Edwards Berkshire “City Ham” with Fresh Farfalla Pasta

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Edwards Berkshire “City Ham” with Fresh Farfalla Pasta

Founder of Heritage Foods USA Patrick Martins and his fiance Anne Saxelby, owner of Saxelby Cheesemongers, sent us this photo of a delicious treat they cooked up: Edwards Berkshire “City Ham” with Fresh Farfalla Pasta. It’s diced Edwards Berkshire “City Ham,” sautéed with garlic and frozen peas, added crème fraiche and tossed with fresh farfalla pasta. Yum!! Patrick and Anne are quite the team; not just in the kitchen, but in the food world as well. Patrick and his company have been a strong advocate in the Slow Food Movement and have done wonders to spread the message of “slow food” via his radio station, The Heritage Radio Network, which features a radio show hosted by Anne Saxelby called “Cutting the Curd.” Continue reading →

Lucky Pig for a New Year!

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Lucky Pig for a New Year!

According to a recent article from delish.com, Pork is known throughout the world as a symbol of “luck” especially in time for the new year: “Due to pigs’ dining habits, many countries, including Austria, Cuba, and Spain, view pork as a good-luck food. As pigs root for food, they keep their feet planted and push their snouts forward, signifying progress and future properity.” If you’re in need of a little more hog-inspired luck , the Edwards Virginia Ham Shoppe of Surry has what we call a “Good Luck Pig.” Otherwise known as a “Glucksschwen,” the Good Luck Pig gets its lucky fame from German folklore where it is believed that during hard times, “having a pig meant you were very lucky indeed.” We hope you all find a little luck this upcoming year and have a Happy New Year!
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Introducing Red Barn Berkshire Farm

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Red Barn Berkshire Farm

Seward is rekindling a lifestyle that goes back several generations. Tony, collaborating with Edwards Virginia Traditions, has begun raising certified humane, antibiotic-free berkshire pigs on his family-owned Red Barn Berkshire Farm. In fact, certifiedhumane.org has recognized Tony’s farm as its newest Certified Humane farm. Here’s an excerpt from one of their articles: Tony Seward, owner of Red Barn Berkshires, is a third generation farmer; his family has worked their land in Surry County, Virginia since the early 1900’s. Over the generations, the Seward family has raised a variety of crops and livestock, and now Tony is utilizing his large pastures and wooded lots to raise heritage breed Berkshire pigs. The pigs are free to roam, root and wallow, and have large bedded huts in each pasture.
“Becoming certified was really important for me,” said Tony. “I work hard to make sure my animals have the best life possible, and having the recognition of being a Certified Humane® farm means a lot.” Continue reading →

Holiday Pork

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Holiday Pork

Being in the curing business, I have to admit to a special fondness for all things pork during holiday times. When Nana, my Grandmother, was in charge of the festivities, she always served our extra special Wigwam ham hand picked by Pop Pop, my grandfather. This ham has been aged for about a year and has a really intense hammy flavor. We only had it at Christmas time, it was that special. Later on, when my Mom took over the holiday cooking, she would make these fantastic rolls from mashed potatoes. Dad would carve that Wigwam and lay a warm slice in one of those little fluffy rolls, and man, that was heaven. Continue reading →