Charleston City Paper: Tastey Traditions

By Alison Sher

Caw Caw Creek, a 90-acre farm near St. Matthews, S.C., has gone back to traditional methods of agriculture. Caw Caw Creek only cultivates rare breeds of pigs like the Spotted Poland China, Duroc, Large Black Breed, and Ossabaw Island Pig, a breed whose ancestors were brought to Ossabaw Island, Ga., by Spanish explorers over 400 years ago. These endangered animals, which are not only delicious to eat but beautiful to look at, are fed a diet of green peas, peanuts, acorns, hickory nuts, and Anson Mills grains. As the only certified humane farm and slaughterhouse in South Carolina, the pigs are allowed to roam freely in a naturally managed wild setting and “harvested” as peacefully as possible. What results from that tender loving care is stress-free red pork filled with intramuscular fat that provides a vehicle for the tastes and nutrients of the interesting food they eat.

“Our pork is succulent,” says owner Emile DeFelice. “Where regular pork is a single note, ours strikes a chord.”

You can try Caw Caw Creek pork at restaurants like FIG, McCrady’s, and Carolina’s.