(This piece came from our CL Sarasota, as part of it's Summer of Pig coverage.)
Local vegetables and fruits are commonplace, if you know where to look, but finding local meat is a distinct challenge. Blame the USDA.
Hogs meant for commercial meat sales usually have to go through the mega-slaughterhouses regulated by the USDA, whether it's a couple pigs from a local farm or a thousand pigs from a corporate production facility. That makes it much harder for the little guys, since those slaughterhouses charge a premium for the smaller jobs of the family farm.
There is a loophole, however. Hogs meant for personal consumption – by the owners, theoretically – can be slaughtered at smaller, local slaughterhouses. Over the past few years, farms have started offering entire hogs for sale before they're mature, then the farm finishes raising the hog for you. If you're not in the market for that much meat, they'll even match you up with other interested folks so you can buy a quarter or half of a pig.
Don't worry, you won't have to break down the carcass yourself; it will come to you butchered and wrapped to order. All you have to do is buy a freezer big enough to store your meat.
Why go the trouble and extra expense of buying local?
This article appears in Jun 3-9, 2009.