It’s National Pork Month – Go Hog Wild

You’ve heard the slogan about pork, “it’s the other white meat,” but do you know it’s the most widely consumed meat in the world? According to the USDA pork is eaten almost twice as much as chicken and ham is the number one lunch choice.

Even though we enjoy pork during all months of the year, when October rolls around we celebrate National Pork month and think back to a food industry ripe with tasty tradition. Pork tenderloin is flavorful and versatile and we all know and love everything about bacon! A study conducted by the USDA shows that six common cuts of fresh pork are leaner today than they were 15 years ago – about 16 percent lower in total fat and 27 percent lower in saturated fat, but this in no way detracts from its flavor. What it does mean though is that you want to marinate it before cooking to add flavor without fat and keep it moist during the cooking process.

 Here are some interesting pork facts:

• Did you know that pigs are found on every continent except Antarctica
• Pigs are the fourth most intelligent animals to walk the earth
• In the old days, ship captains kept pigs on board because they believed if the ship capsized, the pigs would always swim toward the nearest shore
• True, pigs wallow in mud but that’s because they don’t have sweat glands and need the water and mud to keep themselves cool
• China domesticated the first pigs around 7500 BC and they remain the largest producer of pigs
• In Denmark, there are twice as many pigs as there are people
• Pork provides protein, B-vitamins and more than three times the thiamin to our diets than any other food (thiamin changes carbohydrates into energy and promotes a healthy appetite)
• A pig’s squeal ranges from 110-115 decibels – a Concorde jet, by comparison is usually under 112 decibels

If pork has been a staple on your table because of its delicious tastiness but if you want to shake it up a bit check out some of the recipes provided by some of our Arizona farmers.