Meat is all-natural at Route 44 farm

BARKHAMSTED — Over the last few years, there has been a marked shift among many consumers to purchase  locally grown produce and diary items as part of their weekly grocery shopping. And while the success of several area farmers markets has made that task a much easier one for residents, what about those who wish to purchase locally raised meats?

Enter Barkhamsted’s Eagle Wood Farms.

For the past three years, the Route 44 farm just outside Winsted has offered its gourmet cuts of beef and pork to the general public. The meat, all of which comes from pigs and cattle bred at the farm, is naturally processed without the use of preservatives, nitrates or MSG. And the pigs and cattle are all raised without the use of antibiotics or growth hormones through sustainable farming methods.

Eagle Wood Farms owner and operator David Finn said this not only makes for a high-quality cut of meat, but is more environmentally responsible, too.

“My grandparents were backyard farmers, growing only what they would eat,†he said, adding that he is proud to carry on their tradition of farming.

But Finn, a Torrington native and resident, did not begin his farming career as a young man. Instead, he worked much of his adult life as a carpenter and cabinet maker. In 1992, he decided to come up with a unique way to raise money for the Boy Scout troop he helped lead: a pig roast.

Finn said he bought a pig from the Regional School District No. 7 Vocational Agricultural Center to raise by himself at his woodworking shop along New Hartford Road. A few months later, the roast was held, and Finn said it was a great success, both as a fundraiser and as a culinary adventure.

“People said it was the best pork they ever had,†he said.

After raising a second pig for another roast the following year, Finn realized that he had an affinity for farming and raising livestock. In the mid-1990s, he began to raise and breed his own pigs. For the first few years, the animals were not available directly to consumers. Instead, Finn only sold his animals to other related businesses on the wholesale market. But from time to time, residents would ask Finn to sell them a pig or two for their own use at home.

Eventually, realizing that there may be another market for his meat, he contacted the state to find out what he had to do to begin selling his pork to retail customers.

“I asked them, ‘Well, what do I have to do?’†he said. After fulfilling all the state’s requirements, Eagle Wood Farms opened its doors to the local consumer in 1995.

“Eventually, people asked us why don’t we sell our own beef,†he said. And so, the farm added cattle, as well as goats and sheep and chickens for fresh eggs, too. “And that’s how it all started.â€

Finn’s background as an artisan has come in handy in his efforts to achieve a self-sustaining farm. His son, Sean, is also a skilled cabinet maker. The wood for the handmade furniture pieces he creates is harvested from the family farm’s backyard. With a sawmill on site, the leftover wood pieces are used throughout the property to build shelters and fencing for the animals, and woodchips are used to line the farm’s stalls and walkways.

In addition, sawdust from the mill is mixed with manure collected from the farm to create an environmentally friendly fertilizer for the crops grown on the farm, which help feed the livestock there. The animals’ grazing fields are rotated on a seasonal basis, with Finn allowing the pigs to forage and feast upon wild plants, as well as specially-planted, nutrient-rich items such as bok choy.

“Pigs are nature’s natural bulldozers,†Finn said with a laugh.

Finn also barters with two local breweries (Thomas Hooker Brewing Company in Hartford and the Cambridge Brew House in Torrington) to obtain some of his animal feed. Eagle Wood purchases discarded and nutrient rich brewer’s wort — a by-product of the beer fermentation process — which he uses to feed his pigs. In turn, the farm not only removes the leftover wort for free, saving both businesses the cost of storage and disposal, but often provides the Hooker Beer brewmaster with the sawdust/manure mix.

“He is trying to grow his own locally grown hops for their beer. The idea is catching on, and it’s working,†Finn said.

Although the farm has made its pork and beef, as well as organic salmon and shrimp, available for purchase online through eaglewoodgourmetfood.com (run by Finn’s former partner, Bryan Woods), most recently, Eagle Wood has begun to sell its beef and pork at area farmers markets.

Although the farm has a store at its 325 New Hartford Road location, Finn said he began to seek out new markets.

“We saw that we could sell a limited amount of product here in Barkhamsted,†he said. “And so I wondered, ‘How do we bring our product to the consumer?’â€

Finn brings selections of his meat to the regional markets in large freezers. Before it is put up for sale, all of the coolers are inspected by state officials as well as each town’s local health department.

At first, Finn said market-goers in towns such as Litchfield, Orange, Torrington and Redding were surprised to find gourmet cuts of meat alongside the usual selection of organic fruits and vegetables. But it didn’t take long for customers to catch on: The sales Eagle Wood now rings up at each of the 13 local markets they now regularly attend account for the majority of the farm’s business each week.

“It’s convenient for the consumer, and pretty much they find what’s usually in their grocery story, but our meat is grown in Connecticut,†he said.

Finn added that many of his customers will now e-mail him their meat orders for the week a few days before a specific farmers market takes place. This allows him to ensure he has enough beef and pork cuts on hand for both his regular and new customers.

“There are only so many T-bones and porterhouses,†he said.

In the future, Finn said he would like to see his New Hartford Road shop offer natural, fresh cuts of meat in addition to the frozen gourmet cuts he now offers.

“We’re customer driven, and we have had a lot of people say they wish they could get the fresh cuts of meat,†he said. “But that’s down the road a bit.â€

In addition, Sean has begun to plant produce across the street from Eagle Wood. Although it will take another three to four years, Finn said eventually Eagle Wood will also be able to offer locally grown fruits and vegetables.

“Farming is a big investment, and seven days a week I’m here,†he said, adding that he would not have been able to achieve the level of success he has with the farm if it was not for the support and understanding of his wife, Tanis. “But you know, I don’t ever feel like I am going to work.â€

For more information, visit eaglewoodgourmetfood.com or call 860-379-5978.