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 noticeable. Acorns have long been fed to Mangalitsa pigs like those that we raise in Iowa, and supplement their already noticeably richer, creamier fat with a nutty (of course), earthy flavor.
Long term, we are going to shift our focus to raising our pigs outdoors, on pastures, with Oak trees, full time. this is a true undertaking that we are only just beginning, but draw inspiration from the traditions of Ancient Spain.
If you’d like to try some of our Mangalitsa pork, raised sustainably on a heritage farm in southeast Iowa, please click here to order now!