Art of Pork Butchery - SOLD OUT

Join us for an immersive experience in Heartwood Farm and Cidery's gorgeous tasting room for The Art of Pork Butchery. Enjoy samples of heartwood's house-made hard cider, and get hands-on breaking down a whole hog. This workshop will leave you with a ton of knowledge about what goes into creating those cuts of meat that end up on your plate, how to make delicious use of some of the more under appreciated parts of the animal, a load of freshly cut pork to take home, and a deep appreciation for the people and animals that contribute to our local food (and booze) production networks!

Your guide, Jamie Waldron, has dedicated 15 years of his life to mastering the art and skills of butchery. Through working, learning, researching and teaching, he is reviving this age-old craft.

Heartwood Farm and Cidery sits on a 42-acre farm, where cows, pigs, chickens, bees, apples, maple trees, and other fruit and nut trees are raised and nutrured using an integrated Regenerative Farming approach that stewards healthy soil, water systems, agriculture, and livestock.

Click here to get a glimpse of what to expect during the workshop.

Check out the action of a past workshop featured on CBC's The Sunday Edition with Michael Enright.

You will learn:

• Pig anatomy
• How to break the hog into 'primals', which are the first cuts that represent the largest portions of the animal.
• Further processing into the 'retail cuts' such as the shoulder (boston and picnic), loin (chops and loin roasts), belly (bacon, pancetta), leg (ham, proccuttio) and finally the head (headcheese, guanciale).
• How to re-create the magic at home, including where and how to get yourself another pig, and basic food safety practices.
• Recommendations for cooking of various cuts
• The pig for this workshop is always locally sourced from ethical producers (and we are hoping that one of the animals from Heartwood will be available).

You will take home:

• Approximately 20 lbs of freshly cut pork (approximately $170 retail value)
• A solid foundation with the basic process and principles of pork butchery
• A new appreciation and connection with your food
• Recommended resources for continuing your learning, sourcing tools and raw materials for future projects.
• Food preparation and cooking suggestions.
• Connection to 7 other people who won't be freaked out if you ask them for advice on the finer points of preparing headcheese.

You want to take this class because:

• You are looking for solutions to sourcing animal protein in ways that support your values around farming practices and treatment of animals.
• You're a rural or urban homesteader who wants to learn how to butcher your own livestock or that of a local farmer
• You're a home chef and want to become more familiar with the anatomy of a pig and proper processing techniques
• You're a doer and are curious about the butchery process and yearning to learn a valuable, hands-on skills.

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When: Saturday January 26, 2019, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Where: Heartwood Farm and Cidery, 5438 Second Line Erin, RR3, Acton, ONL7J 2L9

Class Size: Maximum 8 people working with one whole pig.

Cost: $225.00 (Early Bird available until December 26, 2018)

$255.00 (Regular Bird)

Optional Deluxe Ticket: Have a 6" Victorinox Boning Knife and a copy of Jamie Waldron's Home Butchering Handbook waiting for you when you arrive. Add $70.00 to either Early Bird or Regular Bird ticket price.

What To Bring: Your favourite boning knife and favourite apron. Knives will be provided if you don't have your own or purchase the deluxe ticket. Please also bring a bag or bin to take your pork home in (it will be wrapped in butcher paper).