Flying Pigs Farm

Raised in a Conservative Jewish family, bacon was not something I was so into. Sure, I would have an occasional piece when eating out, but it was never anything I got so excited about. In truth, mass produced inhumanely raised pork that most Americans lavish over, just does not do it for me. Over the last couple years as I have started to eat better quality protein and less carbs, I have become more of a bacon fan. I usually buy Applegate Farms uncured sunday bacon (expensive!), which I think is really good (cool tip from Jacques Pépin that makes bacon even better:
). I have not had Flying Pigs bacon yet, only their eggs, so this five star review is based on their eggs only. When I try their bacon I will do an update. But from what I gather online, they treat their pigs nicely… well, until they kill them.
Getting back to the eggs. The eggs are are delicious and very FRESH. You can tell by looking at the white part, it is well formed and firm. The yolks are darker too. Life is too short not to eat pasture raised eggs (that said, they still get a good % of their diet from grain and soy). «Cage Free» means nothing! These are not organic eggs, but in this context I’m not sure what that means or how significant that is. Also, last week they were selling a dozen for $ 3.50 which is a great value. Much better than the $ 8 or now $ 10 egg place a few stalls down! In my opinion, these are the best eggs at the Union Square Greenmarket when taking into account quality and value.

it’s time to write about the flying pigs farmstand at the union square greenmarket. as the name implies, their food is mainly pig-​related: sausage, bacon, pork, lard, bellies, bacon, bacon, and bacon. also fresh eggs.
i’ve had a chance to try four or five types of sausage, a few cuts of pork, and all three bacons. of the sausages, i like the breakfast version — apple pork — best, since breakfast has always been my greatest weakness. some of the other sausages are fantastic additions to a simple pasta — olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, sausage, parmesan on top, that’s all there is to it. the pork chops are excellently flavorful and have a good texture.
but the bacon is the real winner here. the belly cut is out of this world, unparalleled and absolutely delicious. it can attain crispness and the fat really melts in your mouth — instant morning joy. the shoulder cut is similar but meatier so it tends not to crisp like the belly, but still has that mouthwatering fat. i am eating some now as i write. the canadian is meatier and leaner still, also excellent.
the eggs sit at the top rung of what’s available at the greenmarket. maybe the angus beef stand down at the far end of the market (toward 14^th street) has better ones, especially their pullets, but at this high level we’re really splitting hairs. these eggs have the thick orange yolks that only come from pasture-​raised hens, and you can taste all the flavors of the farm in them (this is a good thing). i’ve learned that a good egg is actually a great one.
flying pigs is not an organic farm, but the animals are rare heritage breeds and they are raised humanely, allowed to graze with a diet consisting of grains, vegetables and fruits without antibiotics or animal parts in their feed. they get to roam outdoors and live in a clean environment. the farmers claim the animals are treated with respect and appreciation and i have no reason to doubt this — you can tour the farm (it’s in shushan, in the battenkill river valley about 200 miles upstate ny) as they set up regular tour days for the public.
for those interested in details, the pigs are Large Blacks, Gloucestershire Old Spots, and Tamworths, which are quite old breeds and now rare, and this is one of the distinctions of flying pigs farm: part of their story is their attempt to forestall the extinction of these rare old breeds. i wish them luck: the meat is more moist and flavorful than pork from conventional hybrids, and as a result of their farming methods a good deal healthier.
the flying pigs farmstand is only on saturdays.