkshire pork like D'Artagnan and Snake River Farms are known all over the United States for selling Berkshire Pork. Mangalitsa is a breed that has produced less volume in the United States, as an import from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but is rising quickly.  Our farm, Acorn Bluff Farms, set out to raise Mangalitsa (also often called Mangalica) pork in Southeast Iowa. We believe that Managalitsa or Mangalica is arguably the best tasting pork in the world, but Berkshire...

As demand for our world class Mangalitsa pork chops, bratwursts, hams, and other cuts has grown, Acorn Bluff Farms in Columbus Junction, Iowa has recently expanded into selling feeder Mangalitsa pigs throughout Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Kansas. In 2021, we sold several, and in 2022, demand is only rising. Remember, health papers and following all applicable laws is important in transmitting young piglets. If interested, please email us at acornblufffarms (at) gmail.com or follow this link to send us an email Mangalitsa piglets are known for their wooly, striped appearance that they eventually grow out of. Typically Mangalitsas...

    We all love a good Bratwurst. They’re juicy, tasty, full of flavor and perfect for the grill on a hot summer day or the cast iron skillet with onions on a cold winter’s day. Bratwursts are quintessentially German, but growing in popularity in the United States - 90 Million Americans in 2020 will consume at least one bratwurst, nearly one-third of the population! Where did bratwursts, or “brats” as they’re commonly known, come from?   The earliest recorded reference to Bratwurst is in the German city of Nuremberg in the year 1313! By 1432, German cities had developed...

We all saw the headlines. In our hometown of Columbus Junction, Iowa, there was a massive CoVID-19 outbreak. Nationwide warnings of meat shortages happened, with grocery store guests limited to a specific number of pieces of bacon. With CoVID-10 showcasing many of the flaws in our current system, buying local meat has become of vital importance.   We sell our Mangalitsa pork in the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids area. We chose to sell Mangalitsa because of the superior taste, but we also chose a farm to table method because we believe that not only is the cultural and local...

The last month of our pigs’ lives, we top off their meals with acorns. This ancient practice stems from the days of the noble Black Iberico Pig, which live in the Oak forests of southwest Spain and Eastern Portugal. Iberico pigs finish their last 60 days of livelihood feasting on pastures featuring oak trees, and their abundant mast, acorns. Pigs gain up to 2 lbs of fat a day on acorns in the wild, and can eat 20 lbs of acorns a day! While we supplement with acorns, rather than finish our pigs on them, the taste difference should be...

Mangalitsa Pork typically trades at a 10x-20x market premium over the pork you buy in regular grocery stores. A lot of that is due to its superior taste and marbling. We know Mangalitsa pork tastes better and why-but why is it so expensive? And is it worth it?   In short: Yes, it’s worth it!   Most Mangalitsa pigs are raised in different conditions than typical factory-farmed hogs are. The pigs are raised either of out of doors, or in areas where they are free to roam. While this leads to greater Hog Happiness, it leads to higher producdtion costs...

In the 1980s and 1990s, there was a hysteria that involved people thinking dietary fat was bad for them. While this was later disproven (and many times, the dietary fat not from vegetable oils is good for you), it lead to a structural change in how pork was delivered in America. The pork producers, in a brilliant marketing stroke but terrible tasting idea, bred much of the intra-muscular fat out of pigs. As anyone who has seen and then tasted a nicely marbled Wagyu steak knows-intramuscular fat is flavor! So the producers bred the flavor out of pork to appeal...

While sometimes sustainable farming means organic farming, there are many ways of farming sustainably. Sustainability means doing something that doesn’t cause long term harm to the environment, and allows for long term replication of that action. Ways that we and our family use sustainable practices without hurting ourselves economically:1)We practice no-till farming where applicable. This allows for better organic content reduction and improves soil health, while also preventing harmful runoffs and erosion. 2) We source food for our animals locally, and sell locally. Unsustainable infrastructure development is a contributor to the long term harm of our country, and farming and...

The sister farm to our pigs and pumpkins operations is Thistledown Farms. Thistledown Farms raises great-tasting heritage beef, and is affiliated with the American British White Park Association . We love our cattle as well, and are continuing to expand the operation. Please reach out if you are looking for locally-raised, prime beef in the Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, or Quad Cities area. You can contact Thistledown Farms by calling (319)728-2712 M-Fri and asking for Dr. Todd regarding beef. We typically sell quarters, halves, and whole, rather than individual cuts. By selling whole cuts, you get steak, etc for the...

Vegetable oil. That’s what most people cook with today. Obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other ailments are on the rise. While there are many contributors to the rise of the unhealthy American (sugar chief among them) the switch to vegetable oils rather than traditional lard may be a contributor. Vegetable oil is not something our bodies historically processed. Vegetable Oil has a lower boiling point than Lard, meaning it is cooked into our foods at an increasing rate, full of bad fats, and also harmful to the natural taste of whatever you are cooking.     By contrast, lard has...

We raise Mangalitsa, the best tasting breed of pork, on a farm in Iowa. Our Pigs  are fed a mix of acorns, corn, pumpkins, and other naturally occurring items on the farm, with the idea of augmenting the genetics that have created the best tasting pork in the world (often called Mangalitsa or Mangalica).    For millennia, domesticated hogs were raised outside, feeding on pasture and whatever they could scavenge. Many times pigs, like the famous Spanish breed, Ibericos, were finished on Acorns or other nuts. These nuts impart a rich, umami-like flavor that is missing in modern pork. Secondly, the...